Editing proxies for Premiere & Resolve — without a render farm
4K HEVC from a drone or mirrorless turns any timeline into a slideshow. The fix is 30 years old and still the best one: cut on light proxies, render from the originals.
Why your timeline lags
Long-GOP codecs (HEVC, H.264) are built for small files, not for scrubbing: to show a random frame the editor must decode the whole group of frames around it. Editing codecs (ProRes, DNxHR) store every frame independently — heavier on disk, instant to scrub.
Make proxies with ClipMend (macOS)
- Drop your clips (or the whole card folder) → PRO → PROXY.
- Pick the codec: ProRes Proxy (Mac default), DNxHR LB (Avid-flavored pipelines), or H.265/H.264 for the smallest possible files on Apple Silicon. Pick the proxy resolution.
- Convert — the batch renders with hardware acceleration, each file with its own progress.
Output naming is the part that saves you an evening: proxies land in a Proxy/ subfolder with exactly the same filename as the original — the convention DaVinci Resolve needs to auto-link every clip (Premiere attaches the same folder in two clicks).
Bonus for the same workflow
- Video → image sequence (PNG/TIFF/JPG) named so Premiere, Resolve and After Effects auto-detect it as a sequence — for VFX round-trips.
- ProRes / DNxHR masters with correct color tags, 10-bit and HDR preserved — when a client wants an edit-ready master, not an .mp4.
- Camera card won't even import? That's a repair job, not a convert job — see .ts won't import.
FAQ
Why didn't Resolve link my old proxies?
Almost always naming: the proxy filename must match the original exactly. ClipMend's output follows that convention by default — no manual renaming.
ProRes Proxy or DNxHR LB?
On a Mac: ProRes Proxy. Choose DNxHR LB when the project will travel to Avid or a Windows-heavy post house.
Do I need proxies on an M-series Mac at all?
For one 4K stream — often not. For multicam, 6K+, or HEVC 10-bit with effects — yes, proxies still beat brute force.
Cut smooth, render full-res
ClipMend for macOS — early access. Join the list, no spam: