Glossary
What is a proxy in video editing.
A proxy is a smaller, lighter copy of a video clip that you edit with in place of the original, so the timeline plays smoothly on a laptop. Before the final export the edit is switched back to the originals, so the proxy never reaches the finished film.
How proxies work.
The editing software makes a copy of each clip at a lower resolution and a lower data rate, and links it to the original. You cut with the copies. The edit decisions are the same either way, so switching back is a setting, not a re-edit.
In Final Cut Pro, Apple’s guide says proxies are made as Apple ProRes 422 Proxy or HEVC, at frame sizes from 12.5 to 100 percent of the original, and take up far less storage than optimized files. It says to set the viewer back to Optimized/Original before exporting, for the highest quality in the exported file.
Proxies and the client.
A review copy is the same idea on the client’s side: they do not need the master to give notes, and a smaller copy plays faster on their phone. What they keep at the end is the master.
On a DropYourFiles link.
On DropYourFiles you upload the master once. Your client streams a copy made for watching, with a watermark if you leave it on, and the master downloads untouched after they approve.
Free up to 5 GB. No card.
Questions.
Do proxies lower my export quality?
Not if you switch back to the originals first. Export with proxies still on and the film is made from the proxies.
Should I send my client proxies?
No. Send a review copy for notes and the master at the end. A proxy is sized for editing, not for watching.
What is the difference between proxy and optimized media?
In Final Cut, both are copies made for smoother editing. Proxies are the smaller of the two and take up considerably less storage, by Apple’s own description.
Where this comes from.
- Apple, Final Cut Pro User Guide: Create optimized and proxy files, read October 29, 2026.
- Apple, Final Cut Pro User Guide: Export final mastering files, read October 29, 2026.
Keep reading.
- How to send ProRes files to a client
- How to send 4K video without losing quality
- How to export video from Final Cut Pro for a client
- Video bitrate vs file size
- sRGB vs Adobe RGB for client delivery
- What is a RAW file in photography
More in the glossary, or see what DropYourFiles does.
Send your client one link for the whole job.
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