JPEG image proxy generation and playback for smoother scrubbing of large video files.
For File System Access projects, image proxies are stored inside the project folder and are used only when proxy mode is enabled.
- Proxy mode mutes and pauses the original video elements when enabled.
- In File System Access projects, video proxies are stored as packed JPEG frame data in the project folder.
- The editor falls back to the original media when proxy data is missing.
- Audio proxy files are optional and non-fatal.
- Video proxy generation also performs scene-cut analysis when the current media has no valid scene-cut result.
Proxy generation is handled by ProxyGeneratorWebCodecs.
- MP4Box parses the source file.
- Codec configuration is extracted from the sample entry (
avcC,hvcC,vpcC, orav1C) and passed to WebCodecs. - WebCodecs
VideoDecoderdecodes frames. - When Dedicated Workers are available, decoded
VideoFrameobjects are transferred to a bounded worker pool; otherwise a main-threadOffscreenCanvaspool is used. - The selected encoder pool resizes on
OffscreenCanvasand encodes a JPEG frame. - JPEG frames are saved into project proxy pack files plus an index.
- The decoded frames can also feed scene-cut analysis during the same generation pass.
- Maximum width: 1280 px
- Proxy frame rate: 30 fps
- Decode batch size: 30 samples
- Image format: JPEG
- JPEG quality: 0.82
- Worker encoder pool: up to 8 Dedicated Workers, leaving 2 hardware threads reserved when possible
- Enabling proxy mode starts the next missing video proxy immediately.
- When proxy mode is already enabled, newly imported videos are added to the proxy generation flow as soon as import finishes.
- The timeline proxy button shows the active queue position while generating, for example
Generating 1/5.
- A proxy is marked ready when the generated JPEG frame index contains at least 98 percent of the expected frame indices.
- Only one proxy generation runs at a time.
- Additional videos are processed sequentially by the proxy generation queue.
For File System Access projects, video proxies are stored under Proxy/{storageKey}/, where storageKey is the file hash when available and otherwise the media file ID.
- Video proxies are written as packed JPEG data:
Proxy/{storageKey}/frames_0000.pack,Proxy/{storageKey}/frames_0001.pack, andProxy/{storageKey}/frames.index.json. - The index maps each frame index to a pack filename, byte offset, byte size, and MIME type.
- Project compatibility supports
frame_000000.jpgand.webpframe files. - Audio proxies are written as WAV files under
Audio Proxies/, using a sanitized storage-key filename such as<storageKey>.wav. Project compatibility supportsProxy/{storageKey}/audio.wavandProxy/{storageKey}/audio.m4afiles.
- Image proxy frame storage currently uses the File System Access project-handle path. The Native Helper path supports audio proxies but does not persist image proxy frames.
- Storage is keyed by
fileHashwhen available. - If no file hash is available, the media file ID is used.
proxyFrameCache loads JPEG frame blobs on demand and keeps decoded HTMLImageElement objects in memory for scrubbing.
- Exact image-frame lookups are cached in memory.
- Nearest-frame and held-frame fallbacks smooth scrubbing while requested frames are still loading.
- Playback can use proxy audio when it exists.
- Missing proxy frames fall back to the original source media.
- Image-frame cache size: 900 frames
- Scrubbing preload window: 90 frames around the scrub position in active scrubs
- Parallel preload batch size: 16
- The proxy cache reads image frames from the project folder. It does not use IndexedDB as an alternate store.
The warmup button in the proxy cache path does not generate proxy files.
- It seeks the source video elements in 0.5 second steps.
- It is meant to warm browser decode and cache state.
- It includes nested composition clips.
- It does not create new proxy frames.
- It does not convert media into proxy format.
After the video frames finish, the code attempts to extract audio in the background.
- Audio extraction is non-blocking after the JPEG proxy frames complete.
- Audio proxy failures are treated as non-fatal.
- If extraction succeeds, the current audio proxy is saved as WAV. Project compatibility supports
audio.m4aproxy files. - Scrub audio uses decoded WAV/AudioBuffer data and schedules pitch-stable short grains with minimal overlap.
- Fast scrub jumps fade out older grains before scheduling the new position so stale audio does not stack up.
- Proxy audio is best-effort. The editor keeps working even if audio extraction fails.
Key implementation files:
src/services/proxyGenerator.tssrc/workers/proxyFrameEncodeWorker.tssrc/services/proxyFrameCache.tssrc/stores/mediaStore/slices/proxySlice.tssrc/stores/timeline/proxyCacheSlice.tssrc/services/project/ProjectFileService.tssrc/services/project/domains/ProxyStorageService.ts