Best Way to Handle Proxy Workflows in DaVinci Resolve

Direct methods for generating lightweight proxy media, toggling playback, and ensuring full resolution exports in DaVinci Resolve.

The best way to handle proxy workflows in DaVinci Resolve is to use the built-in Proxy Generator, toggle "Prefer Proxies" for editing, and rely on automatic high-resolution switching during export.

Here are the direct methods to best handle proxy workflows in DaVinci Resolve.

What is the fastest way to generate proxy media?

If you are editing 4K, 6K, or 8K video on an older computer, the heavy files will stutter during playback unless you generate lightweight, low-resolution editing copies.

To quickly generate proxy media:

Open the Media Pool and select all your heavy video clips.
Right-click and choose Generate Proxy Media.
DaVinci Resolve will transcode the files in the background into a fast editing format (like H.264 Half Resolution or ProRes Proxy).

How do you force playback to use proxy files?

If you generated proxies but the timeline is still lagging, the viewer is likely still forcing the playback of the heavy original files.

To force proxy playback:

Go to the top menu bar and click Playback.
Hover over Proxy Handling.
Select Prefer Proxies.
The timeline will instantly switch to the low-resolution files, making scrubbing and editing incredibly smooth and fast.

How do you ensure high resolution on final export?

If you edited your entire project using blurry proxy files, you must ensure the final exported video uses the sharp, original 4K or 8K media.

To ensure high-resolution exports:

DaVinci Resolve automatically switches back to the original media for the final export by default.
To verify this, go to the Deliver page.
Expand the Advanced Settings under the Video tab.
Ensure Use proxy media is left completely unchecked.
Click Add to Render Queue and then Render All. The software will ignore the proxies and encode the master file using the highest quality source footage.