Proxy Editing¶

A proxy is a lower-resolution / lower-bitrate copy of a high-resolution source file. Using proxies while editing 4K/8K or high-bitrate footage can significantly improve timeline and node-editor playback performance. Oak automatically falls back to the original high-quality source when exporting.

Proxy States¶

Each footage item can be in one of the following proxy states:

Creating Proxies¶

Oak provides several ways to manage proxies:

1. Footage Manager: select one or more footage items → right-click → Generate Proxy / Use Proxy / Reveal Proxy / Delete Proxy.

2. Timeline: select clip(s) → right-click → proxy menu.

3. Global settings: Tools > Proxy Settings opens the Disk tab in Preferences.

Right-click selected footage in the project panel to see Generate Proxy, Use Proxy, etc. The same menu is available on timeline clips, and you can batch-process multiple selected items.¶

Proxy Settings¶

Proxy presets are global, located in Edit > Preferences > Disk.

Adjustable parameters:

Proxy File Location¶

Proxy files are stored under the project’s disk-cache directory:

<project_cache_path>/proxy/<unique_id>-<stream_index>.<width>x<height>.v<version>.mp4

While generating, the temporary file is named:

<proxy_filename>.working.mp4

Proxy Generation Process¶

• Oak calls ffmpeg from the system PATH to transcode.

• Only the video stream is transcoded; audio is dropped (-an).

• Encoding uses libx264, -pix_fmt yuv420p, and -movflags +faststart.

• Background tasks appear in the Task Manager; the state changes to ready when finished.

Enabling and Disabling Proxies¶

• Use Proxy: enables the proxy for that footage item during preview and node editing.

• Right-click again to disable it and revert to the original source.

• Proxy state is saved in the .ove project file.

Behavior on Export¶

• Preview / offline rendering (RenderMode::kOffline) uses the proxy if it is available.

• Export (RenderMode::kOnline) always uses the original high-quality source and never the proxy.

• You do not need to disable proxies before exporting.

Limitations¶

• There is no per-footage proxy preset; only the global preset is available.

• Proxies contain video only, no audio; they are intended for picture preview.

• Proxy generation depends on ffmpeg being available in the system PATH; if ffmpeg is missing, the proxy task fails.

• There is no standalone proxy dialog; the entry points are scattered across the project panel, timeline context menu, and Preferences.