How to Use Proxy Editing in Shotcut

Use proxy editing to work with smaller copies of your footage in Shotcut while keeping the originals for the finished video. You'll need Shotcut, the source media and space for the proxy files. The steps below cover generation, the proxy indicator and the export setting that can change your final output.

How to use proxy editing in Shotcut and retain export quality

Shotcut normally returns to the original or converted media for export. There's one easily missed exception: Export > Advanced > Video > Use preview scaling also uses proxies for a quick review output. Leave that option off when creating the finished video at the project's intended quality.

Think of the proxy as an editing copy. It helps the computer process fewer pixels while you arrange clips, but it doesn't replace the source archive. Keep the original footage available through the final export and any later revisions.

Shotcut's current release is 26.9.27, dated September 27, 2026. The proxy guide describes some older behavior, so the January 2026 release change matters too: bulk proxy generation now updates clips as the jobs finish. You don't need the old routine of toggling proxy mode off and on again just to adopt those generated files.

1. Save a project with the source media

Open or start the project you want to edit and add the intended footage to the Playlist or Timeline. Save the project before arranging a long edit. A source clip opened only for inspection doesn't necessarily trigger automatic proxy generation.

Put your footage somewhere it can stay. If the source lives on an external drive, keep that drive available when you export. A small editing copy isn't a reason to move the original into a folder that the project can no longer locate.

Give the project and its media a clear folder structure. For example, a project folder can contain your saved edit, a source-footage folder and generated proxies. That example is organization advice, not a promise that Shotcut gathers all of those files automatically.

2. Set a lower Preview Scaling resolution

Open Settings > Preview Scaling and choose the preview resolution you want to use while editing. Proxy generation follows that preview height. The documented fallback is 540p when preview scaling is off.

Choose a preview that still lets you judge the cut. A conversation video needs visible expressions and timing; a tutorial may need readable on-screen text. Reducing the preview too far can make the editing job less comfortable even though there are fewer pixels for the machine to process.

Preview scaling and proxy files work together but aren't identical. Scaling controls the preview-processing resolution. The proxy is another media file, so creating one also takes storage and a generation job. Lowering a preview setting doesn't mean every source already has a proxy on disk.

3. Turn on Use Proxy

Select Settings > Proxy > Use Proxy. For an existing project, accept generation of missing eligible proxies when Shotcut offers it. Open View > Jobs to see the queued work and its status.

Automatic generation has rules. The proxy documentation excludes image sequences and transparent media, and it only generates when both source dimensions exceed its size threshold. A small clip can therefore remain on its original without anything being broken.

You can keep editing while a job is underway. However, the smaller copy isn't doing the preview work until it exists and is adopted by the project. For an older laptop struggling with the originals, let the first jobs finish before deciding whether proxy editing has changed the experience.

4. Confirm the proxy indicator

Select a clip and inspect Properties. Shotcut displays (PROXY) beside the resolution when that clip uses a proxy. That indicator is a clearer check than judging whether playback merely feels different.

For a selected file that needs a proxy, Properties > Proxy > Make Proxy forces generation. Disable Proxy applies to that file within the project. Use those controls for a specific clip instead of repeatedly changing the global mode when only one file is behaving differently.

The listed resolution can describe the proxy while the clip keeps its original timing and other retained properties. Seeing a lower resolution in Properties during proxy editing isn't evidence that the original file was permanently resized.

5. Locate the generated files

Use Settings > Proxy > Storage > Show to open the active storage folder. Shotcut supports global storage and a project's proxies folder. Use Project Folder controls where new proxies are generated when a project folder is in use.

For a project moving between computers, knowing which folder contains the proxies helps you decide what to carry. The original media remains the essential export source; generated editing copies can be recreated when needed. Don't rename hash-based proxy files casually, because their names connect them to the source.

6. Review the originals and export

Before final delivery, inspect the edit with the original media available. Check that the export profile matches your intended dimensions and leave Use preview scaling off for the finished video. Then open the exported result and inspect the cut points, text and audio.

For a draft review, preview-scaled export can be intentional. Name that file as a draft so it isn't mistaken for the final asset. A reviewer may only need to approve timing, while a finished upload needs the full output settings.

Known problems

The preview hides a source-media problem

In a May 2026 support reply, the lead developer explains that a proxy can hide an issue in the original, which returns during export. The reply suggests examining the source alone and using Properties > Convert if it needs conversion. A smooth proxy preview doesn't repair a damaged or awkward source file.

An opened clip doesn't generate a proxy

The official proxy guide explains that the Source player is also for quickly inspecting footage. Add the file to the Playlist or Timeline, or use Make Proxy for the selected file. Automatic generation also depends on the media and size rules in step three.

Troubleshooting table

Two variations

For a large footage folder, enable the mode after you have identified the material the project uses. Generating editing copies of discarded takes adds jobs and files without helping the saved timeline.

For a mixed project, let eligible footage use proxies while transparent graphics stay on their original route. A logo overlay and a camera recording don't have to show the same proxy behavior for the project to work correctly.

Completion checklist

• Jobs have finished for the clips you want proxied.
• Properties shows the expected indicator.
• The source media remains available.
• The final profile and preview-scaling choice match the delivery.
• The exported video opens and plays with the expected picture and sound.

Next steps

OpenShot and Blender provide other editing routes. HandBrake is a separate transcoding tool, while OBS Studio belongs at the recording stage. Browse Video Editing & Production for editors around your workflow.

Sources

Shotcut proxy documentation, Jobs documentation, the January 30 and September 27 release notes, and the linked May support reply. Controls and release details checked October 9, 2026.