For editors
Editing proxies
A 1080p working copy of heavy camera files that keeps what an editing app needs to attach it to the original: timecode, reel name, frame rate and every audio channel.
What a proxy keeps
| Property | Proxy |
|---|---|
| Picture size | Short edge 1080, never enlarged (UHD becomes 1920×1080, portrait stays portrait) |
| Frame rate and frame count | Kept. No frame-rate cap. Interlaced sources are converted one frame per frame |
| Start timecode | Written explicitly, with the source's counter converted to the video rate |
| Reel name and camera tags | Kept on the timecode track and in the file's metadata |
| Audio | Every stream, same channels and sample rate. PCM, AAC and ALAC are copied; other codecs become AAC |
| Container | QuickTime .mov with HEVC (hvc1), the tag macOS and QuickTime play |
What is checked on every proxy
- Duration equals the original.
- Frame count equals the original.
- Audio stream count, channels and sample rate equal the original.
A proxy that fails any of these is not offered for download and is not charged.
Quality
Proxy settings were calibrated on real ARRI, Sony and DJI footage to a VMAF score of at least 90 against the source, a level at which artefacts are not noticed when cutting. The structural checks above run on every file; the quality score comes from that calibration rather than a per-file measurement.
Working with your editing app
- DaVinci Resolve. We tested attaching these proxies to their originals in Resolve Studio: timecode and relinking passed on every clip in the test set.
- Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro. We have not completed our own import tests for these yet. Final Cut Pro matches a proxy to its original by duration, frame rate and audio channel layout, and the proxies keep all three. Treat it as likely, not confirmed, and try a few clips before you commit a project.
Proxies rendered by an editing app's own export page can mix audio down to stereo, which stops them linking to originals with more channels. These proxies keep the channel layout, so that cannot happen.
Limits on this page
Each file can be up to 5 GB on the web (1 GB without an account). Whole-camera-card or whole-project runs, naming rules and a delivery folder are what team plans are for.