Reduce lag on Adobe Premiere Pro

We need to acknowledge that the most important factor affecting program speed and response is still due to the hardware and specifications of the computer. Especially when editing 4K videos or videos with lots of effects.

The fastest solution for improvement

If you're in a hurry to figure out why Premiere Pro is running slow, these four solutions typically deliver the most efficient speed improvements.

Turn on GPU acceleration

When creating a new Project. Under Project Settings, make sure Renderer is set to GPU Acceleration (It could be Cuda or Open CL depending on your Graphics Card). If this section does not have an option, you may need to update the Graphics Card Driver. If you update but still don't have an option, Premiere Pro might not support your graphics card.

Reduce the resolution of the Playback

This is quite simple, but it will make a big difference if you lower the resolution of the Playback. Adjust the settings to 1/2 or 1/4 in the lower right corner of the Preview Window.

You can also disable High Quality Playback. Click the Wrench icon next to it then deselect High Quality Playback.

Clear the cache file

Sometimes old cache files can be the leading cause of software lag. Go to Edit-> Preferences-> Media Cache. Then select .

Save the cache file to the secondary SSD drive

Finally, you should also save the cache files to the secondary drive - preferably an SSD - for the best Playback performance. If you have to use an external SSD drive, make sure it's rated for USB 3.0 and you've plugged it into a USB 3.0 port. (USB 3.0 is usually indicated in blue on the port or connector.)

To change the Cache file location, click Browse ...

Check the settings again

Here's a list of other settings you can change in Premiere Pro for faster playback. Experiment with these, as the results will vary depending on your computer.

Render Optimization

In Memory's Preferences, navigate to Optimize Rendering and switch to Performance.

Disable auto-save

Regular autosave can sometimes slow down your pc. (You can disable this feature, but it will not save the project itself when you accidentally restore the power cup, but you can still manually save it every time you modify the Project with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + S). If you still want to turn it off, go to the Auto Save tab in Preferebces and turn off Automatically Save.

Disable Mercury Transmit

Mercury Transmit is commonly used to send your preview window to the external monitor. If you don't use this feature, please disable this feature. Navigate to Playback to disable it.

Disable Refresh Growing Files

Refresh Growing Files is a commonly used setting for Livestream products. Some Premiere Pro users have reported better performance when disabling it. To disable it, navigate to Media.

Other tips

Below is a list of tips you can use when editing to optimize your workflow. (And hopefully speed up while working!)

Do not edit files on the memory card

Using a memory card has never been ideal for direct editing. In other words, copy the files from your memory card to a separate drive, then edit with those files in Premiere Pro.

Use proxy file

Using a proxy file as you edit is another technique that will definitely help speed up in Premiere Pro. Using proxy files is basically replacing a lower resolution version of the original while you are editing. It will then revert to the high resolution footage when rendering. You can refer to how to create a Proxy here.

Avoid editing files with compressed Codecs

While compression codecs are great for recording or uploading, they are not ideal for editing. Compressed codecs, such as H.264, take longer to decompress while editing, so they often have Playback lag. Codecs like ProRes, Cineform and DNxHD are more ideal for editing. Again, an easy way to fix this is to use proxy files.

Render Dynamic Linked Comps

If you have any videos or graphics in your timeline linked to After Effect or another Adobe CC application, you can quickly render and replace them for a faster Playback. Just right-click on the Dynamic Linked sections, then choose Render and Replace.

Turn off video effects

Many video effects can also make preview preview extremely slow. You can try disabling the effects individually before previewing, or use the Global FX Mute button to turn off all effects. When you need to see it, turn it on again.

If you don't see the Global FX Mute button in the Preview number, you can add it by selecting the plus icon, then dragging and dropping the fx icon onto the Preview Window toolbar.

Close the Lumetri Scopes panel

If you open the Lumetri Scopes panel, close it before trying to play back the video.

Above are some methods to help improve lag when working with Premiere. Hope it helps you.

Source: https://blebees.com/

source https://blebees.com/reduce-lag-on-adobe-premiere-pro/