How to configure Settings so Export completely avoids User/Documents & instead goes to User/Movies?

[hd101417]

Adobe Premiere Pro 24.1 for macOS 15.0.1 on an M2 MacBook Pro.

Whenever I export a Premiere Pro'24 (macOS) project, User/Documents/Adobe starts uploading something to iCloud, as you can see in the attached screenshot. It begins uploading as soon as the very 1st step of the export begins: "Rendering Required Audio Files."

However, I don't want any part of the exporting progress to touch User/Documents; hence, on the final export screen, I set Location to a subfolder within User/Movies. I've also moved all the files that used to be under User/Documents/Adobe/Premiere Pro/24.0 to a new folder in User/Movies/Adobe/Premiere Pro/24.0 (eg Adobe Premiere Pro Audio Previews).

I want to avoid User/Documents because my iCloud syncs w/ User/Documents but not User/Movies, & I do not want Premiere Pro exports to sync w/ iCloud for obvious storage reasons.

But I don't see even anything in Premiere Pro>Settings that's currently set to User/Documents that I could possibly change to User/Movies?

[R Neil Haugen]

You'll need a Mac user for best accuracy.

First comment ... the files that Adobe CC apps put in the User files are the preferences, presets and such, and should be on the local machine. I would not recommend putting those on any cloud.

Second, where you store media, and where you export to, are entirely different things from where you store local preferences, presets and such.

And those are controlled by the user. Always.

Unless you have very fast upload/download speeds with low latency!!! ... storing media on the cloud can be problematic.

Using fast internet connections with something like LucidLink gets around most of those, but ... Dropbox, WeTransfer, and Microsoft Drive simply aren't up to the needs for most purposes for video files. Which have very different needs in transport from the way those services transport document files.

So local storage of media, for most users, is simply a more solid, wiser choice for media active in your projects. You can 'store' on the cloud, but it's typically better to move files to local storage while editing (Unles LucidLink, of course ... )

As to exporting ... Premiere needs at least 4-5 times the size of the final file, free on local disk, to do it's export process. So "exporting" direct to cloud is (as far as I know) only possible with LucidLink's virtual folder system, where both the OS and Premiere think LucidLink is just another local drive.

So yes, you can export to a folder that is synced to your cloud service ... probably. And again, you set that on Export, by setting the filename/storage option. Premiere doesn't make that decision for you, unless you use the 'quick export' process.

[hd101417]

My initial post already agreed that "I do not want Premiere Pro exports to sync w/ iCloud for obvious storage reasons," including all the inconveniences you listed in your reply.

In case my initial question wasn't clear:

My goal is not to Export directly to iCloud. Rather, my question asks why PremierePro's Export fails to recognize my deliberate choice to move all Premiere Pro folders (cache, export destination etc) away from iCloud/User/Documents & onto non-iCloud/User/Movies/.

Nonetheless, when I try to export to User/Movies, inexplicably my iCloud Drive begins to update again even tho I triple-checked to ensure its export destination is not an iCloud folder. 

Can I just delete the Aolder iCloud/User/Documents/Adobe folder without losing anything indispensable?

[R Neil Haugen]

A full Mac user's advice here would be good. I know the twain aren't directcly comparable, but on PCs, OneDrive is similar to iCloud in functionality.

And sometimes, the way OneDrive is setup, it takes over complete control of the User files. Moves anything put in them from Root/User/... to OneDrive/User/ ... 

And that can cause all sorts of issues with the Adobe CC apps, preferences, user presets, all of that.

And ... exports also.

So I'm wondering if iCloud is a participant in your issues. Perhaps ... but again, I don't know.