Hardware Encoding or Acceleration Not Available

[#1]

Hi everyone,

I recently upgraded to a new gaming laptop with the following specs:

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8750H CPU @ 2.20GHz

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060

16 GB RAM

When I try to export my project as an MP4 file, under Encoding Settings in Performance, the box is grayed out and "Software Encoding" is selected by default. I'm not able to change it and it says Hardware encoding is not available and that my hardware or OS requirements might be out of date. My Intel does support Intel Quick Sync and I'm not sure why these options are not available. Please let me know what I can do to get these settings on here. Thanks for reading!

[#2]

Hi everyone,

I recently upgraded to a new gaming laptop with the following specs:

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8750H CPU @ 2.20GHz

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060

16 GB RAM

When I try to export my project as an MP4 file, under Encoding Settings in Performance, the box is grayed out and "Software Encoding" is selected by default. I'm not able to change it and it says Hardware encoding is not available and that my hardware or OS requirements might be out of date. My Intel does support Intel Quick Sync and I'm not sure why these options are not available. Please let me know what I can do to get these settings on here. Thanks for reading!

[#3]

Hi OmerGuac,

If you scroll down from where your screenshot leaves off, are you on VBR, 1 Pass or VBR, 2 Pass? If you switch it to VBR, 1 Pass, does the Hardware Encoding option become available?

[#4]

Hi Brandon,

I had it on VBR, 2 pass. I tried selecting 1 pass and CBR as well and they're still grayed out with Software Encoding defaulted.

[#5]

Hmm, unless I'm overlooking something, I would think the same thing. I just checked your Intel Processor for QuickSync here: Intel® Product Specification Advanced Search), and I see your laptop listed. I just found a link, and I'll copy/paste a section that you can focus your attention to.

"If your Windows or Mac computer has one of those listed CPUs installed, the next thing to check is whether your motherboard allows you to simultaneously enable the internal Intel graphics driver, and any dedicated GPU (such as GeForce or Radeon). By default, the BIOS of most motherboards (a configuration screen you can access before booting into the OS) sets internal graphics to “Auto,” which actually means that if you have a dedicated GPU installed, Intel UHD/HD Graphics gets disabled. Some (but not all) motherboards allow you to force-enable internal graphics, and then it’s possible — though not guaranteed — you can boot into the OS with both internal and dedicated graphics acceleration active at the same time."

(Adobe Premiere Pro April 2018 Update: 2x faster export! | FocusPulling (.com)​)

Does this by chance help at all?

[#6]

I think that your problem is that your particular laptop has the integrated Intel UHD Graphics disabled at the factory that manufactured the laptop. Therefore, there is no QuickSync, and thus no hardware acceleration. On the other hand, most laptops with this combo have both the integrated Intel UHD Graphics and the discrete GPU enabled.

[#7]

Thanks, but now I just need to find out how to enable the Intel Quick Sync. I’ll contact HP today.

[#8]

Did you ever have any luck with this? Did you try contacting HP?

[#9]

I contacted them and they said that mine has Nvidia so why would it matter? I told them I want to enable quick sync and that the intel graphics control panel is not visible when right clicking the desktop. Then they told me that we don’t enable it because I have nvidia, yet my Acer has both enabled with no issue. I’m not too happy with HP so I’m sucking it up with software encoding for now. I’m aware that my CPU will reach 100% no matter what, but its going to be doing that even longer than it would with hardware options.

[#10]

Same boat 😕

[#11]

Follow these steps :-

1. Download Latest Nvidia driver and install it ( download "notebook" version of nvidia gtx 1060 series 10 from nvidia site)

2. Open Nvidia control panel by right clicking on desktop and go to 3D -> program settings

3. In the program settings find premiere pro and select desired gpu in the drop down menu (select Nvidia of course)

4. Restart

Things to make sure :-

1. Check (Open GL) under File -> project settings in premiere pro

2.You might be only able to use vbr pass 1 with hardware encoding which works fine (I still don't know the reason of not been able to use hardware encoding with vbr pass 2)

[#12]

Same! I have Acer Nitro 5 with i7- 8750H and Nvidia 1050Ti 4Gb graphics card. I'm not able to use hardware acceleration for 2 pass, though for 1 pass it is available. I'm using premiere pro cc 2019.

[#13]

There are two scenarios:

[#14]

Hi there, 

I am experiencing the same problem. Did you ever figure out how this can be solved? 
I can export 1-pass with hardware acceleration but once switching to 2-pass this becomes unavailable...

and 1-pass simply ignores any minimum bitrate I specify.

Software encoding alone takes forever and I didnt buy a laptop with a 2060 not to use it in the end..

any help appreciated!

[#15]

Is Adobe paying you? You find excuses for every attempt customers have at pointing out at discrepancies with Adobe's reverse law of performance/ cycle.... Adobe is making computers obsolete to help intel making progress at selling new processors. 

Encoding and ecoding worked faster in previous versions of the software yet they make sure to update on a regular to disable basic features. Multicam editing that was possible without a hiccup with 4 streams of h264 @1080p in CC2014 just kept on getting worse with their updte/ upgrades..  Apple is in the same boat, forced obsoecence by software update... Adobe is updating and upgrading their "professional" editing software and messing up workflows ona regular for users. Do they acknowledge that?.. How do you edit a program fine then a month later the same software can't [play it back??? Sounds like their programmers are a bunch of beginners trying to figure out how to make things worse for editors. They need to go back to many versions back and learn how to take advantage of new processing power while maitaining the basics... 

[#16]

I am not the person that you are responding to. The decision is not Adobe's at all - but the hardware manufacturers themselves. Intel, Nvidia and AMD all depreciate or completely discontinue all support for their older products after a certain, undetermined number of years. And Adobe merely had to follow the requests from the hardware manufacturers themselves, by cutting out support for all lhardware that's been declared "legacy" or "obsolete" by the manufacturers themselves.

[#17]

And past what RJL notes, one of the main problems with stability and performance was trying to carry forward ancient code for parts/hardware that is 1) old 2) completely unsupported by the manufacturer 3) used by a small percentage of the total user base. For many parts, they have to have code specific to the hardware. Cutting down on the non-supported hardware cut a ton of ancient code.

Cutting down on the hardware supported makes it possible to both update the code and get the program more stable on the gear it's designed to work with. Which for most users, it is. For some of course, it isn't. And for that, they want full details on the gear, media, and workflows given in detail on their UserVoice system which goes directly to the engineering team.

They aren't going to support old gear. In our shop, we got our first computer in the Win2 era, early 1988. We were told we were totally ridiculous because we paid extra so it had a full 1,000KB of RAM and ... oh, how stupid, that MASSIVE 40 Megabyte hard-drive. Which supposedly no one would EVER need that much drive space.

We got a second computer a few years later, and have had up to five desktops and a couple laptops at a time. I don't know how many times we've had "the dance" ... I get a new updated rig, my rig goes to the missus (a pro portrait photographer) who needs a bit less performance than me ... her rig goes to the backup retouching setup, that rig goes to the bookkeeping station, that rig goes buh-bye.

We're about to do it again. I've got a new rig just in, when I get a couple days, I'll move me to that one, her to my old one, and on. I HATE setting up on new computers, but it's Life.

Neil

[#18]

My issue is with with A software company who downgrade the performance of its softwares constantly. I'll have to save an old computer with old version odf apple and adobe and block updates. Then use another one just for titles and graphics. I can't wait for the new arm based macs because right now it is just a mess with the constant updates and downgrading of performances ona monthly basis. 

Even my old CC2017 which used to be faster slowed down.

[#19]

That's because the entire tech industry is one big oligocracy (where every single company within it is forced to do what the other within it dictates) to begin with. And over time older software will not run properly or at all on newer hardware.

Sorry, but that is the way it is.

[#20]

Yeah, this confused me too. Turns out that by the time you export your project to Media Encoder, it works perfectly fine withmy NVIDIA card and offers hardware encoding. Premiere itself doesn't seem to make this option available (this is with Premiere Pro 2020). I also have HP hardware if it matters, a Z800 workstation.

[#21]

Fantastic. Can anyone from Adobe finally clarify if hardware encoding works in Adobe Premiere?

I'm running it on a desktop with RTX 2080, it says the same messages as above.

If 64gb/2080 is not enough for hardware encoding, then what kind of hardware it's supporting?

[#22]

Hey man,

The support told me that is has to be a driver related issue...an issue with the graphics card. However I updated all the drivers, both game ready AND studio drivers through Nvidia and it still doesn't work.

Absolutely ridiculous since those drivers are essentially designed to improve creative performance.

In comparison I can use hardware boost on my old gtx 960 without issues..

[#23]

Hardware encoding is only available if your CPU has Intel Quick Sync.

Has nothing to do with Nvidia/Amd cards which supports the Mercury Playback Engine

[#24]

Thanks for your reply.

I have a i7 9750H Laptop processor in my Acer concept D7.

According to the specs it does support Intel quick sync so that cannot be the source of the problem? Also, I can use hardware boost with 1-pass vbr, it is only when I switch to 2-pass vbr (which I usually use) it says that my hardware doesn't support it...

[#25]

Then you need to update the intel driver.

[#26]

Really? Someone is not supporting nVidia encoding in 2020?
Taking into accound Premiere has serious problems with iPhone videos, I'm not even sure why I'd need that program now: it's unable both to decode and encode videos. I wasn't expected that from "video editing software".

[#27]

yes this is true

I have i9 7920x and gtx 1070 and no hardware accelartion in the latest version of adobe premiere pro ? I cannot belive this

Adobe is forcing us to have a lower proccesor that because is a contract with intel to promote this kind of stuff ? but about the usesrs that have those cpus 24/48 threats ?

some of the best software and no cuda accelartion unless you have a poor cpu, some of us have paid 2000$ for a intel high end cpu and another 1000$ for gpu and we don't have hardware accelaration

good adobe good :))))

[#28]

You dont have hardware acceleration because your processor does not have Quick Sync on board.

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/126240/intel-core-i9-7920x-x-series-processor-1...

Graphics processor N/A.

[#29]

I have updated all drivers, both for the graphics card and the processor and the attachted UHD 630 graphics unit. They are ALL up to date. It still does not work.

[#30]

yeah I know but this emberasing because the gpu should decode not the cpu...in the previsious version was working good

When we will have this feature of gpu decoding back ?

[#31]

If you dont have an intel gpu you never had the feature.

[#32]

for gpu amd/nvidia

[#33]

Read the post again. amd/nvidia is not for hardware encoding.

[#34]

I think it's Adobe developers need to re-read the post again, starting from the first message dating 2018, and finally understand that we have GPUs available for like 10 years already.

Can we hear from Adobe team?

[#35]

As this thread has wound on, it is clear that as expected, many do not understand the admittedly confusing pair of "hardware" and "software" encoding items in Premiere. And therefore get all upset about what they've misunderstood. Yea, it's confusing.

Hardware/Software Encoding in the Export Settings Dialog Summary Box

First ... the Export Dialog's hardware/software encoding message in the summary section has nothing whatever to do with any GPU or its use ... period.

This line ... shown below underlined in red:

ONLY refers to whether or not your computer's CPU is an Intel CPU with QuickSync both physically present and enabled in the BIOS. If so, then your Intel CPU can and will use the internal hardware of that CPU to do H.264 encoding. It is similar to the same sub-chip in cameras that does the specialized math/formula H.264 long-GOP encoding. Some Intel CPUs have that extra bit of hardware built into the CPU. Some don't. This again ... only refers to the presence and active ability of  QuickSync within the CPU itself.

That is an Intel-only item, not anything "natively" Adobe by design or function. AT ALL. It is merely a polite notification about your CPU's capabilities for that particular H.264 encoding process. And note, this is ONLY used for H.264 encodes. It has nothing whatever to do with encodes in any other format.

And for some laptop computers that do have both a QuickSync-capable CPU and a factory-included discrete GPU card, the manufacturer disables QuickSync in the BIOS.

Premiere Application GPU Use Settings in the Project Settings Dialog

The use of a discrete GPU "card" in Premiere is set in the Project Settings dialog, the Mercury Acceleration section. Options are:

• "software only" meaning that the program will not use any GPU (if present on the computer);
• "CUDA", available if you have a recent-generation Nvidia card (a few 900-cards, all 1,000 series and newer);
• "Metal" for AMD cards particularly on Mac OS;
• "OpenCL" for AMD cards on older Macs and some PCs.

All video post apps are coded for different priorities/processes for different parts of the typical computer system. Premiere uses the CPU as the heart of the system, especially for encoding, and that central unit calls upon the other subsystems as it is coded to use and apply them.

Premiere uses the GPU for major frame-resizing (think 4k on UHD timeline and Warp Stabilizer), color/tonal corrections (think Lumetri), and a growing list of other things. Go to your Effects panel, enlarge it to full screen, and click the "Accelerated" lego-block icon at the top. Now all GPU-accelerated effects will be shown ... including lens distortion corrections, some blurs, PIP, and nearly everything in the Video effects list and the Transitions. The vast majority of  video effects are now GPU accelerated. In other words ... those effects use the GPU.

That list has grown dramatically in the last couple years, btw ...

For basic encoding without using any of that laundry list of effects ... that is left to the CPU. For encoding with things from that vast list, the CPU is still the heart of the job, and will call on the other subsystems of the computer (including the GPU) as it needs them at that moment.

As to why the Adobe engineers haven't assigned basic encoding to the GPU ... my guess is they figure a lot of the users are using GPU accelerated effects on their exports. Which ... depending on the effects used ... may or may not peg the GPU for the things already assigned to GPUs.

I tend to do a lot of color correction, resizing, and transitions. My GPU is at times pegged, and and other times, idling. I occasionally have situations where the CPU needs to wait for GPU work, and so the GPU is pegged but CPU isn't.

All of these apps "balance" things differently. If you want the "balance" in Premiere to be different, the place to suggest that is the site for communications to the engineers ... which is the UserVoice website/system. All postings there are viewed by at least one engineer, and they are also collated and sent to the upper managers who determine budgets and such.

If you do so, it's a good idea to post back here with a link to your post on the UserVoice system so others can go "upvote" it. 

Neil

[#36]

1. Most of the encoding is offloaded to Media Encoder these days as I understand.

2. As I understand that "user voice" is completely useless, since I've seen this question over the forums from like last 4-6 years as well, and it's either never was answered or it was explained that "it's impossible". Either way, I think that's the task of developers to implement features, and not just sitting and listening to "voices" for 10 years?

[#37]

they don't care about us

[#38]

That motherboard, plus any CPUs at all whatsoever that are compatible with its socket, do not have integrated on-CPU Intel HD or UHD Graphics at all whatsoever, and thus do not support QuickSync at all whatsoever. And since Adobe's implementation of hardware encoding supports only Intel QuickSync, you are permanently stuck with software-only encoding.

Encoding with a discrete GPU requires a different protocol- something that Adobe does not currently support natively. You will need a third-party plugin in order to enable encoding through a discrete GPU.

I'm sorry to say this, but that's what it is at the present time.

[#39]

"As to why the Adobe engineers haven't assigned basic encoding to the GPU ... my guess is they figure a lot of the users are using GPU accelerated effects on their exports. Which ... depending on the effects used ... may or may not peg the GPU for the things already assigned to GPUs."

I don't think that's it.  Adobe has steadfastly refused to use hardware encoding on the GPUs since they've been made aware of it several years ago.  NVidia's hardware encoder is on a completely different level than Intel's, but Adobe won't code to it.  AMD's isn't as good as NVidia's from a speed perspective, but is catching up.  Both produce stunning results in a fraction of the time it takes to do software encoding.  CPUs are just completely inefficient when it comes to encoding h.264 or h.265.

The code is there for Adobe to do it.  The APIs are freely and readily available from both AMD and NVidia.  This goes for both encoding and decoding; the GPUs are infinitely faster at both than the CPUs are.  And they do it without affecting other aspects of the GPU, as well.  The hardware encoder on the GPUs has no affect on the shaders (eg: CUDA cores, et al) that are used for the rest of the video processing in Premiere.  Meaning you can hardware encode an h.264 while you're scaling it and applying other accelerated effects; it won't matter one bit.

And Neil, I appreciate your fondness for the UserVoice, but in this case it's a "go nowhere" path.  I've done the UserVoice thing.  I have a more direct path to Adobe's developers as well, and have submitted a request for hardware encoding/decoding.  It's gone nowhere.  They simply don't have the resources (or interest) to do it.