When Adobe introduced Productions to Premiere Pro in April 2020, we were eager to put it to the test. We’ve explored its features in depth, and you can find a detailed analysis and step-by-step guide in our Introduction to Premiere Pro Productions.
Since then, Adobe has released a best practice guide for using Productions on shared storage, outlining key settings for smooth operation. We put these settings to the test to ensure ELEMENTS shared storage is fully compatible with Premiere Pro Productions—and we’re sharing our findings in this blog. For those looking for a quick answer: Yes, the ELEMENTS platform is fully compatible with Premiere Pro Productions.
About Productions
Adobe introduced Productions to Premiere Pro to enhance project sharing, transforming it from a primarily single-user application into a more collaborative tool. A production serves as a container for multiple projects, allowing multiple users to access them. The system works on a first-come, first-served basis—whoever opens a project first gets write permissions, while others can view it in read-only mode.
Best Practices
Adobe has outlined these best practices for using Productions on shared storage. In the next section, we break down these recommendations and evaluate how they apply within an ELEMENTS shared storage environment.
Network Protocols
„Network Attached Storage (NAS) systems usually offer multiple ways to connect. When choosing between options like SMB, AFP, or NFS always prefer connecting with SMB.“
Choosing the right network protocol in ELEMENTS WebUI is simple and can be customized per workspace. Users can set their preferred protocol for macOS, Windows, or Linux directly in the workspace settings.
Operating Systems
„Premiere Pro can handle translating path differences between macOS and Windows. For best results on macOS make sure the same volume name is used on all systems. On Windows make sure to map the share to a drive letter that is the same on all systems.“
With ELEMENTS, volume names remain consistent, and users can specify which drive letter each workspace mounts to, ensuring a smooth workflow.
File Systems
„Other types of shared storage systems that use proprietary file systems or client applications to connect can work with Productions assuming they provide updates to the file system in a way Premiere Pro can understand. Check with the storage provider to see if they support Productions.“
We offer full support for Premiere Pro Productions on all file systems we deploy.
Scratch Disks
„Scratch disks (Auto Save, Preview Files, etc) are safe to put on shared storage. Productions will set the scratch disks next to the Production folder by default and the location can be configured in Production Settings.„
Premiere Pro generates scratch files to optimise performance and enable real-time editing.By default, these files are stored alongside the production or project, but you can change their location under File > Production Settings > Scratch Disks. While scratch files can be kept on shared storage, performance depends on both the storage and the network infrastructure. If you’re unsure whether scratch files are impacting your perfromance, test it by saving them on a fast local SSD. Keeping scratch files on a separate local SSD can also help manage storage capacity, as they tend to accumulate quickly.
Media Cache
„Media Cache Files and Media Cache Database are recommended to stay either in their default location on the system boot drive or on a separate fast SSD directly attached to each workstation. Adobe does not recommend and cannot support configurations where Media Cache files are placed on shared storage.„
By default, the media cache location is saved on the system boot drive, but you can change its location by going to Premiere Pro > Preferences > Media Cache.
Connection Speed
„Like with traditional hard drives, a faster connection will generally yield better performance. A 1Gbps connection speed per workstation is the minimum for working in a Production. For greater than HD frame sizes and larger Productions a faster connection like 10Gbps is recommended. The more users working simultaneously in a Production, the faster the storage system and network need to be.„
At ELEMENTS, we tailor each environment to deliver the performance needed for your workflows while also allowing for future growth. At the beginning of every project, we engage with our clients to share our extensive expertise in Media and Entertainment workflows, drawing from our experience with similar past projects. We provide guidance on both the best technologies and optimal settings for your specific needs. If you’re interested in exploring how to achieve maximum performance on a high-speed Ethernet link, be sure to check out our helpful guide.
File Synching Services
„While it is safe to store a production in a consumer file syncing service (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc), doing so is not recommended to simulate a shared storage system. Collaboration with Productions is not designed to work with these services.„
This kind of file syncing services are not suited for working with production due to both the performance, and the synching mechanism.
NTP Servers
„Core parts of collaborating with productions rely on the timestamps of files as reported by the file system. With shared storage systems there is usually a configurable date and time setting. Always check that your editing system time matches the storage server’s time.„
To address this critical aspect, all ELEMENTS systems provide a straightforward way to synchronize date and time with NTP servers. Additionally, we offer time synchronization for connected clients. This feature helps maintain consistency between the storage environment and client systems, preventing potential issues with Premiere Pro and other applications. You can access this feature in the Date & Time tab in the System menu.
Conclusion
Premiere Pro Productions introduce the highly valuable capability of project sharing to post-production workflows, enabling multiple users to collaborate seamlessly without the risk of overwrites or project corruption. To take advantage of Productions, a compatible, high-performance media storage solution is essential.
Through our extensive testing and the experiences of many of our clients who regularly use Premiere Pro Productions with ELEMENTS storage, we can confidently confirm that ELEMENTS storage is fully compatible with this exceptional project-sharing feature.
You may find the following blogs related to Premiere Pro particularly interesting:
Everything You Need to Know About the Proxy Workflow in Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro – Performance and Troubleshooting Guide
ELEMENTS Collaborative Features for Adobe Premiere Pro
Comparing the Auto Reframe Functions in DaVinci Resolve and Premiere Pro
Exploring the New Scene Cut Detection Features of DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Premiere Pro
