Your Proxy Media Only Works If This Is Checked

You made proxy files. That doesn’t mean Fusion is actually using them.

If you’ve already generated proxy media for your footage but Fusion still feels heavy, there’s a setting you should check before blaming your computer.

Creating proxy or optimized media is only part of the process. Resolve also needs to be told that it’s allowed to use those lower-resolution files during playback.

Start by going to the Playback menu at the top of DaVinci Resolve.

Look for Use Optimized Media if Available and make sure it’s enabled.

If this option is turned off, Resolve can continue working with your original, full-resolution media instead of using the optimized versions you already generated. That means you could have perfectly good proxy files sitting there while Fusion continues processing the heavier footage.

Once the option is enabled, Resolve can use the available optimized media during playback, reducing the amount of data your system has to process.

There’s another setting in the same Playback menu that can give you an additional performance boost: Timeline Proxy Resolution.

You can set this to Half or Quarter, depending on how demanding your project is.

For example, if your Fusion composition is still struggling after enabling optimized media, dropping the Timeline Proxy Resolution to Half can reduce the workload further. For particularly heavy compositions, Quarter resolution can provide an even lighter preview.

These settings are designed to help with the editing and previewing process. When you need to work at full quality or render your final output, you can return to your normal resolution settings.

So if you’ve created proxy media and Fusion still feels sluggish, don’t immediately generate more proxies.

First, check the Playback menu.

Make sure “Use Optimized Media if Available” is turned on — then use Timeline Proxy Resolution for another level of playback performance.