High-quality video content has become common these days. Digital camera technology has evolved a lot, and as a result, the size of the raw footage sent to editors has also increased. Editing such big files requires enormous processing power and bandwidth.
Proxy videos are, therefore, increasingly being utilized in video editing for a seamless and efficient post-production process. Let’s take a look at what proxy files are used for and their advantages and disadvantages.
Also Read: Beginners guide on how to learn Video Editing
Contents
What is a Proxy File Used For?
Simply put, a proxy file is a duplicate file of a project’s source footage that is usually smaller in size and lower in resolution than the original file. Proxies are used to replace the raw footage during post-production for faster and more efficient editing.
This is because proxy files are smaller than the raw footage, so they load faster and use less processing power during editing and rendering.
When to Use Proxies in Video Editing
It is better to work with proxy files if you’re using a laptop or any other device that does not have the capacity to process high-quality raw footage without significant lag times.
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Low-Performance Editing Devices
Proxy files are a great option if you edit your videos with hardware with low processing power. Raw footage will take up an incredible amount of hard drive space and will be an editing nightmare on a low-performance device. It will slow down the editing process, which is why it’s better to go with proxies.
Multi-site Post-production
Transferring large raw footage among post-production team members who work remotely can be time-consuming and difficult. As proxies are smaller in size, editors can receive files faster and start the post-production process sooner.
Source Footage Protection
Proxies help protect the raw source footage when multiple editors work on a project. Proxy files ensure that the source footage is still safe, even if files are corrupted or compromised during the editing process.
How to Create a Proxy in Video Editing
Record a Proxy File
Some video cameras have the option to record high-resolution files and proxy files simultaneously. This saves time as you don’t have to convert raw footage into a proxy. You can attach the proxy to your project workflow during the editing process if your video editor supports a proxy workflow.
Make a Proxy with Video Editor
Some video editors can convert high-resolution videos to proxy files for users. You can choose the format and file size you want to work with, and your video editor will export the project with the original file once you’re done editing.
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Manually Make a Proxy
To do this, you need to organize your files and have access to a video editor. Follow these steps to manually create a proxy for video editing.
Step 1
Copy the raw footage and separate it into different folders. Make sure to keep identical names on the files in each folder.
Step 2
Convert the files in any one folder to a smaller and more manageable size. This is the proxy that’ll be used in the editing process.
Step 3
Make the necessary changes in the video and save the project once you’re done editing.
Step 4
Now, swap the names of your original folders. This means that if your proxy folder was named “proxy,” you’ll now name the original files folder “proxy” and the actual proxy folder as “proxy for editing” for differentiation.
Step 5
Next, reopen the project in the video editor and export the file. The final product will, thus, use the high-quality original files instead of the proxy ones.
Pros of Proxy Editing
Improved Performance
Not everyone has the latest laptops with the highest processing power. Proxy files help people with average hardware improve the performance of the editing software.
With small-sized proxies on laptops with average processing power, software like Adobe Premiere and DaVinci Resolve can run more smoothly.
Reduced Rendering Time
Even devices that can decently run an editing software may have slow rendering times. Previews may take some time to load, and dropped frames are common.
Using proxies is, therefore, better as it reduces the rendering time so that previews of edits can load faster. This smoothens the overall process for the editor.
Free Up Hard Drive Space
Proxy files can free up space in internal and external hard drives as they are smaller in size. You don’t need to keep the enormous raw footage file on every hard drive you edit with. You can simply keep the source footage in the initial drive and relink it to the proxies after the edits are done.
Also Read: Benefits of Video Editing on your own
Cons of Proxy Editing
Extra Setup Time
Creating proxies during post-production means extra setup time because every shot and file needs to be transcoded into a proxy file. Further, you need to set an organizational system so that you can easily relink the source footage to the proxies later.
Low-resolution Previews
The rendered previews of the edits are in a lower resolution if you use proxies. You have to give up the quality of the footage to make the file size smaller. However, editing softwares often have the option to toggle the use of proxies in the rendered preview.
Conclusion
Video editing using proxies is a common practice now because of its convenience. File sizes have become larger and larger as camera technology has evolved. Editing teams, too, work remotely these days, so proxies are a great way to streamline the post-production workflow and smoothen the editing process.
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