While there are many integrations in the Camera to Cloud (C2C) ecosystem that can upload camera original files to Frame.io, many workflows still require proxies. In fact, the first C2C Connections were proxy only. Proxies from C2C Connections can help you and your team instantly view takes, organize footage, and start editing.

Want to learn more about C2C Connections? Check out our C2C Getting Started Guide.

If you're editing with proxies from C2C Connections, eventually you may want to go back to the original, high-quality files from the camera. If you're unfamiliar with proxy or online/offline workflows, this process can sometimes feel like jumping straight into the deep end. The good news is that C2C enabled cameras and external video recorders with automatic recording create proxies that have the same name and timecode as the original files, making it possible to switch from one to the other.
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In this guide, we’ll explain what proxies are, how and when to use them, and how to switch from proxies created by C2C Connections back to the original files in various editing tools.

The term "proxy" can often have several different uses and meanings. Generally speaking, proxies are files that are used in place of camera original files. A file that can act on the original's behalf — hence, "proxy". These are files that are, in some capacity, friendlier for the current workflow stage. They may be smaller, lower resolution, or in a different codec that's more suited to the current tool or computer system.

In the context of Camera to Cloud, however, we'll want to attach a specific definition to "proxy" in order to avoid confusion. Let's explore that below.

For the purposes of Camera to Cloud, and in our documentation here, proxies can be considered files used for editing. These are similar in use to dailies transcodes made by an assistant editor or dailies lab. Proxies from C2C Connections are designed to be used in offline/online workflows. This means that editors are meant to cut with the proxies all the way until the project is ready to color correct or export. When cutting with proxies, the project is "offline". Once the project is ready to finalize, then you can switch to the originals. When the project has switched to the originals, it is "online".

Proxies can come in many different forms, but they all have several things in common. They will have codecs that are easier to upload and edit with. They often will have some color correction applied if the camera is shooting in log (although, this is certainly not always the case). They may have embedded audio — although this is often "scratch" (ie, unmixed) audio. Most importantly, however, they will have the same clipname and timecode as the original file, which is necessary for switching to the originals later on.

Similar to transcodes used in a dailies process, proxies from C2C Connections may not be exactly the same as the camera originals. While their clipnames and timecode will be the same, they will often be different resolutions and different codecs than the originals. Additionally, any proxies made by a C2C Connection that is an external device may have different start and end timecode values to the camera original files. This is normal!

External devices are recorders that record a video signal from the camera in order to make proxies. They are independent from the camera and require a flag (known as a record trigger) from the camera to know when to start and stop recording. There is a small delay that is introduced between when the camera starts recording and when the external device actually receives this flag (this is physics!). The timecode values of every frame will match, but the proxies will start and end a few frames later than the camera files. This may affect the way some editing tools are able to switch between proxies and originals, but we'll cover that in detail below.

Alternatively, some C2C Connections can upload proxies made internally — that is, proxies made by the same device that makes the original files. For example, some cameras that support C2C directly can create and upload their own proxies instead of relying on an external device. Proxies made internally will not have start and end timecode mismatches with the originals since they are being made at the same time by the same device.

So, why go through all the hassle? Doesn't this introduce extra steps in your workflow? For some workflows, yes, it might add some additional steps. But many workflows already rely on proxy files and this would instead be an adaptation.

Even if, for some workflows, proxy files add what might look like additional complication, there are quite a few benefits. Proxy files created by C2C Connections are smaller than the original files and this enables them to upload faster, allowing you to upload files on networks with slower connections — meaning you or your team can get to work sooner. They're also recorded in codecs that are more universally compatible, making them extremely versatile for all sorts of steps in the workflow.

Finally, proxies from external devices allow you to upload clips from cameras that otherwise have no ability to upload to the cloud. By creating web-friendly proxy files in real-time, you can bridge the gap between cameras from yesterday and the workflows of today.

One of the main advantages of uploading proxies to Frame.io is that you can make editable files available to your post-production team near instantly. These light-weight files allow your team to start working while you're still shooting. In many cases, that means that you will eventually have to switch your timeline from the proxy files to your original files.

When you're ready to finalize your project, your workflow may require you to use the original files to color correct and render from. Switching from the light-weight proxy files to original files usually happens in one of two ways, depending on the tool you are using or your post-production workflow: relinking or conforming.

Relinking is a fairly general term, but it usually means telling your editing software where to find your files after you've started using them. It's called "re-linking" because it is primarily used when your media storage location gets moved or goes offline.

However, when we're using proxies, an editing tool's relink function can be used to instead tell it to look at the camera original files. Doing this is usually as simple as selecting the proxies from your bin or timeline that you want to replace, then using the editor's built-in relink tool to locate the camera original files on your storage. Because the proxies (as we defined above) have the same name and timecode, your editor will consider them to be the same clips and seamlessly switch from the proxies to the original.

Every editing tool's relink function works a little differently, and may even have a different name. Each individual editing tool may also have a different process for internal proxies (those created by the same device as the originals, such as a camera or when using an Atomos device as your main recorder) and for proxies created by an external device.

We'll cover the relinking process for several different tools in the sections later in this article. Use the shortcuts below to jump the tool you are using in your workflow:

Conforming is a lot like relinking in concept but is very different in practice and is usually part of the online process. Conforming is typically used in workflows that use separate editing and finishing tools. Just like relinking, it allows you to switch from the proxy files to the camera original files. However, where relinking tells your editing tool to use different files in the same timeline, the conforming process rebuilds your timeline with the camera original files from scratch.

To rebuild your timeline, you usually create a file that describes your edits. This is typically an EDL or XML file created in your editing tool. EDLs and XMLs are essentially lists that outline specifically what portion of a clip is used (described by the clip's timecode), exactly where in the timeline it's placed (described by the timeline's timecode), and in exactly what order. In order to successfully conform from EDL or XML lists, the files you edited with (referred to as your offline files) need to have the same name and timecode as the camera original files.

The EDL or XML file lets you then take your timeline — described in a list of clips and their timecodes — to a different piece of software, often a finishing tool such as a color-corrector. Because your internal or external proxies will have the same clipname and timecode as your originals, the XML or EDL will act like a blueprint for finishing tool to be able to accurately rebuild the timeline with camera original files.

Adobe Premiere Pro has tools that enable you to leverage powerful proxy workflows. You can easily relink back to the original files after you’ve started editing, but you can also create a workflow where you can switch between the proxies and the original files on the fly for better performance on your machine.
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Relinking is the simplest way to move from the C2C proxies to your original files. Let’s step through that process below.

Your clips are now relinked to the originals and you can continue your work. If you want to learn more about the Adobe Premiere Pro relinking tool, check out this article.

If you want the ability to switch between using the proxy files and the originals on the fly (perhaps to help manage performance), you can use Premiere Pro’s proxy workflow. We’ve outlined that workflow below.
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Premiere Pro’s proxy workflow allows you to connect both proxy media and original media to the same clip. With both proxies and originals connected, you can switch between them on the fly to better leverage performance in your project and on your computer.

Here’s how you set that up.

Your clips are now connected to both the proxies and the original media. You can switch between viewing the proxies and the originals in the Viewer by using the resolution command.

If you want to learn more about using the proxy tool in Adobe Premiere Pro, check out this article.
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If you are linking lower resolution proxies (ie, 1920x1080) to higher resolution originals (ie, 3840x2160), it is recommended to create a timeline with the resolution of the originals. When you place a proxy in the timeline, you may notice it is smaller than the frame. You can right click on the clip in the timeline and select Set to Frame Size.

However, if you have edited in a sequence that matches the resolution of the proxies, you may have to either rescale the clips or change the resolution of the sequence once they’ve been relinked. If your clips look cropped or “blown up” after relinking, you’ll need to rescale.
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To rescale the clips, follow the guide below. This will automatically scale your newly linked originals to the frame size of the sequence.

If instead you want to change the resolution of the sequence (say, from HD to UHD), follow the guide below.

Final Cut Pro combines relinking and proxy workflows into the same concept. When you import clips into Final Cut Pro, it assumes that these clips are originals. We can relink these back to our original files, but then we can also separately re-connect the proxies if we want to use a proxy workflow. We’ll cover both of these below.
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The first thing we’ll do is just simply relink from our proxies to the original media. Remember, Final Cut Pro assumes that whatever media is imported first is an original.

Your clips are now relinked to the original files. If you want the ability to switch between using the proxy files and the originals on the fly, you can use Final Cut Pro’s proxy workflow. We’ve outlined that workflow below.
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We can also leverage Final Cut Pro’s proxy workflow to connect both the proxy and the original to the same clip. To get started, make sure you’ve already done the Final Cut Pro Relinking process above.

Your clips are now connected to both the proxies and the original media. You can switch between viewing the proxies and the originals in the Viewer by going to View and selecting “Proxy Preferred” or “Proxy Only”.

If you are linking lower resolution proxies (ie, 1920x1080) to higher resolution originals (ie, 3840x2160), it is recommended to create a Project with the resolution of the originals.

If you have started editing in a Project that matches the resolution of the proxies, you may have to either rescale the clips or change the resolution of the Project once they’ve been relinked. If your clips look cropped or “blown up” after relinking, you’ll need to rescale.
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To rescale the clips, follow the guide below. This will automatically scale your newly linked originals to the frame size of the Project.

If instead you want to change the resolution of the Project (say, from HD to UHD), follow the guide below.

In this section, we’ll discuss proxy workflows in DaVinci Resolve as an NLE. If you’re looking for conform information, see the Conform section below.
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DaVinci Resolve also allows for easy relinking as well as proxy workflows. Similar to Final Cut Pro, you can relink to the original media, then re-attach the proxies if you want to use a proxy workflow. These workflows are available in both DaVinci Resolve and DaVinci Resolve Studio.
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The first thing we’ll do in Resolve is relink the proxy files back to the high-resolution originals. This can be done either from the Media Pool page or from the Media Pool panel in the Edit page.

Your clips are now relinked to the originals and you can continue your work. If you want the ability to switch between using the proxy files and the originals on the fly (perhaps to help manage performance), you can use Resolve’s proxy workflow. We've outlined that workflow below.
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Once the proxies are relinked back to the high-resolution originals, you can then re-attach your proxies to the relinked clips to use a proxy workflow if desired. To get started, make sure you perform the relinking process outlined in the previous section. Like relinking, this can be done from the Media Pool page or the Media Pool panel in the Edit page.

Your clips are now connected to both the proxies and the original media. You can switch between viewing the proxies and the originals in the Viewer by going to Playback > Use Proxy Media if Available.

If you're editing in DaVinci Resolve and have C2C proxies from an external device, you'll need to use Resolve's Reconform from Bins method to switch from your proxies to your originals. We cover the concept of Conform in more detail below, but conforming differs slightly from relinking in that you're reassembling the timeline with new media rather than simply changing the filepath of your existing media. Resolve will see your proxy media and your original media as two distinct, unrelated sets of clips.

This can affect your editing process in a couple of ways. First, any logging data applied to the proxies in Resolve will not translate over to the original media after the conform. Second, conforming to your original will inherit any audio configuration and resolution from your originals. For these reasons, it is recommended that any conform (including this Reconform from Bins method) is done only once the edit is locked, but before final audio mix, color-correction, or effects are applied.

Resolve's Reconform from Bins method allows you to essentially perform an internal, automatic conform, offering a streamlined way to switch from proxies created by an external C2C device to your originals. We've outlined that workflow below.

Any un-conformed media will be labeled in the timeline and you can resolve on a clip-by-clip basis. If you're having trouble getting Resolve to conform your clips, you can try adjusting your settings in the Conform Options pane of the Conform from Bins window.

Some cameras, like RED, may create originals that have different a clipname values and filenames. In these instances, the camera will send the clipname value to the external device and the original might have some extra information in the filename. For RED cameras, you may want to select Embedded source clip metadata when choosing your Reel Name Using options in the Conform Options pane of the Conform from Bins window. Additionally, you may need to also adjust Conform Options in your Project Settings. For example, when using RED cameras, you may have to enable Limit reel name matching to and set it to the number of characters that overlap (leaving out the segment index — ie, _001).

AVID Media Composer is designed to maintain strong organization through its powerful database. As such, it needs media in one of its own native codecs — DNxHD or DNxHR. For any C2C proxy workflows, it is recommended that both the C2C proxies and the originals are both processed from their original codecs to a DNxHD or DNxHR flavor that matches the rest of your workflow. This can be done in a dailies tool, in a transcoding tool like Adobe Media Encoder, or in Media Composer natively.

Additionally, relinking in Media Composer only works with internal proxies (such as from a camera or an Atomos device). If you have proxies from an external C2C device, you will need to do a conform in a finishing tool to switch to the originals.
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For internal proxies, Media Composer allows easy relinking between the proxy transcodes and the originals transcodes. In fact, it’s the same relinking process you would use for any other media within Media Composer.
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Before beginning the process in this guide, make sure you transcode the C2C proxies and originals into an AVID codec. Both the proxies and the originals should be transcoded into the same codec. For this example, we’ll be using DNxHD 36.

You can now work with AVID files transcoded from the high-resolution originals. The relink process will make sure none of the work you’ve already done with the C2C proxies will be lost and your transition should be seamless. Once your edit is complete, you can conform back to the native (untranscoded) originals during the online process.

The process of conforming is very similar to relinking, in that it allows you to move from proxies to originals, but is slightly different in some important ways. In relinking, you're essentially telling your editing software to look for the same files elsewhere — effectively changing the filepath of your media. Conforming, on the other hand, is the process of completely rebuilding the timeline itself. This is typical for projects that are already using an offline/online workflow, but may be new for some projects.

"Offline" refers to the part of the workflow that uses the proxy files — which themselves are often called offline files. Once your edit is locked and you're ready to finalize your project, you move to the "online" phase, where you are working with your originals. The online phase is usually where effects, color correction, and the audio mix happen, and is often done in a dedicated tool like DaVinci Resolve, Autodesk Flame, or Assimilate Scratch. Conform is the link that transitions your project from the offline phase to the online phase.

Since the timeline is being rebuilt rather than replacing the clips directly in the existing timeline, your conform tool just needs to know name of the clips being used, which sections of those clips are being used (shown in timecode), and where in the timeline they appear. This provides an environment that has looser restrictions than relinking workflows, making conforming equally effective for workflows with either external C2C devices or internal proxies. This information is stored in a "list" file that is exported from your editor and then imported into your conform tool.

These list files are usually either formatted as an EDL or XML. EDLs are older and much simpler, typically only carrying the clip names and timecodes, but are much more universally compatible. Any effects, including geometry, are not recorded in an EDL. XMLs, on the other hand, may have more basic effects included, like geometry, and will likewise exclude any complex effects, but are less universally compatible than EDLs. Regardless of which format of list file you use, it is recommended that any complex effects, color correction, or audio mixing are left until the online phase of your workflow.

You can export your list of choice (EDL, XML, etc) from your editing tool. Once you have your list, you can then import that into your conform or finishing tool of choice. Each tool works a little differently, but you'll need to make sure you organize your original media and your proxy media separately both on disk and in your bins. Proxies made by C2C devices that support automatic recording — both external devices and internal integrations — will have clipnames and timecode that match the originals and should conform accurately.

There are several resources available to learn how to conform in your chosen tool. A good place to start would be the Frame.io blog.