Is it possible to shoot on 4k, edit in 1080P or 2K, then export as 4k?

[Jordan279308949cpz]

total newbie question but I definitely need some help with this. I have a laptop that can't edit in 4k. Thank you.

[Ann Bens]

Yes you can but that wont do you any good. Image quality of the 4K export will be enlarged 1080p footage with imageloss.

Convert footage to an edit friendly codec such as Prores or use Proxies.

[Jordan279308949cpz]

So, if I convert the footage to Prores I'll be able to edit the 4K footage on my laptop and won't lose quality of the image? 

[Ann Bens]

Yes as Prores is visually lossless.

But you need to test this all out before venturing on your real project.

[YANNA26705213grl5]

basicly no. if you edit in 1080p your 1080p export will be the best quality.

the use of edit friendly codec is an attempt to allow your laptop to edit 4k in 4k timeline, as it requires more work for a laptop to edit unfriendly codecs ( highly compressed stuff that needs to be decompressed, processed in editor, and recompressed ). Codec stands for "compression / decompression ). the friendly codecs don't tax the laptop as much as highly compressed files.

might or might not work for your laptop but worth a try maybe.

[Dragos Stefan]

Using proxies, yes.

[Jordan279308949cpz]

Please explain proxies to me, Dragos. If you find the time. 

Better than Prores?

[Dragos Stefan]

ProRes is a codec.

Proxies are lower resolution, edit friendly versions of your footage, that you use while editing in order for PPro to be more responsive.

Which is exactly your use case.

They can be ProRes or other edit friendly codec.

https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/using/proxy-workflow.html

[Jordan279308949cpz]

Thank you

[YANNA26705213grl5]

to be sorta accurate with definition it would be best if you now describe your source ( 4k ) footage specifically. is it raw or mp4 ?  be specific.

the use of proxy is defined differently depending on the source.

[Jordan279308949cpz]

MP4.

[Ann Bens]

mp4 is just a container but guessing this is highly compressed footage (drone, game, phone.....)

I would not use proxies but rather convert in this case.

[Jordan279308949cpz]

Yes. Using Samsung phone 

[Warren Heaton]

Transcode the Samsung phone footage to ProRes 422 LT.

Edit that in a Sequence with the Video Previews set to ProRes 422 LT.  

Exports to ProRes 422 LT will be very, vert fast.

Exports to ProRes 422 Proxy will be fast.

Exports to H264 will be faster than from a Timeline that has a mix of H264 source and all i-frame MPEG preview renders. 

Additional note:

• If the camera original footage is 21mbs or higher, go with 422 LT.
• If tbe camera original footage is lower than 21mbs, then 422 Proxy is fine (even though it has "proxy" in tbr name).

[Jordan279308949cpz]

Following those steps will keep my footage at the highest possible resolution, while also make it possible for me to edit on my laptop? 

[Warren Heaton]

Those settings work great on my HP Omen 15-inch with 16GB of RAM working from the 1TB NVMe D drive.

If I needed to do a longer project on an external drive, I'd use Thunderbolt port with an SSD drive.

[Jordan279308949cpz]

I'm looking at doing a 100-120 minute feature film soon.

[Jordan279308949cpz]

Should I get Thunderbolt port with SSD drive?

[RjL190365]

It depends on the external port capabilities of your laptop. What is the exact make and model of your laptop? And which CPU does it have? Those will determine if that laptop of yours can even be suitably equipped to begin with.

And if you must transcode to an edit-friendly codec, plan on getting a 2 TB or larger external drive (preferably a USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 or faster external SSD) for your planned 2-hour-long 4k footage.

[Jordan279308949cpz]

I have an ASUS ZenBook Flip 15
Four cores, eight logical processors

Is it possible with what I have?

[Jordan279308949cpz]

??

[Warren Heaton]

@Jordan279308949cpz 

If it's this model ASUS ZenBook Flip 15 (https://www.asus.com/laptops/for-home/zenbook/zenbook-flip-15-ux564/), I'd say tbat would work well with sufficient storage media for a 100 to 120 minute indie feature that's being self-distributed on YouTube or Vimeo.

It's much better suited for short format work, though.

For theatrical feature film, it's less about the specific hardware and more about the production team and the post production team. 

I'd say create the best quality short film possible with the ASUS, get that into film festicals - hopefully noticed such that an investor puts up the funds to do a feature length version.  

[Jordan279308949cpz]

Lol I can make a feature just fine without all the BS everyone thinks you "need". 

Thank you all for your help, though. I greatly appreciate all of your replies to me. Have a great rest of your week!!

[Warren Heaton]

Of course you can, but that in no way invalidates established approaches to pre-production, production, and post production.

There's no shortage of great work made with limited resources.

By the time it's in front of an audience, it's all about story.

[Christian.Z]

Allright, proxies are another version of the files that have a more friendly quality. When you edit, you edit using the proxies, but when you export, Premiere exports using the original files and thus preserving the quality.

However, this might not really help you since you will need to edit on a 4K sequence. If you after using proxies, your computer is still slow or lagging, edit on a 1080p sequence and before you export, change the settings of this sequence back to 4k, and double check that your clips are scaled correctly.