Performance is top of mind for the Adobe video team. Bookmark http://adobe.ly/performance to keep track of the latest improvements in Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition, Character Animator, and Adobe Media Encoder. At the bottom of the page, find links to additional user resources.
Adobe video & audio applications
October 2022 updates
The 23.0 versions of Premiere Pro, After Effects, Character Animator, Audition, and Media Encoder were released on October 18, including new features, performance improvements, and fixes.
2x Faster Motion Graphics templates
Motion Graphics templates from After Effects now render 2x faster in Premiere Pro thanks to Multi-Frame Rendering. Depending on the template and your system speed gains may be even greater.
Performance improvements for AVC Intra
10-bit AVC Intra formats are now up to 2x faster on Apple silicon, thanks to GPU acceleration, providing improved playback and smoother scrubbing performance for AVC Intra formats in MXF containers, including Sony XAVC Intra, Canon XF-AVC Intra, and Panasonic AVC Intra.
GPU acceleration for Lumetri scopes
Playback and scrubbing are smoother when working with Lumetri scopes. By using the GPU for the Lumetri scopes, Premiere Pro makes better use of system resources for improved performance on the Timeline.
Improved Previews on Windows and macOS
Apple ProRes 422 LT is now the default codec for sequence rendering in Premiere Pro. ProRes provides high-quality previews for rendered effects on macOS and Windows.
You can use the same rendered Previews to speed up exports with smart rendering. If exporting to ProRes, choose Match Sequence preview settings. Since your previews have already been rendered, there’s no need for additional encoding, resulting in faster exports. Learn more here.
August 2022 improvements
GPU acceleration means better performance for effects when editing video or exporting finished videos. Almost all of the effects in Premiere Pro are GPU-accelerated and in this release, we have added acceleration for two more.
- Unsharp Mask is for applying sharpening to a selected area of the image.
- Posterize Time is for manually adjusting the frame rates to stylize the look and feel of a video
Initializing GPU dialog
On the first launch after a new installation or driver update, Premiere Pro needs to initialize the GPU. A new dialog informs the user this is happening. Sometimes playback is delayed during GPU initialization, but the process is usually quite fast and is not required for subsequent launches.
June 2022 update
Use proxies to improve performance
For high resolution formats or demanding codecs, the proxy workflow in Premiere Pro is an excellent option. In Premiere Pro 22.2, new proxy badges in the Project panel and timeline make it easier to keep track when you switch between proxy and source media while editing.
Proxy files now default to ProRes format, which provides excellent image quality and performance. Premiere Pro supports ProRes on both on macOS and Windows.
Newly GPU-accelerated effects in this update include Magnify, Replicate, Spherize, and Wave Warp providing faster performance for these effects during editing, faster rendering and faster exports.
May 2022 performance updates
Up to 10x faster exports for 10-bit 4:2:0 HEVC
The May 2022 release of Premiere Pro (v. 22.4) includes hardware accelerated encoding for 10-bit 4:2:0 HEVC on macOS (Intel and M1) and AMD GPUs on Windows. This results in export times that are up to 10 x faster on these platforms.
10-bit 4:2:0 HEVC offers more color depth than 8-bit codecs and is used HDR deliverables. With these updates, Premiere Pro now offers hardware accelerated encoding for HEVC 10-bit 4:2:0 on all currently supported Mac and Windows configurations.
Smart rendering and QuickTime screen recording improvements
Premiere Pro 22.4 also includes improved reliability and faster exports for smart rendering, as well as smoother playback and scrubbing of QuickTime screen recordings.
April 2022 performance update
After Effects on Apple M1
The latest release of After Effects includes native support for Apple silicon and the results are impressive. Compared with previous generation systems, After Effects runs 2x faster on M1 computers and up to 3x faster on M1 Ultra Macs.
Native support for Apple silicon is only the latest speed boost for After Effects. Last year After Effects performance was improved across all platforms with Multi-Frame Rendering, which gave users speed gains of up to 4x on their existing hardware.
Learn more about the 22.3 release of After Effects
February 2022 performance updates
The latest release of Premiere Pro (v22.2) includes several important performance enhancements, along with Remix, powered by Adobe Sensei. These improvements accelerate editorial workflows for captioning videos, retiming music, and exporting 10-bit 4:2:0 HEVC content.
Speech to Text, now up to 3x faster
Speech to Text in Premiere Pro now includes downloadable language packs, which means users can now create transcriptions without requiring an internet connection. On-device Speech to Text takes advantage of the CPU, which means users can create transcriptions up to 3x faster on modern Core i9 and M1 systems and typically 2x faster for other modern hardware.
Up to 10x faster exports for 10-bit 4:2:0 HEVC
New hardware acceleration for 10-bit 4:2:0 HEVC encoding on Windows with Intel or NVIDIA GPUs yields up to 10x faster exports.
More GPU accelerated effects
The Linear Wipe and Block dissolve effects in Premiere Pro are now GPU-accelerated. This provides better playback and faster exports for sequences that include these effects.
Remix in Premiere Pro, powered by Adobe Sensei
Remix allows users to retime songs to match the duration of a video. Editors and creators can use the Remix tool to drag the right edge of a music clip to the desired duration. Remix analyzes the song and creates a new arrangement, preserving the start and the end of the music while applying edits to different sections song. A process that could take hours of slicing and fading can now be completed in seconds.
Because Remix is so fast, it’s easy to try out different arrangements using the Customize sliders in the Essential Sound panel.
Learn more about the 22.2 release of Premiere Pro.
December 2021 performance updates
The December release of Premiere Pro (v. 21.1.2) includes multiple performance improvements, including new hardware acceleration on Apple M1 systems, new optimizations for playback and encoding, two more GPU accelerated effects, and addresses an issue with some third-party plugins in the 22.1.1 release.
Performance improvements like these are the result of our ongoing work to leverage advances in technology and optimize features and workflows, like the new tools for titling and graphics in this release. And we have more hardware acceleration for 10-bit HEVC formats coming soon – available now for testing in Premiere Pro (Beta).
Faster ProRes on Apple M1 Pro and M1 Max systems
Following the recent release of new M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pros, the December release of Premiere Pro introduces new hardware support for ProRes. Playback is improved, especially for 4K and 8K ProRes files, and exports are up to 5x faster on M1 Pro and M1 Max systems, compared with previous generation 16” MacBook Pros.
Hardware acceleration for high resolution HEVC on M1 systems
All Apple M1 systems running macOS 12 will see up to 2x faster exports for high resolution HEVC, including 4K DCI and 8K files.
Improved playback for Windows systems with integrated Intel GPUs
Display technology optimizations in Premiere Pro 22.1.2 provide improved playback on Windows systems with Intel Integrated GPUs. The improvements apply across all formats with anywhere from 5% to 40% better playback.
Faster Color Match, powered by Adobe Sensei
Color Match in the December release of Premiere Pro is up to 30% faster, thanks to machine learning optimizations. Editors, colorists, and content creators use Color Match to apply the colorimetry of a reference image to a new shot, speeding up color correction and shot matching in Premiere Pro.
More GPU-accelerated effects
As part of the commitment to ensuring overall solid performance we are continuing to re-architect our video effects and transitions to take advantage of GPU processing. The majority of effects in Premiere Pro are now GPU accelerated with two more added in this release: Gradient Wipe and Roughen Edge.
More hardware acceleration coming soon - try it now in Premiere Pro (Beta)
10-bit HEVC offers more color detail which is great for color grading but is demanding for playback. That’s why we’re bringing in more hardware acceleration for these formats, including 10-bit 422 HEVC on Windows systems with Intel and NVIDIA graphics, currently in Premiere Pro (Beta)
For an in-depth discussion on hardware acceleration in Premiere Pro, check out this article by Mike McCarthy on Tech with Mike First.
October 26, 2021 performance updates
Today's release introduces significant performance improvements, including Multi-Frame Rendering in After Effects 22.0, hardware decoding for 10-bit 422 formats in Premiere Pro 22.0, new hardware-acceleration for Apple ProRes in Premiere Pro (Beta), and more.
Multi-Frame Rendering in After Effects
- Multi-Frame Rendering delivers faster performance where it matters most for motion design. For a typical midrange system with a 8-12 core CPU, Previews and Exports are up to 2x faster, and for high-end systems with 32 cores, performance is up to 4x faster. Puget Systems has published detailed benchmarking of different system configurations, illustrating the impact of multicore CPUs and how After Effects uses system memory to take maximum advantage of the CPU.
- Multi-Frame Rendering also benefits companion applications, like Adobe Media Encoder, which can now render After Effects compositions faster. And coming soon, Multi-Frame Rendering support will accelerate Motion Graphics template performance in Premiere Pro.
- Along with increased horsepower, After Effects 22.0 introduces workflow efficiency features, like Speculative Previews, so that compositions will render in the background when After Effects is idle, an improved Render Queue, which provides more information on the current render, and remote notifications that tell you when your render is complete.
Hardware decoding for 10-bit 422 formats in Premiere Pro
- Premiere Pro 22.0 introduces hardware decoding for 10-bit 422 HEVC on Apple silicon-based Macs and Intel-based Windows systems. 10-bit footage offers more color depth, which allows for more detailed color grading work than the more common 8-bit formats. Hardware decoding provides smooth playback and editing of these formats.
- On Apple silicon, Premiere Pro 22.0 also supports hardware decoding for 10-bit 422 H.264 formats.
GPU-accelerated effects in Premiere Pro
- Premiere Pro 22.0 adds GPU-acceleration for 4 more effects: Alpha Glow, Mirror, Reduce Interlace Flicker, and Strobe will perform significantly better during playback and render faster for exports. Nearly 70% of effects and transitions in Premiere Pro are now GPU accelerated.
Now in Premiere Pro (Beta): Hardware acceleration for Apple ProRes on new MacBook Pros
- New ProRes hardware acceleration in Premiere Pro (Beta) provides much improved playback and significantly faster exports for 4K and 8K media on new MacBook Pros with Apple M1 Pro and Apple M1 Max chips.
- Premiere Pro (Beta) also introduces hardware encoding for high resolution HEVC on all M1 Macs with macOS 12 Monterey.
Now in After Effects (Beta) support for Apple silicon Macs
Native support for Apple silicon Macs in After Effects (Beta) provides improved performance on new Macs, including the new MacBook Pro, further modernizing the After Effects architecture.
July 20, 2021 performance improvements
Premiere Pro 15.4 introduces Speech to Text, an integrated and automated workflow for creating and customizing captions for video, native support for M1 Macs, faster Scene Edit Detection, and more.
- Speech to Text is on average 5x faster than other available transcription and captioning workflows. Read the Pfeiffer Report benchmarking productivity gains for Speech to Text.
- Premiere Pro on Apple M1 is nearly 80% faster, on average, than similarly configured previous-generation Macs. See Premiere Pro on Apple M1: the results are in.
- New Multi-Frame Rendering features in After Effects (Beta) take advantage of multi-core CPUs for faster exports and previews. Learn more here.
- Team Projects are getting a boost with faster saving and progressive project loading, now in Premiere Pro (Beta).
- Scene Edit Detection has been optimized and is now up to 2x faster on macOS and Windows and 3X faster on M1 Macs.
May 11, 2021 performance improvements
Audition now runs natively on Apple M1 systems providing improved performance for recording and mixing high-quality audio content. Notable gains include faster mixdowns and audio effects rendering, and near-real time updates in Spectral Display Editor.
- Audio Effects are faster on all platforms, including Audition on macOS (Intel & M1) and Windows.
- Canon XF-HEVC performance optimizations mean smoother playback and scrubbing, and faster seeking in Premiere Pro.
- DirectX12 is now the default display rendering technology for Premiere Pro and After Effects on Windows, providing a more modern codebase with improved stability and performance and native High Dynamic Range (HDR) playback for Premiere Pro with HDR10-capable monitors and a DirectX-compatible GPU.
April 13, 2021 performance improvements
- Premiere Rush now has native Apple M1 support
- Faster exports for H.264 and HEVC formats with Intel Quick Sync on Windows
March 10, 2021 performance improvements
The official rollover to the 2021 versions of Premiere Pro, After Effects, and other Adobe video applications introduces all-new Captions workflow in Premiere Pro, Media Replacement in Motion Graphics templates for After Effects and Premiere Pro, and more - including the following performance improvements:
- Multi-Frame Rendering in After Effects Beta
- Real-Time 3D Draft Preview (After Effects)
- Faster Warp Stabilizer (After Effects and Premiere Pro)
- Team Projects performance improvements (After Effects and Premiere Pro)
- Robust new project file format in Character Animator
February 9, 2021 performance improvements
- Audio filter performance improvements on Premiere Pro: Thanks to optimizations, faster audio effect rendering on Intel CPUs delivers speed gains ranging from 20% to over 80%, depending on the effect (macOS and Windows).
- Faster exports for H264 and HEVC on macOS: Optimizing how Premiere Pro uses the CPU and GPU provides up to 20% faster exports on macOS systems.
- Comprehensive optimizations for Rush on iOS deliver better battery life, less heating, and faster exports: up to 7x faster on iPhone 12 Pro. The improvements apply across the board with some variation in export gains, depending on the footage and iOS model.
- Faster exports with Intel TigerLake CPUs thanks to new optimizations for Quick Sync, providing 15-20% faster encoding (released January 12 in Premiere Pro).
December 21, 2020
Now in Beta: Premiere Pro for Apple M1 Systems
Premiere Pro, Premiere Rush, and Audition builds with native support for new Apple M1 chipsets are now available in public Beta.
November 17, 2020
Quick Export in Premiere Pro and Media Replacement
- Up to 4x faster rendering and smoother playback for 4K sequences using AMD Ryzen™ Mobile and Desktop Processors with Radeon™ Graphics.
- Premiere Rush exports on iOS are now 2x faster (up to 3x faster, depending on project)
October 28, 2020 Livestream
Jason Levine welcomes Matt Bach of Puget Systems and Caroline Sears from the Adobe Care team to look at the latest performance improvements, hardware testing, troubleshooting, and optimizing your system. Watch the recording.
October 20, 2020
New hardware decoding for H.264/H.265 formats
- More responsive playback in Premiere Pro with hardware decoding on AMD and NVIDIA GPUs on Windows
- Faster audio pre-roll in Premiere Pro
September 15, 2020
Performance Improvements in the September 2020 Release
- Improved Multicam performance for Apple ProRes (Premiere Pro)
- Faster OpenEXR Previews in After Effects
- Faster Channel Effects in After Effects
- Faster Effects scanning for VST3 and AU plugins (Audition and Premiere Pro)
August 18, 2020 Livestream
Performance and Stability: Community Q&A
What is Adobe doing about performance and stability? Matt Christensen and Marjorie Sacks on the Premiere Pro engineering team join Jason Levine’s livestream to talk about changes we’ve been making, answer your questions, and share resources. Watch thd recording.
July 21, 2020
Playback improvements for H.264 and HEVC on Windows
- Up to 2x better playback for H.264 and HEVC on Windows
- Export Apple ProRes 4444 XQ on macOS (previously only available on Windows)
June 16, 2020
How Beta is helping us build better products
- Validating faster with public Beta
- Faster launch times for Premiere Pro on macOS
- Improved file management workflows in Adobe Audition
- Apple Afterburner support
May 19, 2020
Performance and Stability: our highest commitment
- Changes to our engineering and release cycle to improve stability
- Using the System Compatibility Report in Premiere Pro to avoid issues
- Improving playback for H264, HEVC, and Apple ProRes formats
- Faster exports with hardware encoding with AMD and NVIDIA GPUs on Windows
- Auto Reframe 2x faster
Resources for Users
- Premiere Pro System Requirements
- After Effects System Requirements
- Hardware recommendations: Optimizing your system for Premiere Pro and After Effects
- Productions in Premiere Pro: Workflow guide and best practices
- Adobe Creative Cloud public Beta FAQ
- Integrations: Adobe video & audio technology partners
- Adobe Care on Twitter (fastest way to get help with support issues)