RED 4k to 1080 proxy CPU fan running while editing

[Ivan Myles]

If I understand your post correctly, the processing load is high because Premiere is still using the same 4k source files. Proxy files are lower quality copies that are used instead of the source footage during the editing process.

From a file management perspective the idea is to substitute small copies for the larger source files. In general, the steps are as follows:

– create the proxy files by transcoding your 4k source footage into lower resolution, lower bitrate files
– import the proxy files into Premiere
– create a sequence as required for your desired final output
– drag the proxy files onto the timeline and edit/add effects
– before exporting the final output, replace the proxy files with the original source footage

There are some great web videos that can walk you through the process in more detail.

[Brian Bradley]

thanks for your response

In your opinion what’s the best way to edit 4k source footage without having to go through the pain of REDCine-X? I just finished a project last week in FCP-7. Where it took me 10 days to transcode everything in REDCine-X. I just switched over to CS6 cause you can handle R3D files w/o going through REDCine. Which I’m able to, however as I’m editing. The fan on my MacBook Pro is screaming. However when I pause playback the fan cuts off. The screen shot I uploaded in my original post illustrators how much CPU power CS6 is taking up.

[Ivan Myles]

It will be a challenge to edit 4k footage on a laptop. Proxy files are a good place to start. You could also add an external video card or RAID array via Thunderbolt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jKx-cr4bi74

[Tero Ahlfors]

You can use Adobe Media Encoder or Prelude to do blazing fast transcodes from the original files. Redcine X is insanely slow. If you want to edit from the originals you have to deal with the fans.

[Brian Bradley]

Thanks Ivan and Tero,

Tero can you color correct inside of Media Encoder?

[Tero Ahlfors]

[Brian Bradley] “Tero can you color correct inside of Media Encoder?”

Nope, but why whould you color correct proxies?

[Angelo Lorenzo]

I disagree with Tero’s answer. Some informal testing seems to show that Adobe Media Encoder is slower than Redcine-X for transcode to the same codec. Seems logical as Adobe is just patching in RED’s supplied program code.

There are, however, ways of saving you huge amounts of time. Chances are, as this is the default setting, that you’ve been decoding your footage in Redcine-X at 100% full quality. In Redcine-X in your export settings, hit Debayer Quality and set to “nearest fit” for all sizes. This should greatly reduce export time although the resulting file won’t have as much detail – not really an issue if you’re relinking the original RED footage later.

——————–
Angelo Lorenzo

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[Brian Bradley]

Angelo

Thanks I’ll give it a try and see if it improves my CPU’s performance

Also everyone thanks Ivan and Tero for your advise too