How to Work with Adobe Premiere Pro Preview Files

When you render previews as you work in Adobe Premiere Pro, the program creates files for each of these renders on your hard disk. The preview files contain the results of any effects that Adobe Premiere Pro processed during a preview. The preview files are saved in a folder you can specify, and are automatically accessed when you render clips later in the same project, saving time and hard drive space in the long run.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Digitized video footage
• Video footage and a firewire
• Adobe Premiere Pro

1. To specify the location for your preview files to be saved, go to the Edit Menu at the top of your Workspace. Choose Preferences, and then Scratch Disks.

2. The options for each will automatically default to “Same as Project” meaning, the same file where your project is saved. If you are working with very large files, you may choose another drive or an external hard drive if you are concerned with space.

3. Look for “Video Previews” and “Audio Previews” and choose the desired locations for your video and audio preview files.

4. Note that the location you choose must be large and fast enough to support your video playback. You will want this to be a disk attached to your computer, not a network drive.

5. To delete your preview files, go to the Sequence Menu at the top of your Workspace, and then choose “Delete Render Files.” When finished, click OK.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep your computer running smoothly by running your Disk Defragmenter regularly. You can find it in the System Tools of your Program Accessories.
• Stay organized by using a similar naming system for all of your projects, but keep each project in a separate file.