This page is a companion document to the system requirements for Premiere Pro and After Effects. It provides additional information on system components and considerations for optimal performance.
- Adobe Premiere Pro Sound Editing
- Adobe Premiere Video Editing Software
- Adobe Premiere For Video Editing
- Adobe Audio Editing Software
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The four key variables for a great video production system are memory, storage, graphics, and your processor.
Memory
Professional video workflows rely on system memory. A good video editing workstation should have at least 32GB of memory— and as much as 128GB.
Super quick audio editing in Adobe Premiere Pro CCYou don't have to be an audio engineer to get professional results. The Essential Sound panel in Premiere P. Adobe Premiere Pro CC is one of the most widely used video editing suites in professional circles worldwide. In terms of power, performance and all-round versatility, you’ll rarely encounter an Adobe Premiere Pro review with a single negative thing to say. While Premiere Pro isn’t as a great of an audio resource as, say, Adobe Audition, it is more than capable for some of the basics of audio editing.In this video, ChinFat breaks down the process for adding and manipulating audio effects, as well as setting and working with keyframes and parameters. One of the neatest functionalities of Premiere Pro (in audio stakes) is being able to switch between Premiere and Audition, seamlessly integrating the two packages together to make use of Audition’s world-class audio editing features. Like Premiere Pro, Adobe. Super quick audio editing in Adobe Premiere Pro CCYou don't have to be an audio engineer to get professional results. The Essential Sound panel in Premiere P.
Storage/hard drives
Fast storage is critical for video production. Use solid-state NVMe or SSD storage. Unless you have a fast RAID array, spinning disks generally do not offer sufficient speed for HD and 4K video production.
The best way to achieve excellent performance (and to keep different types of files organized) is to spread the load between multiple drives. An optimal setup has three drives:
- System drive for OS and applications
- Drive for the media cache
- Media drive (or shared storage)
Only have two drives? Use a fast external drive for your media and Media Cache.
The media cache is where Premiere Pro stores accelerator files, including peak files (.pek) and conformed audio (.cfa). Premiere Pro can make thousands of call to these files every second). For more information, see Set Media Cache preferences.
- NVMe Flash memory drives with Thunderbolt 3.0 connectivity are excellent.
- SSD drives with USB 3.1 connectivity are also good - but have a 4TB limit.
Graphics
The GPU is used for onscreen rendering and export, priority areas for video production. Premiere Pro is engineered to take advantage of the GPU. After Effects is also GPU-optimized.
- Graphics card with at least 4GB of memory (VRAM).
- (Optional) Multiple GPUs, including eGPUs, can be used to speed up rendering and export.
Adobe Premiere Pro Sound Editing
Out-of-date graphics drivers are one of the most common causes of performance issues with video applications. For optimal performance, make sure you have the latest drivers for your GPU, including integrated Intel GPUs. For more information, see GPU and GPU Driver Requirements for Premiere Pro.
Processor/GPU
For CPUs, clock speed matters more for After Effects. Multiple cores have more impact for Premiere Pro. The sweet spot for running both applications is a fast CPU with 8 cores.
- Core i7 or Core i9 Intel processors or AMD equivalents are strongly recommended.
- Fast clock speed at least 3.2 GHz, or higher.
- 8 cores are ideal for Premiere Pro. The application can use more cores, but without significant added benefit. Depending on the task, Premiere Pro runs at 93-98% efficiency with 8 cores.
H.264 and H.265 (HEVC) are widely used capture formats for DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, action cameras, and phones. H.264 is also the preferred format for uploading to YouTube and social media sites. These compressed formats are well suited for capture and distribution, but they are processor-intensive for post-production.
If you work with H.264 and H.265, consider Intel Core i7 and Core i9 processors, which offer Quick Sync hardware acceleration, supported in both Premiere Pro and After Effects.
AMD and Intel Xeon processors work well for other formats, such as cinema camera formats, (such as RED, Sony Venice, ARRI) and broadcast formats (such as XDCam HD).
Adding memory is the easiest and usually most impactful place to start if you want to upgrade your system to improve performance for both Premiere Pro and After Effects.
Upgrade Premiere Pro system in this order of priority:
- More RAM — up to 128GB if your motherboard supports it.
- A faster GPU (or additional GPUs) for faster rendering and export
- Faster (or more) NVMe or SSD drives
- Faster CPU
Upgrade your After Effects system in this order of priority:
- More RAM — 128GB is a good target for top-of-the-line systems.
- Faster (or more) SSD or NVMe drives
- Faster GPU (or additional GPUs) for faster rendering and export
- Faster CPU
Export times are impacted both by your graphics hardware and your workflow. A second GPU (same class GPU as the primary GPU) can provide substantial speed increases for export. Creating previews during your edit can also accelerate export times.
Assuming you have a good system, performance for multicam workflows is more dependent on your project setup than your hardware. Expert users create their own project templates to standardize their setup.
A calibrated reference monitor connected through external transmit hardware is highly recommended for accurate display of interlaced and color critical content. Proper monitoring of HDR content requires an HDR-capable external display.
This is a matter of personal preference. Because the timeline is a central element in the Premiere Pro UI, an ultra wide 37” display combined with a second reference monitor is an excellent option.
Adobe Premiere Video Editing Software
Simultaneous monitoring of multi-channel audio requires a multi-channel sound card. On Windows the sound card should be ASIO-capable.
Your workflow, and how you decide to work with file formats, can have a significant impact on overall performance. Our best practices guide for working with native formats has suggestions for designing your workflow to ensure optimal performance with your hardware.
- Puget Systems recommendations for Premiere Pro
- Puget Systems recommendations for After Effects
Recording audio is an important part of production that’s often overlooked, which can create some aggravating problems in post. Here are some solutions for cleaning up audio in Premiere Pro.
There are many reasons your audio recordings can suffer — background noise is too high and distracting, levels are too low, audio is blown out, your microphone wasn’t turned on. Regardless of the ailment, there are some good remedies online at your disposal (although perhaps not for leaving the microphone off.)
So find a quiet room, close the door, plop on some high-end headphones, and let’s dive in.
Adding and Manipulating Audio Effects
While Premiere Pro isn’t as a great of an audio resource as, say, Adobe Audition, it is more than capable for some of the basics of audio editing. In this video, ChinFat breaks down the process for adding and manipulating audio effects, as well as setting and working with keyframes and parameters.
Audio Master in Premiere Pro
Mastering audio is a term used to describe across-the-board edits for the final cut of a video. These are some of the tweaks and changes that go into cleaning up and making your audio tracks pop. Nathaniel Dodson at TutVid gives a good breakdown of some of audio mastering tips and tricks available to you in Premiere Pro.
Removing Background Noise (with 3rd Party Plugins)
Background noise can be detrimental to good audio recording. While it’s obviously best to address the issue from the beginning and remove it from the get go, there are times where it can sneak in. In the above tutorial by PremiereGal (full post can be read here), she outlines how to remove the background audio with the third-party plugin AudioDenoise by CrumplePop.
Some kinds of background noises to keep an ear out for while recording:
- Fan noise
- Traffic/street noise
- Refrigerator hum
- Air conditioners or heaters (especially turning on or off)
- Background conversations
- Miscellaneous electronics
Adobe Premiere For Video Editing
Removing Background Noise with Denoiser
There are also some built-in effects options in Premiere Pro. In his tutorial, the TeachMeGuy gives some solid advice on how to clean up the same background noise problems with the built-in effects. While not always as powerful as some of the higher-end third-party options, it’s worth seeing what you can accomplish with a first go around.
Have any additional audio tips or tricks to share? Let us know in the comments.
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