Proxy editing
Also known as: proxies, proxy workflow, proxy files
Editing with small, low-resolution copies of your footage instead of the heavy originals, then switching back to full quality for the final export.
Updated
What it means
Proxy editing is a workflow trick for footage that is too heavy for your computer to play smoothly. The editor creates a lightweight copy of every clip - lower resolution, an easy-to-decode codec - and you cut with those copies. At export, the software swaps the originals back in, so the final video keeps full quality.
Action-camera and drone footage is a prime candidate. 5.3K or 4K files in H.265 at high bitrates are compressed in a way that is demanding to decode, and scrubbing through them on a laptop often stutters even when the specs look fine on paper. A proxy turns that into smooth, responsive playback.
How it works in practice
In Premiere Pro you select clips and choose Proxy, then Create Proxies, typically at quarter resolution in ProRes Proxy or H.264; a toggle button switches between proxy and original. DaVinci Resolve offers Generate Proxy Media and Optimized Media, and Final Cut Pro can create proxies on import. Proxy files usually take up only a fraction of the space of the originals.
GoPro cameras already record a low-resolution companion for every clip: the LRV file. Some editors rename LRV files to MP4 and attach them as proxies to skip transcoding entirely, as long as the file names line up with the originals. Some DJI cameras save similar low-resolution files alongside the main recording.
What to watch out for
The biggest proxy mistake is exporting with proxies still in use. Most editors switch to originals automatically, but some export setups and plugins do not, and the result is a soft, low-resolution video. Check the export settings and watch the first part of the file at full size.
Broken links are the other trap. Moving or renaming the original files after proxies are made can leave the project unable to reconnect, with only the proxy left in the timeline. Keep originals and proxies in a fixed folder structure until the final export is done. And remember that proxies hide fine detail, so judge focus, noise and grading on the originals.
How RawClip handles it
With RawClip there is no timeline, so there are no proxies to create or relink. Upload the full-quality originals as MP4 or MOV, up to 5.3K, and leave out the LRV and THM companion files - they are not needed. The AI works from your originals and renders the finished highlight from them.