Premiere Pro 2023 slow and sluggish compared to 2021

[Adam Speedy]

Actions are so slow on Premiere Pro 2023.

Hitting space to play the timeline can take around 2 seconds for the video to start playing. Trying to change any values under Effect Controls is also much slower.

Ironically, when I made proxies (Cineform Low Quality), the performance got even worse.

I have tried:

• Clearing media cache
• Using the latest Beta version (slightly better, still bad compared to 2021)
• Disabling & Enabling CUDA
• Turning playback quality to 'high'
• Different proxy types
• Removing & reattaching the proxies
• Scouring the forums and the web in search for answers

Sadly nothing has helped yet.

Like few others, I have also noticed it not using the GPU as much as it is using the CPU.

My computer specs:

• Nvidia GeForce 2080
• 128GB DDR4 RAM @ 3400mhz
• intel i9-9900k CPU

The fact that Adobe is also removing older versions from the Creative Cloud means that I cannot use PPro 2021, as Media Encoder no longer works with it as it was removed. It claims it's uninstalled.

This is very frustrating and I am very close to cancelling my subscription.

[surfd4wg]

When is Adobe going to fix this. I've wasted literally hours trying to edit a simple video. The program monitor takes minutes before it updates any changes I make. I'm so frustrated with all the bugs in Adobe products now. I wish there was a replacement, I would bail now. ADOBE FIT IT!

[Howard23337764y4v0]

Now, I'm very unhappy to say, Media Encoder is crashing my entire machine -- only about 7 times so far.  I updated the Mac OS, I ran a cleaning program, I designated more RAM to Adobe apps -- without fail, it will not output this 3 minute video.  And the fun part is, even if I had Adobe help screen sharing and taking over my machine, the connection would drop the second their #$@$#@ software crashed my entire system.  

[Howard23337764y4v0]

Oh - STUNNING update:  I went to uninstall Media Encoder 2023 -- and that failed, too!  Yay Adobe.

[Reapz]

The only solution to this is to go back to Prem Pro 2022. I did everything I could on 2023 to make my sequence preview not spike at 100% CPU and nothing worked. As soon as I went back to PP2022 with the exact same settings I could actually preview my sequence without it being on a still frame the whole time and my CPU is still running high but I can actually see my edits.

This is crazy that Adobe hasn't fixed the problem.

I run 64GB RAM, 5950X CPU, 3080TI GPU all set to CUDA and I cannot even view playback on their 2023 updates when my source footage is H.264 .mp4. Insane.

[Julanka]

Hi, the issue for me is with my Sony format XAVC HS 10bit, HEVC codec.

Shooting with XAVC S 10bit 422 format, the video files playback is reasonably OK on the timeline.

My computer is an iMac 5K 27-inch 2020 3.6 GHz 10-Core i9 model with AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT 16 GB and 32GB of ram.

Hope Adobe fix the problem soon.

Thanks and happy new year. 

[Tal Amiran]

Hi Adam,

I had excatly the same problem as yours with PP 2023, and after Googling it, I found a free programme that enabled me to downgrade my project to an older version (either PP 2021 or 2022). 

I was able to open my 2023 version in PP 2022 and it works flawlessly, and it maintained my project exactly as it was in the newer and buggier 2023 version.

This is the programme http://downgrader.elements.tv/

And this is the YouTube video that promped me to use this programme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECSTl_M0CcY

I hope this is helpful! 

[whisen82]

I have a similar build and for me the answer was to close down all panels you're not using. Specifically the Lumetri Scopes, RG Universe Panel, Clip Mixer (I still have track mixer open), etc. Anything you don't use regularly or could do without... close it. I found this helped immensely for larger timelines.

I was trying to do some clean up edits to a 50min timeline and it was excruciating. With the panels closed it was at least workable.  

[whisen82]

I feel like there is a memory leak inside of Lumetri Scopes... just a hypothesis.

[George24607643udft]

Premiere 2023 is just horrible!  It is running so freaking slow!!!  I've done everything to try to minize the slowness and it just struggles to play back.  I am starting a new project and all I have in the timeline is a single mono .wav file and its struggling to play back.  I am not going to entertain this version any more until Adobe gets their act together and makes a serious update because it is crealy on their end.  For the motirators of this forum, stop trying to put it on the user.  This is clearly a Adobe problem.

[codevilla]

Yep!
Adobe has to do something!
Tried a lot of "solutions" founded around here like set No Input on Audio Hardware, change Preview Video Format to I-Frame instead Apple Pro Res... even set Playback Resolution on Program Tab to 1/2... DOESN'T WORK.

[Swemba]

Just adding my agreeance to this. Performance in 2023 is unusable.

Nvidia GeForce 2080ti
64GB Ram
Ryzen 5950X

Almost everyone I talk to in the industry is in agreeance and there appears to be a mass migration to Resolve on the horizon with many already incorporating it into their workflow for color work. Adobe needs to get their best and brightest engineers on Premiere or go the way of Final Cut.

[Itam]

There are multiple threads about this problem on this forum now and in an other thread I was told that in my case the reason was that my CPU doesn't meet the system requirements anymore. But before the latest Premiere update I could edit HD as well as 4K without a problem (besides the annoying slow thumbnail generation). It would be good I think if Adobe at least could give a statement about this for the moment. I agree that my CPU is below the system requirements, but investing in a new CPU and motherboard just to realize later that this is really just a bug would be quite painful (for my wallet).

I was stupid enough to blindly update (which I usually don't do, but I guess I felt lucky). And rolling back is not an option for me since I expect version issues with a big productions-project. Nor is it a real sollution ofcourse 😉

Specs:

Premiere version 23.1.0
Windows 10 (up-to-date)

Intel Core i7-5930K CPU
NVIDIA RTX 3060 GPU (latest studio drivers v.527.56...already updated to 528.02 since my first comment, but no change)
32GB RAM
Seperate SSD's for software and caching

[codevilla]

Itam, certainly.
I have a NVidia 1650 and always worked great before this version (4K files).

I will finish a job and test DaVinci for a while.
'Cause it's not a cheap signature for Adobe Creative Cloud here in Brazil.

[whisen82]

Try this... This is the programme http://downgrader.elements.tv/

I had a massive project and it took it back to 2022 without any errors. 

[m2761009001cc]

My own experience is that every new version (including 2022) had initial performance issues and forced me to use the earlier stable versions until Adobe sorted it out. The issue with 2023 for me was not video files with sound (mp4, mov, etc) but after deleting the audio channels and dropping mixdown sound files (Audition) onto the timeline the result became an impossibly sluggish mess.

[deanh30615231]

Premiere Pro 2023 sucks more than 2022.  I f**king quit you Adobe!  Make a product that f**king works!

[CamElkins]

That did the trick. It's so silly that we have to "down grade" a project in order to get it working again.

[christianf51214258]

Wow, thank you so much! This safed my day!! It actually proves, that this issue is definetly a version 2023 issue! The same project I am working on rn is fluid as it always was on Premiere 2022!
Thank you so much!
And Adobe, please get that sorted!! I kind of knew I shouldn´t update to 2023 yet... never change a running system.

[david28068647yf50]

SO I have been running 2020 for a long time on one machine....for just this reason ......  I am old school and prefer to keep what I have unless a new version has something I need/want.

One other machine I "upgraded" from 2020 a while back to 22.6.2 and I built a bunch of  video there....I had installed 22.6.2 on it only because it was a brand new machine and I figured I would try it. 

Well, today I had to open the file I made  on the 22.6.2 machine on the 2020 machine and so I decided to "upgrade" that machine to 2023.

Still had to deal with the "project was made on on an older version" message as expected.

UGH!   Same issues you and all here are having.  Extremely long delay in opening the sequence window, then it stopped responding to scrubbing, etc.

Tried downgrading the machine to 22.6.3 ----SAME exact issues with the original 22.6.2 file (not the one that the new 23 version created)...

Then uninstalled 22.6.3 instead installed  22.6.2 (same version as what is on the first machine) and VIOLA....the file works fine.  So its not my machine. ANd the way I see it, not a setting in premoere because I went with the "as installed" settings in 23 and 22.6.3 and they both failed to work well but 22.6.2 worked fine with the same "as installed" setting.

These machines are not "top of the line", but higher end video cards , plenty of memory, FAST renders etc....and ran perfectly wonderful with 2020.

Seems like, for my machine at least, anything after 22.6.2 is the problem....

I will be sticking with either 2020 or 22.6.2 for a long time.  LOL I donyt have time to be a guineau pig for Adobe.

I also bought Davinci...and actually its robust....but its like re-learning everything over again so for now sticking with Adobe Premiere and hoping Adobe steps up and fixes these issues.....I have been with Adobe for decades and tehy do seem to sort things eventually....but I find it odd that 22.6.2 runs fine and 22.6.3 and 23 are broken on the same machine....

[JW KMS]

This is why Adobe is losing customers to competitors at a rapid pace. Adobe sells a slew of products across the board and isn't putting in the time and care into each of their products. DaVinci's software offering is much more honed in, centered around the filmmaker persona, and most importantly — they listen to their customers. DaVinci is customer centeric, whereas Adobe is trying to make a dollar and they continue to push product and features that no one cares about, this is why DaVinci continues to steal Premieres market share.

[Wytse5ECC]

Well said. Adobe's marketing team should read this. And I hope they are going to get their act together. Because when it works, I love their products.

[WarriorKnot]

I have had similar issues specifically with the lag on playback. 

Luckily this solution worked for me. link for the thread: https://community.adobe.com/t5/premiere-pro-discussions/huge-performance-and-lag-issues-with-premier...

[Nic28120620y4ar]

Just jumping on here to say I had all these same issues with Premiere 2023 on my Mac (3.6 GHz 10 core intel i9, AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT 16 GB, 72 GB memory, running Ventura). The project was mostly audio with some footage captured from zoom and a single 2 min 4k clip. It was taking 2 seconds to start playback (even just on zoom footage, no 4k), taking 3-5 seconds to use the slider tool to adjust audio or video by a frame. And then when it was playing back it was playing catchup, even at 1/4 res. 

Anyway, I tried all the things but ended up reinstalling Premiere 2022 and imported my 2023 project as an XML. Had some of the typical XML issues but all the lagging stuff went away. My machine went back to performing as it should. 

[christianf51214258]

Also jumping in to highlight again, that I had these issue even with just music Audio Files in the timeline (Wav, 48khz).
Also went back to Premiere 2022, no need for the XML Projekt import, just use this very helpful online tool, to convert your premiere project file, and it will open in any version of Premiere!!
http://downgrader.elements.tv/

This saved me so much headache and sluggish nerve wracking time!

ADOBE: Please get this issue solved and sorted! Something went obviously wrong in the Premiere 2023 update.
Everything runs smooth with Premiere 2022 on the same machines.

[codevilla]

Hope to anyone in Adobe following this thread...