Hardware acceleration in Adobe Premiere Pro helps significantly improve program performance by using the graphics processing unit (GPU) to perform video editing and rendering tasks. Different hardware acceleration options can have a significant impact on the speed and quality of your work.
When is hardware acceleration most effective?
Hardware acceleration is most effective when editing high-resolution videos. The productivity gains can be significant, especially when working on color grading. Here, the processing speed increases by an order of magnitude or more, since the computational load on the processor increases, and the video card helps compensate for this load. With hardware acceleration, work becomes much more comfortable, while without it, color correction can be almost impossible.
How much video memory should there be?
There doesn’t have to be a lot of video memory, but it should be enough to work with projects of the appropriate resolution. If there is too much video memory, it will be idle when working at low resolutions. Conversely, if there is insufficient video memory at high resolutions, Adobe Premiere Pro may produce errors, show a black screen, or even crash. In this case, it is recommended to disable hardware acceleration to continue working on the project.
Recommendations for video memory size:
- 2-4 GB is enough for FHD (Full HD)
- 4-6 GB is enough for 4K
- 6-8 GB for 6K
- More than 8 GB for 8K. I won’t say exactly how much is needed, but 8 GB will not be enough for comfortable work. Errors and program crashes are possible.
Types of hardware acceleration
- Mercury Playback Engine GPU Acceleration (CUDA/OpenCL/Metal)
- CUDA : A technology developed by NVIDIA designed for GPU use on NVIDIA graphics cards. Suitable for users with NVIDIA graphics cards.
- OpenCL : A universal standard supported by various GPU manufacturers, including AMD and some NVIDIA models. Good for users with AMD cards or mixed systems.
- Metal : Apple technology designed for use on macOS devices. Optimized for use on Mac.
- Software Only (software acceleration only)
- This mode uses only the central processing unit (CPU) to perform all tasks. It is recommended only in cases where it is not possible to use a GPU, as it is significantly slower compared to hardware acceleration.
How to choose the right option
1. Operating system
- Windows : CUDA and OpenCL supported. It is recommended to use CUDA if you have an NVIDIA graphics card as it provides the best performance.
- macOS : Metal supported. Use Metal for optimal performance on Mac.
2. Graphics card
- NVIDIA : Use CUDA for maximum performance.
- AMD : Use OpenCL as CUDA is not supported.
Setting up hardware acceleration
- Open Adobe Premiere Pro .
- Go to Edit > Preferences > General .
- Under Video Rendering and Playback, select one of the following options:
- Mercury Playback Engine GPU Acceleration (CUDA)
- Mercury Playback Engine GPU Acceleration (OpenCL)
- Mercury Playback Engine GPU Acceleration (Metal) – macOS only
- Mercury Playback Engine Software Only
In my case, an NVIDIA video card and a Windows operating system are used, so only CUDA is available to choose from
Benefits of hardware acceleration
- Increased Rendering Speed : Hardware acceleration significantly reduces the time it takes to render a video.
- Smooth Playback : Using GPU allows you to playback videos in real time with fewer delays, which speeds up the editing process.
- Faster effects processing : Effects and filters are processed faster, which also speeds up the editing process.
Hardware acceleration in Adobe Premiere Pro has many advantages, however, there are also some disadvantages to consider:
1. Equipment requirements
- GPU Compatibility : Not all graphics cards support hardware acceleration. To use hardware acceleration features, you must have a compatible graphics card (for example, NVIDIA for CUDA or AMD for OpenCL).
- Video memory : Insufficient video memory can lead to errors and program crashes. High resolutions require more video memory.
2. Difficulties with setup
- Driver problems : Sometimes there may be problems with the video card drivers, which can lead to unstable operation of the program.
- Difficulty setting up : Setting up hardware acceleration may require additional knowledge and time.
3. Stability and compatibility
- Program crashes : If there is insufficient video memory or incompatibility with specific effects or plugins, program crashes may occur.
- Plugin Compatibility : Some plugins and effects may not support hardware acceleration, which may cause conflicts and errors.
4. Overheating and power consumption
- GPU Overheating : Heavy use of the GPU can lead to overheating, which may require additional cooling and thermal management.
- Power consumption : Using a GPU increases power consumption, which can be important for mobile workstations and laptops.
Effects and hardware acceleration
It is worthwhile to dwell on the effects. Not all effects, especially from third-party developers, support hardware acceleration. This means that even if you select hardware acceleration in the settings, the portion of the movie that has the effect applied without acceleration support will be processed by the central processing unit (CPU) rather than the graphics card (GPU). This can lead to significant slowdowns, especially on computers with a weak processor and a small number of cores.
On the timeline, such areas are indicated by a red stripe. A red bar indicates that your computer cannot process that portion of the video in real time.
However, it is worth noting that Adobe is constantly working to improve support for hardware acceleration and with each update of the program it is reducing the number of effects that do not support this function.
In the list of effects you can see which effect supports hardware acceleration and which does not. Opposite each effect there is a corresponding icon indicating support or lack of support for hardware acceleration.
Conclusion
Hardware acceleration in Adobe Premiere Pro significantly improves performance, especially when working with high resolutions and complex effects. However, it requires the appropriate hardware and can present some setup and compatibility challenges. When planning to work with hardware acceleration, it is important to take these factors into account in order to avoid possible problems and ensure stable operation of the program.
