Premiere EXTREME lag with proxies on the newest version (V25.2.3)

[Will27540326c9gz]

• Issue - Newest version of Premiere Pro lags and doesn't work smoothly with proxies (as shown in the attached screen recordings).
• Steps to reproduce - Create proxies, toggle them on, and observe how the timeline performance is slower than it should be.
• Expected result - It should be way smoother, as shown in the screen recording (attached) of the older Premiere version.
• Actual result -  Way slower than it should be, timeline performance is bad.
• Adobe Premiere Pro version - Version 25.2.3
• Operating system - Windows 11
• GPU driver version (Windows only) - Nvidia Studio Driver 576.02
• Video format - XAVC-SH 4k 59.94 fps from Sony FX3
• Comparative information helps us understand more about when the issue occurs: 
  • Does it affect all projects or only some projects? It affects all projects.
  • Does it affect new projects? Yes.
  • When did the problem begin? Newest version of Premiere (version 25.2.3)

I've attached videos to show the issue.

P.S.: I also tried manually importing the proxies onto the timeline, and they work very smoothly. It's only when I attach them to the actual footage and toggle on the proxy icon where this issue occurs.

[Rach McIntire]

Hi @Will27540326c9gz, 

Thanks for submitting your bug report.  I also really appreciate the two videos; they demonstrate the difference.  I will look into this more.  XAVC-SH is a long-GOP format, so that may be one thing to consider.  We never like to see performance degradation between versions, though.  A few more questions:

How were your proxies made?  What kind of proxies are you working with, and what frame rate is your footage? Right-click on the Program monitor, check if "High Quality Playback" is selected, and deselect it if it is.

Do you happen to have hardware acceleration enabled under Preferences > Media? Have you tried disabling it to see if you notice a difference?

Do you have any effects in use or third-party plugins installed, and have you noticed this with any other kind of footage?

Would you be able to provide your project file and a sample video clip for us to test with internally?  Can you also confirm that the frame rate of your proxies and original media match exactly?  

I hope we can help you soon. Sorry for the frustration! 

[Will27540326c9gz]

Hi @Rach McIntire , thanks for your response.

1) Proxies were made by right clicking on the footage > proxy > create proxies. Same way I do it for all my other projects.

2) Working with Prores 422 Proxy.

3) Footage FPS is 59.94 fps. However, when I go to interpret footage, it shows as "59.9401". This shouldn't be the issue though, because the proxies also share the same FPS, and when I manually drop them onto the timeline, they're smooth. Plus, all my other projects were shot on the same FPS and the problem never occured with older Premiere versions.

4) Enabling or disabling High Quality Playback doesn't change anything.

5) Hardware acceleration: it's enabled, disabling it doesn't make a difference.

6) Yes I have effects and 3rd party plugins installed, lots of them so it'd take a while to pin point which one is causing the issue, if any. And I don't currently have other footage to test this with.

7) FPS of the proxies and original footage match perfectly.

8) Here's a folder that has a few of the original clips + the proxies I'm using: 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/p160j5jbk3nfss3vxmmdm/AFa17VAI11HlEy7Qwl0z8yk?rlkey=up4fp9rj2s6bvy3bx...

[Rach McIntire]

Thanks @Will27540326c9gz ,
I've got you media downloading now and will see what I can learn.  

Something you could try while we look into this more—if you go to your clips in the Project window, right-click to Modify > Interpret Footage, does the 'Frame Rate from File' match the proxy frame rate? So, for example, if MediaInfo says the source and proxy file is 60.000 fps, and the 'Frame Rate from File' is reading 59.9736, or a non-standard fps with a different decimal, select 'Assume this frame rate' and write in the 60.00 fps. Does this change your playback with proxies at all? We might be able to narrow down the problem this way.

[Will27540326c9gz]

@Rach McIntire Thank you. When I go to "Use Frame Rate from File" both the original clips and proxies show "59.9401". 

When using MediaInfo, it shows "59.940" for both of them. Are you suggesting I "interpret frame rate as" 59.940?

[Rach McIntire]

Yes, just for testing's sake.  This resolved a similar, but not quite the same issue for another user and will at least rule that out if nothing else.

[Will27540326c9gz]

Just tried it, didn't work.