Proxies are lightweight, lower-resolution copies of your media that play back more smoothly than demanding originals. You edit against the proxies for a responsive timeline, then deliver from the full-quality originals - so performance and final quality are never a compromise.
What proxies are
A proxy is a second, easier-to-decode version of a clip. It carries the same timecode and duration as the original, so it stands in for it perfectly while you edit. Lightworks keeps the link between a clip and its proxy, and switches between them depending on your playback quality setting.
Proxies do not change your edit. Every cut, effect, and keyframe applies equally to the original media, because the proxy is just a stand-in for the same frames.
When to use proxies
Consider proxies when:
- You are working with high-resolution media (4K, 6K, 8K) or RAW camera formats.
- Your media uses a heavily compressed codec (such as long-GOP H.264/H.265) that is slow to decode.
- You are editing on a laptop or modest system, or over a network.
- Playback stutters or drops frames, especially with several layers or effects.
If your originals already play smoothly, you do not need proxies.
Project proxy settings
Proxy behaviour is configured per project. In the project settings you can choose the proxy format and quality - smaller proxies play back faster but look softer; larger proxies are closer to the original. Pick a quality that plays smoothly on your system while still being clear enough to make editorial decisions. The maximum proxy quality available depends on your licence tier.
By default, proxy media is used automatically when necessary. You can customise this with the Playback Media Quality setting on the video page of the project settings panel.
Tip: Proxy quality only affects how the picture looks while editing. Because you deliver from the originals, a low proxy quality never reduces your final export quality.
Generating proxies
To create proxies for clips you have already imported, select the clips, right-click, and choose Make Proxy. Proxy generation runs as a background task, so you can keep working while it proceeds - progress appears in the Tasks display.
A few limits to know about:
- Make Proxy is greyed out if the selection already has proxies (or has generation pending).
- Proxies can't be made for stills, audio-only recordings, or clips whose media is offline.
- Very short clips may not qualify, depending on the project's proxy type.
For large projects, generate proxies for the material you are actively cutting first, rather than the entire project at once.
Switching between proxy and high-resolution playback
The viewer's Quality menu decides what Lightworks plays:
| Setting | What it plays |
|---|---|
| Automatic | Chooses for you - proxies are used when necessary for smooth playback |
| Highest available | Always plays the original full-resolution media |
| Lowest available | Always plays proxy media where it exists, for the smoothest performance |
Switch to Highest available when you need to judge fine detail, focus, or grain; switch back to Lowest available (or leave it on Automatic) for responsive editing.
Exporting from original media
Exports use your original, full-resolution media, not the proxies - so the file you deliver is full quality regardless of which media you edited against. If some originals are offline at export time, reconnect or relink them first (see Media management).
Warning: If you edited with proxies and the originals are offline, the export falls back to whatever media is available. Confirm your originals are online before delivering a master.
Finding proxy media on disk
To see where a clip's proxies actually live, right-click the clip and choose Reveal proxies. It opens the proxy files in your operating system's file browser. It is greyed out when the clip has no proxy media on disk.
Warning: As with Reveal, this is for inspection only. Deleting or renaming proxy files by hand leaves Lightworks expecting media that is not there - use Delete Proxy instead.
Deleting and regenerating proxies
Proxies are generated media, so they are safe to delete - your originals and your edit are untouched. Select the clips, right-click, and choose Delete Proxy to reclaim disk space once a project is finished; regenerate them later with Make Proxy if you reopen the project. When archiving, you can choose whether to include proxy media (see Archiving and restoring work); excluding them makes a smaller archive that simply needs proxies regenerated on restore.
External proxy workflows
If you have proxies created elsewhere (for example, by a camera or a dailies system), you can bring them in and relink as needed. Relinking lets you move between proxy and original media by repointing clips at the version you want (see Media management).