Final Cut Pro rival Adobe Premiere Pro is now available with support for the M1 processor, but only partially and solely in beta. Adobe warns users that there are key limitations in the current.
Cover image via
In this walkthrough, we'll look at how to optimize your editing workflow — and which settings to check if Premiere Pro is running slow.
Laggy playback is probably the most frequent complaint from Premiere Pro users. I recently completed a deep-dive into Adobe's Premiere Pro troubleshooting pages and their community forums, and I've complied a list of solutions that you can try if Premiere Pro is lagging.
- Premiere Pro: Display Large Images Posted on February 20, 2015 by Sudd One of the features in Final Cut Pro X that I like is Spatial Conform, which quickly scales a picture to either fit the frame, fill the frame, or display at 100% size.
- Learn how to compress file sizes in Adobe Premiere Pro without losing visual quality. Perfect for sending smaller files sizes online to another person.
- PremiumBeat: - Even if you're not an audio expert, editing your audio in Premiere pro can be easy and a lot of fun. This Premiere Pro t.
- The only workaround for this for me is to use another program like Shotcut to import the Premiere Pro exported video and then reduce in size using that app. It's really unfortunate that a program so expensive as Premeier Pro can't export to a file format that is comparable in file size to the original.
It's important to remain realistic about your computer's hardware and specs. (Especially when it comes to editing 4K video or videos with lots of effects.) Also, if you're in the middle of a project, I strongly recommend against updating any Adobe CC apps until you've finished. Updating Adobe CC apps in the middle of a project is asking for trouble. (If you do update them, at least don't uninstall the previous CC versions.)
We're going to cover settings and general workflow tips that should improve your Premiere Pro experience.
Quickest Solutions for the Most Improvement
If you're in a hurry to find out why Premiere Pro is running slow, these four solutions typically offer the most dramatic speed improvement.
Turn on GPU Acceleration
Under Project Settings, make sure the Renderer is set to GPU Acceleration. If the GPU Acceleration option is grayed out, you may need to update your graphics card drivers. If you update them, and the option is still grayed out, Premiere Pro may not support your graphics card.
Make certain the Renderer is set to GPU Acceleration.
Lower Playback Resolution
This one seems pretty obvious, but it'll make a drastic difference if you lower the playback resolution. Adjust the setting to 1/2 or 1/4 in the bottom-right corner of the Preview Window.
You can also make sure High Quality Playback is disabled. Click on the Wrench icon right next to the Resolution setting, and then make sure High Quality Playback is unchecked.
Purge Media Cache Files
Sometimes old cache files can be the culprit. Navigate to Media Cache in Preferences. Then select Delete Unused.
Make sure you delete unused media cache files.
Save Cache Files to a Secondary SSD
Finally, it's also recommended to save your media cache files and scratch disk files to a secondary drive — preferably an internal SSD — for the best playback performance. In fact, Puget Systems claims this is the number one thing you can do to increase performance with Premiere Pro. If you have to use an external SSD, make sure it's rated for USB 3.0 and you have it plugged into a USB 3.0 port. (USB 3.0 is usually indicated with the color blue on the port or connector.)
To change the cache file location, navigate to Media Cache in Preferences.
In Preferences, scroll down to Media Cache to change the cache file location.
To change the scratch disk file location, navigate to Scratch Disks under Project Settings. (Note that you will need to set the Scratch Disks settings for every new project you work on. Premiere Pro doesn't save that Project Setting location like it does for Media Cache files.)
Under Project Settings, navigate to Scratch Disks in order to change the scratch disk's file location.
Settings to Check
Here's a list of other settings you may want to change in Premiere Pro for faster playback. Experiment with these, as results will vary depending on your workstation.
Optimize Rendering for Performance
Under Preferences, navigate to Memory and set Optimize Rendering for Performance.
Navigate to Memory, then set Optimize Rendering for Performance.
Disable Auto Save
Frequent auto saves can sometimes slow down your machine. (For me, auto save usually crashes my Adobe apps more than it actually saves them. But try this recommendation at your own risk!) Navigate to Auto Save under Preferences to turn it off.
Disable Mercury Transmit
Mercury Transmit is typically used to send your preview window to external screens. If you aren't using one, turn this feature off. Navigate to Playback under Preferences to disable it.
Under Playback, disable Mercury Transmit to further quicken the process.
Disable Refresh Growing Files
Automatically Refresh Growing Files is a setting typically used for live broadcast productions. Some Premiere Pro users have reported getting better performance with it turned off. To disable it, navigate to Media under Preferences.
Another trick for a better performance, disable Automatically Refresh Growing Files.
Check for Updates
If your current version of Premiere Pro suddenly becomes laggy, check for updates for your operating system and graphics card. Doing this has frequently helped solve issues for me, as more often than not, there's an update available. (However, if you're in the middle of a project and everything is working normal, don't update anything!)
Checking for updates for both your operating system and graphics card can help with a lagging computer.
Workflow Tips
Here's a list of practices you can use when editing to optimize your workflow. (And hopefully increase preview speed!)
Don't Edit Files on a Memory Card
Even though memory cards are flash memory, they're not ideal for direct editing. In other words, offload files from your memory card to a separate drive, then edit with those files in Premiere Pro.
Use Proxy Files
Using proxy files when you edit is another technique that's sure to get you better playback in Premiere Pro. Using proxy files is basically substituting a lower-resolution version of your footage in while you edit. It'll then switch back to your high-resolution footage when it's time to render. In this quick tip article, Robbie Janney covers how to create proxies in Premiere Pro.
Final Cut Pro rival Adobe Premiere Pro is now available with support for the M1 processor, but only partially and solely in beta. Adobe warns users that there are key limitations in the current.
Cover image via
In this walkthrough, we'll look at how to optimize your editing workflow — and which settings to check if Premiere Pro is running slow.
Laggy playback is probably the most frequent complaint from Premiere Pro users. I recently completed a deep-dive into Adobe's Premiere Pro troubleshooting pages and their community forums, and I've complied a list of solutions that you can try if Premiere Pro is lagging.
- Premiere Pro: Display Large Images Posted on February 20, 2015 by Sudd One of the features in Final Cut Pro X that I like is Spatial Conform, which quickly scales a picture to either fit the frame, fill the frame, or display at 100% size.
- Learn how to compress file sizes in Adobe Premiere Pro without losing visual quality. Perfect for sending smaller files sizes online to another person.
- PremiumBeat: - Even if you're not an audio expert, editing your audio in Premiere pro can be easy and a lot of fun. This Premiere Pro t.
- The only workaround for this for me is to use another program like Shotcut to import the Premiere Pro exported video and then reduce in size using that app. It's really unfortunate that a program so expensive as Premeier Pro can't export to a file format that is comparable in file size to the original.
It's important to remain realistic about your computer's hardware and specs. (Especially when it comes to editing 4K video or videos with lots of effects.) Also, if you're in the middle of a project, I strongly recommend against updating any Adobe CC apps until you've finished. Updating Adobe CC apps in the middle of a project is asking for trouble. (If you do update them, at least don't uninstall the previous CC versions.)
We're going to cover settings and general workflow tips that should improve your Premiere Pro experience.
Quickest Solutions for the Most Improvement
If you're in a hurry to find out why Premiere Pro is running slow, these four solutions typically offer the most dramatic speed improvement.
Turn on GPU Acceleration
Under Project Settings, make sure the Renderer is set to GPU Acceleration. If the GPU Acceleration option is grayed out, you may need to update your graphics card drivers. If you update them, and the option is still grayed out, Premiere Pro may not support your graphics card.
Make certain the Renderer is set to GPU Acceleration.
Lower Playback Resolution
This one seems pretty obvious, but it'll make a drastic difference if you lower the playback resolution. Adjust the setting to 1/2 or 1/4 in the bottom-right corner of the Preview Window.
You can also make sure High Quality Playback is disabled. Click on the Wrench icon right next to the Resolution setting, and then make sure High Quality Playback is unchecked.
Purge Media Cache Files
Sometimes old cache files can be the culprit. Navigate to Media Cache in Preferences. Then select Delete Unused.
Make sure you delete unused media cache files.
Save Cache Files to a Secondary SSD
Finally, it's also recommended to save your media cache files and scratch disk files to a secondary drive — preferably an internal SSD — for the best playback performance. In fact, Puget Systems claims this is the number one thing you can do to increase performance with Premiere Pro. If you have to use an external SSD, make sure it's rated for USB 3.0 and you have it plugged into a USB 3.0 port. (USB 3.0 is usually indicated with the color blue on the port or connector.)
To change the cache file location, navigate to Media Cache in Preferences.
In Preferences, scroll down to Media Cache to change the cache file location.
To change the scratch disk file location, navigate to Scratch Disks under Project Settings. (Note that you will need to set the Scratch Disks settings for every new project you work on. Premiere Pro doesn't save that Project Setting location like it does for Media Cache files.)
Under Project Settings, navigate to Scratch Disks in order to change the scratch disk's file location.
Settings to Check
Here's a list of other settings you may want to change in Premiere Pro for faster playback. Experiment with these, as results will vary depending on your workstation.
Optimize Rendering for Performance
Under Preferences, navigate to Memory and set Optimize Rendering for Performance.
Navigate to Memory, then set Optimize Rendering for Performance.
Disable Auto Save
Frequent auto saves can sometimes slow down your machine. (For me, auto save usually crashes my Adobe apps more than it actually saves them. But try this recommendation at your own risk!) Navigate to Auto Save under Preferences to turn it off.
Disable Mercury Transmit
Mercury Transmit is typically used to send your preview window to external screens. If you aren't using one, turn this feature off. Navigate to Playback under Preferences to disable it.
Under Playback, disable Mercury Transmit to further quicken the process.
Disable Refresh Growing Files
Automatically Refresh Growing Files is a setting typically used for live broadcast productions. Some Premiere Pro users have reported getting better performance with it turned off. To disable it, navigate to Media under Preferences.
Another trick for a better performance, disable Automatically Refresh Growing Files.
Check for Updates
If your current version of Premiere Pro suddenly becomes laggy, check for updates for your operating system and graphics card. Doing this has frequently helped solve issues for me, as more often than not, there's an update available. (However, if you're in the middle of a project and everything is working normal, don't update anything!)
Checking for updates for both your operating system and graphics card can help with a lagging computer.
Workflow Tips
Here's a list of practices you can use when editing to optimize your workflow. (And hopefully increase preview speed!)
Don't Edit Files on a Memory Card
Even though memory cards are flash memory, they're not ideal for direct editing. In other words, offload files from your memory card to a separate drive, then edit with those files in Premiere Pro.
Use Proxy Files
Using proxy files when you edit is another technique that's sure to get you better playback in Premiere Pro. Using proxy files is basically substituting a lower-resolution version of your footage in while you edit. It'll then switch back to your high-resolution footage when it's time to render. In this quick tip article, Robbie Janney covers how to create proxies in Premiere Pro.
Avoid Editing Files with Compressed Codecs
While compressed codecs are great for recording or uploading, they aren't ideal for editing. Compressed codecs, such as H.264, take more time to decompress while editing, so they frequently have laggy playback. Codecs like ProRes, Cineform, and DNxHD are more ideal for editing. Again, an easy way to get around this is to just use proxy files.
Render Dynamic Linked Comps
If you have any portion of your video timeline linked to After Effects or another Adobe CC app, you can quickly render and replace those for faster playback. Simply right-click on the Dynamic Linked sections of your edit, then select Render and Replace. How can i watch it online.
For faster playback, use the Render and Replace option.
Turn Off Video Effects
Multiple video effects can put a heavy strain on previews, as well. You can try turning off individual effects before you preview, or use the Global FX Mute button to turn off all effects.
If you don't see the Global FX Mute button in your Preview Window, you can add it by selecting the Plus icon, then drag and drop it into the Preview Window tool bar.
Here's how to add the Global FX Mute button.
Using Adobe Premiere Pro
Close Lumetri Scopes
If you have the Lumetri Scopes panel open, close it up before trying to play back your footage in the timeline.
Close the Lumetri Scopes Panel before you play back your footage.
Render In to Out
If all else fails, you may just have to set an in-point and an out-point and select Render In and Out under Sequence settings. It'll take some time to render previews of the footage in your timeline. After which, it should playback in real time, until other changes are made to the edit.
Dropped Frame Indicator
Premiere Pro also has a built-in Dropped Frame Indicator that can signal to you if you're skipping frames during playback. (You'll likely already be aware of this if you see visible lag during playback.) Click the wrench icon at the bottom right of the Preview Window, then select Show Dropped Frame Indicator. You'll see a small green dot that'll turn yellow or red, if there are dropped frames during playback.
If you seem to be skipping frames during playback, select the Show Dropped Frame Indicator.
Looking for more Premiere Pro tips? How to zip 3 files together. Check these out. File editing software.
One of the features in Final Cut Pro X that I like is Spatial Conform, which quickly scales a picture to either fit the frame, fill the frame, or display at 100% size.
This got me wondering about Adobe Premiere Pro CC and whether it had something similar. So, I turned to my friend Kevin Monahan, Support Product Manager at Adobe for their Digital Video Products.
Larry: Is there a way to edit a high-res image/clip into the Timeline so that the image fills the frame at the time of the edit?
Adobe Premiere Pro Free
Kevin: Yes. In Preferences > General, there is a preference for 'Default Scale to Frame Size.' That allows you to edit oversized footage into a sequence with a smaller frame size. Setting this preference affects every clip imported after the change is made but doesn't affect any clip already in the project.
NOTE: You can also change the behavior for any clip already in the Timeline by selecting the clip and choosing Clip > Video Options > Scale to frame size. This option is also available by right-clicking the clip.
However, I would not recommend this method as it reinterprets the scaling of the clip, setting it to 100% [in Effect Controls]. This means that Premiere Pro interprets the new size as 100% scale. If the user then attempts to zoom in, the resolution is lost and the image will appear grainy. In other words, if you scale or reposition the clip, you will be degrading the image quality. I never liked this option for this reason. In the past, I chose to make an effects preset to rescale the footage properly to fit the frame.
Now, however, we have a better option, as I explain in the answer to your next question.
https://ytqc.over-blog.com/2021/01/hype-3-3-5-3.html. Larry: Is there a way to quickly resize an image/clip so that it fills the frame precisely, without dragging the size sliders in Effect Controls?
Kevin: Yes, this is a pretty recent feature called 'Set to Frame Size.' Once the clip(s) are in the Timeline, Ctrl-click on the clips and choose Set to Frame Size from the contextual menu. (You can't set this until a clip is in the Timeline.)
When you use the Set to Frame Size command, the native pixel resolution of the image is preserved, and Premiere Pro will remember the original image size when zooming in on the image.
Likewise, you can choose Clip > Video Options > Set to Frame Size. A keyboard shortcut can also be set up for this command.
My feeling is that this should also be available as a preference and some day it may be.
Larry: Is there a way to convert an image/clip from 'fill the frame' to 100% size once it is edited into the timeline?
Kevin: One can create a 'Rescale to 100%' effects preset for your particular format. You could also merely reset the Scale property in the Effect Controls panel.
The moral of the story is: 'Scale to Frame Size' is not as useful now that we have the newer 'Set to Frame Size' function.
Larry adds: I knew about 'Scale to Frame Size,' but 'Set to Frame Size' was new to me and is a very effective way to scale images in Premiere.
Also, you can quickly set a keyboard shortcut for either option by searching on 'Frame Size' in the Keyboard Shortcuts menu.
Thanks, Kevin!
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