Previewing high-resolution clips inside premiere pro can lead to choppy playbacks and dropped frames. So in order to fix this lag issue, you need to lower the playback resolution for a smoother editing process. In this short tutorial, I will show to 2 methods to follow to change the playback resolution of your sequence.
1. The Playback Resolution Option
To fix the playback resolution, go to the program monitor panel, then click on the playback resolution button, and choose the option that suits your need.
Click on the View Menu > playback resolution.
There are four options for reducing the playback resolution: 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, and 1/16. These options represent the fraction of the full resolution that will be used for playback. For example, selecting the 1/2 option will reduce the quality of the sequence by half, while selecting the 1/4 option will reduce the quality by a factor of four. Similarly, selecting the 1/8 or 1/16 options will reduce the quality by a factor of eight or sixteen, respectively.
Keep in mind that as you decrease the playback resolution, the playback becomes smoother and more fluid because reducing the playback resolution requires less processing power.
Does Reducing Premiere Pro’s Playback Resolution Affect The Resolution of an Exported Video?
Reducing the playback resolution will not affect the final quality of the exported project; it will only affect the quality of the video while you are working on it in Adobe Premiere Pro.
Why Are Some Premiere Pro Playback Resolution Options Greyed Out?
Sometimes when you try to reduce the playback resolution in Adobe Premiere Pro, you may notice that the 1/8, 1/16, or even 1/4 options are greyed out. This can happen when the width of the sequence is not large enough to support those playback resolution settings. So Premiere Pro will automatically disable those options to prevent the video from being displayed at a lower quality than it already is.
- So if the width of the sequence is 499 pixels or less, all the playback resolution options will be grayed out.
- When the width falls between 500 and 999 pixels, the only available playback resolution option is 1/2.
- If the width is between 1000 and 1999 pixels, both the 1/2 and 1/4 options are available.
- If the width is between 2000 and 3999 pixels, the available options are 1/2, 1/4, and 1/8.
- When the width is 4000 pixels or more, all the playback resolution options will be available.
2. Disable High quality playback option
This option allows you to toggle between high quality and low quality playback resolution. When high quality playback is enabled, the video will be displayed at a higher resolution, which can be helpful when working on finer details or when trying to spot small issues in the video. When high quality playback is turned off, the video will be played back at a lower resolution, which can help improve the playback performance.
To access this option, follow these steps:
- Go to the Program Monitor panel.
- Click on the wrench icon which is located at the bottom right corner of the Program Monitor panel.
- Click on “High Quality Playback” to turn it on or off.
