How to Edit Premiere Pro Projects from a UGREEN NAS

For a shared 4K workflow, start with 10GbE between the NAS and each editing workstation. A single editor may be able to use 2.5GbE with compressed 4K footage or proxies, but the actual requirement depends on the codec bitrate, number of simultaneous streams, effects, and other users accessing the NAS.

Can You Edit Premiere Pro Directly from a UGREEN NAS?

Yes. Source footage, shared assets, Premiere Pro project files, Productions, and finished exports can all live on a UGREEN NAS. The important part is placing each type of data where it performs best:

For complete storage-pool, shared-folder, permission, and backup preparation, follow our UGREEN NAS 4K video-editing setup guide.

What Network Speed Does Premiere Pro Need?

Premiere Pro can use network storage over different connection speeds, but the footage determines whether the connection is sufficient.

The NAS storage pool, workstation drive, codec, stream count, switch, cable, adapter, and active workloads can create a lower limit.

Estimate the footage requirement before changing hardware:

Required throughput ≈ (codec bitrate in Mbps ÷ 8) × simultaneous streams × 1.25

The 1.25 multiplier adds 25% headroom for bitrate variation, protocol overhead, and background activity.

For example, four simultaneous streams at 400Mbps require approximately:

(400 ÷ 8) × 4 × 1.25 = 250MB/s

That workload is already near the practical ceiling of a 2.5GbE connection. A 10GbE path provides substantially more headroom.

Enable SMB on UGREEN NAS

SMB is the recommended protocol for Premiere Pro Productions and mixed Windows and macOS environments.

In UGOS Pro:

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Go to File Service > SMB.
3. Enable SMB Service.
4. Keep SMB1 disabled.
5. Select Apply.

Connect from Windows

Open File Explorer and enter:

\\NAS-name\Video_Projects

You can also use the NAS IP address:

\\192.168.1.50\Video_Projects

To retain the connection:

1. Right-click This PC.
2. Select Map network drive.
3. Choose a drive letter.
4. Enter the shared-folder path.
5. Enable Reconnect at sign-in.

Every Windows workstation participating in the same Production should use the same drive letter, such as Z:.

Connect from macOS

In Finder:

1. Select Go > Connect to Server.
2. Enter the NAS address:

smb://NAS-name/Video_Projects

3. Select Connect.
4. Enter the editor’s UGREEN NAS account credentials.
5. Choose the project share.

Every Mac participating in the same Production should mount the share with the same volume name.

Verify the complete network path

Every component must support the target speed:

• UGREEN NAS Ethernet port
• Workstation network adapter
• Network switch
• Ethernet cable
• Thunderbolt or USB Ethernet adapter
• Workstation source or destination SSD
• NAS storage pool

A 10GbE NAS connected through a 2.5GbE switch still operates at 2.5GbE. A single HDD can also limit performance before a 10GbE connection reaches its capacity.

Treat jumbo frames and SMB Multichannel as optional

Jumbo frames can reduce packet-processing overhead, but the NAS, workstation, switch, and every intermediate interface must support compatible frame sizes.

UGOS Pro also provides Enable SMB3 multichannel under:

Control Panel > File Service > SMB > Advanced

SMB Multichannel can use multiple suitable connections when both the NAS and client support the feature.

How Should You Configure Media Cache and Scratch Disks?

Premiere Pro creates peak files, conformed audio, thumbnails, and other temporary data while you work. These files are accessed frequently and benefit from a fast local SSD or NVMe drive.

Move Media Cache to a local SSD

On Windows:

1. Open Premiere Pro.
2. Go to Edit > Preferences > Media Cache.
3. Select Browse beside the Media Cache location.
4. Choose a folder on the workstation’s internal SSD or another fast, directly attached SSD.

On macOS:

1. Open Premiere Pro.
2. Go to Premiere Pro > Settings > Media Cache.
3. Select Browse.
4. Choose a folder on the Mac’s internal SSD or another fast, directly attached SSD.

Each editor should have a separate local Media Cache location. Sharing one Media Cache folder across several workstations can increase network traffic and create unnecessary conflicts.

When old cache data accumulates:

1. Return to Preferences or Settings > Media Cache.
2. Select Delete beside the Media Cache controls.
3. Remove unused cache files.

Deleted cache files are regenerated if Premiere Pro needs them again.

Choose scratch-disk locations based on the workflow

For a standalone project used by one editor, open:

File > Project Settings > Scratch Disks

Preview files and other regenerable scratch data can stay on the local SSD for the lowest latency. Auto Saves may be stored locally and backed up to the NAS, or stored in a protected NAS project folder when network reliability is more important than local access speed.

For a shared Production, keeping scratch disks beside the Production folder allows editors to access the same Auto Saves and preview files. Shared previews can prevent each workstation from rendering the same material again.

Media Cache remains local even when the Production and scratch disks are shared.

How Do You Create Proxies for NAS Footage?

Proxies are lightweight editing copies linked to the full-resolution source media. They reduce both network throughput and workstation decoding load.

Use proxies when:

• Full-resolution playback drops frames.
• The workstation struggles with H.264, HEVC, RAW, or another demanding codec.
• A multicam timeline exceeds the available network throughput.
• Several editors are using the storage pool simultaneously.
• A remote editor cannot access the original media smoothly.

To create proxies:

1. Select the source clips in the Premiere Pro Project panel.
2. Right-click the selection.
3. Choose Proxy > Create Proxies.
4. Start with Half for the frame size.
5. Select ProRes QuickTime Proxy, or another preset appropriate for the workstations.
6. Choose the destination.
7. Select OK.

Premiere Pro sends the jobs to Adobe Media Encoder and attaches the completed proxies to the original clips.

For a solo editor, storing proxies on the workstation SSD provides the lowest latency. For a team, store one proxy set in a shared project folder:

Video_Projects/
└── Client_Project/
    ├── Media/
    ├── Proxies/
    ├── Production/
    └── Exports/

A shared proxy set prevents every editor from encoding and storing another copy of the same footage.

Add the Toggle Proxies button to the Program Monitor toolbar so you can switch between proxies and originals while checking playback and image quality. Premiere Pro uses the original media for the final export when the full-resolution files remain online.

Ingest settings are disabled inside Productions. Create or attach proxies from the selected clips instead of relying on automatic Production ingest.

How Do You Set Up a Shared Premiere Production?

Productions are designed for large, multi-project Premiere Pro workflows. A Production can live in a UGREEN NAS shared folder, allowing editors to work on different projects without silently overwriting each other.

1. Prepare the NAS project folder

Create a dedicated shared folder or project directory:

Video_Projects/
└── Client_Project/
    ├── Media/
    ├── Audio/
    ├── Graphics/
    ├── Proxies/
    ├── Production/
    ├── Auto-Saves/
    └── Exports/

Create a standard UGREEN NAS account for each editor and give those accounts Read/Write access only to the folders required for the project.

2. Use a consistent connection path

Map the share to the same drive letter on every Windows workstation. Use the same mounted volume name on every Mac.

Consistent paths prevent media from appearing offline when a project is opened from another workstation.

3. Create the Production

In Premiere Pro:

1. Select File > New > Production.
2. Enter the Production name.
3. Choose the Production folder on the NAS.
4. Create or add the required Premiere Pro projects.
5. Divide large work into logical projects, such as episodes, scenes, reels, graphics, or shared media.

4. Configure shared-media preferences

On every editing workstation, open Premiere Pro Preferences or Settings.

Under Media, clear:

• Write XMP ID to Files on Import
• Write Clip Markers to XMP
• Enable Clip and XMP Metadata Linking

Under Collaboration, enable:

• Enable project locking

Using the same configuration on every workstation reduces the risk of editors writing conflicting metadata to shared media.

5. Keep cache local and scratch disks visible to the team

Each workstation should use its own local Media Cache and Media Cache Database.

For shared Productions, leave the scratch disks set to Same as Production or choose another NAS folder that every editor can access through the same path. This keeps Auto Saves and shared preview files available to the team.

6. Verify project locking before starting production

Open one project from the first workstation and confirm that it appears locked when viewed from another workstation.

Only one editor can modify a locked project. Other editors can open it in read-only mode and copy content, but they cannot overwrite the active editor’s changes.

An ordinary standalone .prproj file does not provide the same controlled multi-editor workflow. Assign one owner to a standalone project or move the work into a Production.

Which UGREEN NAS Fits a Premiere Pro Workflow?

Choose the NAS based on the number of editors, storage type, and required network path rather than the video resolution alone.

The DXP4800 Plus includes 10GbE as standard; it does not require an optional network card.

A Thunderbolt connection on the DXP480T Plus remains an IP and SMB connection managed by UGOS Pro. It provides a dedicated high-speed path without turning the NAS into a directly attached SSD enclosure.

The DXP6800 Pro’s additional drive bays and second 10GbE port provide more options for aggregate storage and network throughput. A single workstation still requires the correct network configuration to use more than one connection.

For broader hardware, capacity, and drive-selection guidance, see How to Choose a NAS for Video Editing.

{{UGPRODUCT}}