Preview files reverting during edit.

Thanks Meyerpj ... and yea, there is SO much confusing stuff "here". Export vs renders ... when is software only a GPU and when a CPU thing? ... Premiere proxies versus old-style "manual" online/offlline "proxy" process ... and on and on ...

Neil

Wow, great thread Neil, really helpful. That's a common problem we see here, inexact descriptions of processes. Most typical is Export and Render, those terms are not the same in PP.

"I imported in my proxies" this is one of those terms we don't use! There is no importing of the proxy files doing things the PP way. That is handled automatically. Also, when you look thru your project file, you will only be seeing the original footage and no proxies will be in there. Only if you use metadata you can see your footage is attached and to which file.

Here's a good tutorial which I found informative: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=993mbUa0h-w&feature=youtu.be

Oh, and never use the h.264 option to create proxies. Use Cineform or ProRes.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/premiere-pro/pp-2019-making-proxies-runs-well-wtask-manager/td-p/10418307

Trying to get crafty, eh? Ha. Premiere doesn't like that in a user ... lol.

It seems to like its own process for proxies. And is in many ways easier.

Although there are times and projects where the older online/offline manual proxy files does work a lot better. But Premiere has no clue you're using proxy media at that point.

Neil

For Premiere to recognize a typical in-app proxy workflow, it needs to make the proxies as part of a create proxies process. Premeire/MediaEncoder add a " _proxy " suffix to every name. With those created by Me, and showing as "attached" in the Project panel, you can switch forth and back while editing with the Toggle Proxies icon/shortcut.

That is by far the easier process. When you initially add media to a project, right-click the clips in the bin and then select "Proxy/Create Proxies". Me will fire up and make them in the background.

Using transcoded media to work with the very different old-style offline/online process does work. With some caveats.

First, the names for the transcoded "proxy" media should be exactly the same.

Second, having them in similar folder structures is (in my experience) a timesaver.

Third, after offlining the transcoded "proxy" media to reconnect, you need to make sure the option in the "Locate" dialog to match extensions is de-selected. Having the right options selected ... or deselected ... is key.

Now, with the old-style online/offline process, you can't use the Toggle-proxy icon of course.

Neil

Attach proxies and replace footage are completely different processes.

Proxies are a fill-in typically at lower res than the original media. Used throughout a project mostly. Edit with proxies, toggle to full media to see effect, toggle back to proxy to keep working. Premiere handles that forth/back between the two for you.

Replace footage means taking a separate clip to replace what was used in the sequence.

Rendering a section of timeline/sequence means having Premiere create preview files of the section, as it exists with the current effects. The media chosen is set in the Sequence settings for that sequence. And if you change any effect used, the rendered section is supposed to 'dump' the previews as now the previews are incorrect.

Render and Replace is a yet different process ... that takes the clip on the sequence, applies the effects used so far to it, and exports out  a completely new clip to replace the clip on the sequence. You need to make sure you have a proper format/codec set for this work of course to keep quality up.

It is very useful when doing several intensive effects on the same clip or section of a sequence. Apply some, R&R, then apply the rest. Keep working, and playback is vastly improved over having too many intensive effects stacked at one point.

So ... reading through your post, and knowing how Premiere works, I'm ... puzzled ... as to exactly what you were doing when. But I hope an explanation of the various processes that are possible would help to puzzle out what's happening, and of course to enable you to communicate better what's specifically going on.

Neil