What is proxy media?

How proxy editing works

Modern cameras record 4K, 6K or raw footage in codecs that are hard to decode in real time, especially on a laptop or when several streams play at once. A proxy is a copy of each clip at a fraction of the resolution, often a quarter or half, in an edit-friendly codec. It plays back smoothly and takes a fraction of the disk space.

The editor cuts the whole project on proxies. Before color grading or export, the editing app switches every clip back to its original, a step often called relinking or conforming. Because each proxy has the same duration, frame rate and timecode as its original, every cut lands on the same frame in the full-quality file.

Proxies can be made by the editing app itself, by a separate transcoding tool, or by some cameras, which record a small proxy file alongside the main one.

An example

A documentary crew shoots 40 hours of 6K footage over two weeks. The editor, working remotely, receives only the proxies, which fit on one portable drive. She builds a rough cut, the director approves it, and the finishing editor, who has the originals, opens the same project, relinks to the camera files and exports the final film. The creative decisions carried over because the proxy and original share names, timecode and length.

What breaks relinking

• Different frame rate or duration. A proxy transcoded at 30 fps from a 29.97 fps original will not line up.
• Missing audio channels. If the original has eight channels and the proxy two, audio edits may not map back.
• Renamed files or folders. Many apps match by name and timecode; renaming one side breaks the match.
• Proxies made from the wrong source. A proxy of an already-trimmed export has a different start timecode than the camera file.
• Exporting from proxies by mistake. The final file comes out soft because the switch back to originals was never made.

Why proxies matter for search

MediaFind does not make or manage proxies, but they affect any searchable library. Proxies and originals look the same to a person yet are different files, so a folder that holds both will return every moment twice. Byte-level duplicate checks will not catch them, because the files differ; that takes near-duplicate detection. A practical rule: add one set of files to MediaFind, ideally the set you will actually cut with, so that search results, clips and a Pro FCPXML or EDL export all point at the media you expect. See MediaFind for video editors and finding duplicate videos.

Frequently asked questions

Do proxies lower the quality of my final video?

No, as long as you switch back to the originals before export. Proxies only affect what you see while editing.

What resolution should proxies be?

Anything that plays smoothly on your machine and is sharp enough to judge focus and framing. A quarter or half of the original resolution is common.

Are proxies the same as optimized media?

Not quite. Optimized media is usually full resolution in an easier codec, so it is larger. Proxies are both smaller and lighter to decode.