4K footage on a low-end PC produces a predictable result. Laggy playback. Dropped frames. Timeline scrubbing that feels like dragging through concrete. The edit becomes a test of patience rather than creativity.
The problem isn’t unfixable. Professionals on high-end workstations use the same technique to handle 8K RAW footage. Editing high-resolution footage like 4K or 8K can be a serious challenge, especially if you’re working on a machine that isn’t built to handle massive files. That’s where a proxy workflow comes in.
Here’s how it works — and how to set it up in both Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve.
The Core Problem: Why 4K Chokes Low-End Hardware
4K video files are large and computationally demanding. The larger frame size comes with a larger file size and requires greater system resources to work with during the editing process. The greater computing requirements of working with UHD footage makes many current computers, especially laptops, unable to work with the larger footage.
High-bitrate formats like ProRes 422 HQ, REDCODE RAW, and Blackmagic BRAW demand massive processing power. Decoding multiple 4K or 8K streams in real time pushes CPU, GPU, and storage bandwidth to their limits. Layer complex grades, effects, or multicam sequences on top and even professional workstations can start to choke.
The bottlenecks are usually one of three things: CPU struggling to decode high-bitrate footage in real time, insufficient RAM causing constant disk reads, or slow storage — a spinning hard drive rather than an SSD — unable to feed data to the CPU fast enough.
None of these require a new computer to fix.
The Solution: Proxy Workflow
A proxy workflow is the standard approach for editing high-resolution footage on any hardware. A proxy file is a low-resolution video file that replaces the originally imported high-resolution video within your project timeline. Proxies are a gamechanger because low-res video files render faster within your video editor, give your computer a lighter load, and ultimately help it perform at its best level. While proxy files make you work with lower quality video files within your project timeline, your original high-res video files will be exported.
The workflow in three stages:
- Create low-resolution proxy copies of your 4K footage
- Edit using the proxies — smooth playback, responsive timeline
- Switch back to original files for final export — full quality output
A 500GB project can be reduced to just 25GB with proxies. This makes it much easier to transfer files whether you’re working remotely or handing off footage to an editor on a hard drive.
The final export uses your original 4K files — not the proxies. Quality is not compromised. Only the editing experience changes.
Before You Start: Quick Hardware Optimizations
These cost nothing and improve performance before touching proxy settings.
Move media cache to your fastest drive. Set your media cache on your SSD. If you do not have an SSD, set the cache location on your fastest drive. Clearing cache files from finished projects also frees up significant space and speeds up performance.
Close everything except your editing software. RAM is finite on low-spec machines. Browsers, Spotify, and background apps consume RAM that your editor needs. Close other programs before editing. In Windows, open Task Manager to check which program is using how much RAM. On Mac, use Activity Monitor.
Lower playback resolution. Both Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve allow you to drop playback resolution to half or quarter without affecting your export. Lowering playback resolution to half or even quarter of the original is just a playback thing and will not affect your actual video. This is the fastest fix before setting up a full proxy workflow.
Enable hardware acceleration. Both editors use your GPU to decode footage. Make sure it’s enabled — in Premiere Pro under File, Project Settings, General. In DaVinci Resolve under Preferences, Memory and GPU.
Proxy Workflow in Adobe Premiere Pro
Proxying means Premiere converts your footage to a less demanding codec like H.264 or QuickTime with a much lower bitrate. This is not applied to your actual footage — it’s just there for your previews. You push a button to switch between Original and Proxy view.
Setting Up Proxies in Premiere Pro
Method 1 — During Import (Recommended)
- Open Premiere Pro and go to File, New, Project
- In the Ingest Settings tab during project creation, check Enable Ingest
- Select Create Proxies from the dropdown
- Choose a proxy preset — H.264 Low Resolution is a good starting point for low-end hardware. It is a rule of thumb to use a proxy file with dimensions that are half the size of your original media size. For 4K footage, half resolution is 1920×1080.
- Set the proxy destination — it is common practice to place proxies next to their source media in a subfolder named “proxies.”
- Import your 4K footage — Adobe Media Encoder automatically creates proxies in the background
Method 2 — After Import
- Select your footage in the Project panel
- Right-click and choose Proxy, then Create Proxies
- Choose Format and Preset in the opened panel. Create a custom preset in Media Encoder — choose MP4 or MOV, set quality to 4 for a good balance between acceptable quality and low file size.
- Media Encoder handles the proxy creation while you continue working
Switching Between Proxy and Original in Premiere Pro
Add the Toggle Proxies button to your toolbar — right-click the toolbar area, find Toggle Proxies, and drag it in. One click switches between proxy and original. Activating this tool transforms files into transcoded proxy versions. Deactivating rolls them back to original form.
Always export with proxies toggled off — Premiere automatically uses original files when the proxies button is inactive during export.
Proxy Workflow in DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve handles proxies differently from Premiere. The settings live in Project Settings rather than import dialogs.
Setting Up Proxies in DaVinci Resolve
- Open DaVinci Resolve and create a new project
- Go to File, Project Settings, Master Settings
- Scroll to Optimized Media and Render Cache
- Set Optimized Media Resolution — a standard rule is to go half for HD, quarter for 4K. Just play around and find the suitable one for your system. For 4K footage on a low-end PC, quarter resolution produces the smoothest editing experience
- Set Format to H.264 for MP4 container — H.264 generates files in the MP4 container. DNxHR SQ will also do and creates MXF container.
- Click Save
- Set proxy storage location — turn on “Proxy subfolders in media file locations” under Proxy generation Locations. This creates a subfolder inside the media folder. Keep this proxy location inside the folder containing original clips — inadvertently shifting the proxy folder when it’s outside breaks the link and causes “Media Offline” errors.
Generating Proxies in DaVinci Resolve
Select clips in the Media Pool, right-click, and choose Generate Optimized Media. DaVinci processes the proxies in the background. A small indicator appears on proxy-enabled clips in the Media Pool once complete.
To switch between proxy and original during editing: go to Playback menu and toggle Use Optimized Media if Available. On for editing. Off for color work requiring full-resolution preview.
Final export automatically uses original files regardless of the proxy toggle state — DaVinci Resolve always renders from the source.
Proxy Settings Reference
| Source Footage | Recommended Proxy Resolution | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4K 3840×2160 | 1920×1080 (half) | H.264 MP4 | Good balance of performance and preview quality |
| 4K 3840×2160 | 960×540 (quarter) | H.264 MP4 | Maximum performance on very low-end hardware |
| 6K+ | 1920×1080 (third) | H.264 MP4 | Standard for low-spec editing |
| Any resolution | Match aspect ratio | H.264 MP4 | Always maintain the same aspect ratio as source |
Export Settings for Full-Quality 4K Output
The proxy workflow has no effect on export quality. Both Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve switch to original files for final render automatically. The export settings determine the output quality — not the proxy settings.
For a standard 4K export:
| Setting | Recommended Value |
|---|---|
| Format | MP4 |
| Codec | H.264 or H.265 |
| Resolution | 3840×2160 |
| Bitrate | 35–45 Mbps |
| Frame rate | Match source |
| Audio | AAC, 192kbps |
Proxies falling out of sync with source footage usually point to mismatched frame rates or variable frame rate footage. Convert VFR footage to Constant Frame Rate with a tool like HandBrake or Shutter Encoder, then regenerate the proxies. If you experience sync issues, check that your source footage uses a constant frame rate before generating proxies.
When Proxies Aren’t Enough
Some hardware is simply too limited for 4K editing even with proxies. An integrated graphics chip, 4GB of RAM, and a spinning hard drive can’t deliver a smooth editing experience regardless of proxy settings.
If proxies don’t solve the performance problem, two practical options:
Downscale before editing. Convert 4K footage to 1080p using TotalMedia VideoConverter or HandBrake before importing into your editor. Edit at 1080p, deliver at 1080p. No proxy workflow needed. Appropriate when 4K delivery isn’t a requirement.
Cloud-based editing. Services like Vagon provide cloud workstations with high-end hardware accessible from any machine. Upload footage, edit remotely on capable hardware, download the finished export. Relevant for project-based work where a hardware upgrade isn’t practical.
Frequently Asked Questions
A proxy workflow creates low-resolution copies of your 4K footage for use during editing. Proxy files are low-resolution video files that replace the originally imported high-resolution video within your project timeline, giving your computer a lighter load and allowing smooth editing without lags. Original high-res files are used automatically when exporting the final video.
There’s no single answer — proxy workflows extend the capability of almost any hardware. A PC with 8GB RAM, an SSD for media storage, and any dedicated GPU from the last five years can handle 4K editing with proxies at quarter resolution. Without proxies, 16GB RAM and a mid-range GPU is a more practical minimum.
No. While proxy files make editing smoother using lower quality preview files, your original high-res video files are used for the final export. The export quality depends entirely on your export settings — not on whether you used proxies during editing.
DaVinci Resolve has a free version with full proxy workflow support and is generally considered more efficient with system resources than Premiere Pro at comparable settings. Premiere Pro requires a paid Adobe subscription. For low-spec hardware specifically, DaVinci Resolve’s free version is the stronger starting point.
your specific software version’s documentation.