Adjustment Layer Creates Lag

[stephx30012054]

I'm attempting to colour grade my sequence but when I created the adjustment layer and tried to fix the blacks and the whites, the lag was so bad that it would take 5-10 seconds for the levels to change. I then when back to the editing pane and couldn't even play a clip without a few seconds lag. I deleted the adjustment layer and the lag went away for playing the clip, but there's still lag for colour correction.

I am using premiere pro cc 2017 on a macbook air 11" (which is less than ideal) and am editing 4k footage using proxies, if that makes a difference. I don't really know what I'm doing and have never colour graded on premiere before. Does anyone know how I can get rid of the lag?

[R Neil Haugen]

Color corrections ... especially the Lumetri panel if you're using that ... put a major strain on the system. That MacBook Air may simply not be up to this ... even with proxies ... and 4k workflows.

Which proxies are you using? I trust not a long-GOP one like mp4 or mov? Cineform YUV, DNxHD, and ProRes tend to be the best for proxies ... and to me, in that order. All very close though.

Neil

[stephx30012054]

I believe it's H.264. Would I have better luck if I tried correcting it in Da Vinci Lite or would it still be too much for the computer I'm using?

[R Neil Haugen]

First, if you're using H.264 proxies, dump 'em, select your media in the Project file again, and right-click "Make proxies" but this time with the small Cineform proxy preset that ships with PrPro. That should improve playback issues a bunch over using an H.264 proxy. (I don't know why they even included H.264 proxy presets ... major contradiction in terms so to speak.)

Try that out.

Next ... another "contradiction in terms" is BM Davinci Resolve Lite.

In that case, "Lite" only means there are a ​few​ of the several thousand options & tools that are not activated without the license registered or the dongle attached to the computer. The full size ... and processing weight ... of the program is still the same.

You're welcome to download & see if it works. For some people, it seems to run rather easily on minimalist hardware. In general, it's considered a demanding beast for the hardware it runs on. Colorist computers are some of the hunkiest bits of computer workstations made. Because they need that to run Resolve with full-time playback.

Neil

[Conrad C]

What year MacBook Air is 11" is it? If you choose File > Project Settings > General, in the Renderer setting are you able to select Mercury Playback Engine GPU Acceleration (OpenCL) or Mercury Playback Engine GPU Acceleration (Metal)?

I'm asking about the Air model year because according to the Premiere Pro system requirements, Lumetri Color grading effects should be GPU accelerated with OpenCL using the Intel HD 6000 graphics in the 2015 MacBook Air 11", but would not be GPU accelerated in any earlier model and would probably lag. If you can enable OpenCL or Metal GPU acceleration, you'll still have lag if you applied a grading effect that isn't GPU accelerated; the icons in the Effects panel tell you which ones are.

If you are using the 2015 MacBook Air 11", the next question is how much RAM is in the computer? Because a MacBook Air can use only integrated graphics, the amount of memory used as VRAM comes out of the main system RAM. The maximum RAM that it could possibly use as graphics RAM is 1.5GB, but that's only possible if the maximum 8GB of RAM is installed. If it's a 4GB Air, there isn't going to be much RAM left over for graphics processing.

To summarize, there will be a lag if any of these are true:

• It isn't a 2015 MacBook Air
• You can't select a Renderer other than Mercury Playback Engine Software Only
• It's only got 4GB RAM

The DaVinci Resolve website isn't clear about GPU requirements on an Air. That program is also designed around high performance desktop graphics cards. You can try it, but I'm not sure it will be much better.

[R Neil Haugen]

Thanks, Conrad ... excellent points all built around a heck of a lot more knowledge of the MacBooks than I have!

Neil