RAM, also known as computer memory, is one of the most vital components in your desktop, laptop and MAC.
RAM (which stands for Random Access Memory) is the familiar acronym for random access memory, which is the temporary storage in your computer that gives applications a place to store and access data on a short-term basis. Having more RAM means that more data can be accessed and read almost instantly, as opposed to being written on your hard drive.
RAM allows your computer to perform most of its everyday tasks, such as loading applications, browsing the internet, editing a spreadsheet, or experiencing the latest game. Memory also allows you to switch quickly among these tasks while also remembering where you are in each task. Generally speaking, the more memory you have, the better for multitasking.
As an example of how this works, when you turn on your computer, check your email, and then edit a spreadsheet, you'll have used memory in several different ways:
In a way I think of RAM as a car engine, the larger the engine (V12) the more pull it has on your vehicle, you’d be a fool to try and use a small moped engine to drive a truck ;)
Storage is where data is permanently kept on your computer. When you install a program, for example, your computer copies the program's files from the installation disc or downloaded install file to your storage.
Your computer also uses storage to save your documents, photos, music, and videos. Your storage capacity determines how many files you can save on your computer.
In short, RAM is needed in After Effects and Premiere to allow your computer to quickly write and access data, instead of your computer going to the hard drive to search for that data. The more effects, animations, colour grading and edits you do the more the RAM is needed to play back your timeline in ‘real-time’, you can skip frames and lower the playback resolution if your machine is struggling but it’s not always ideal if your in a hurry or need to view your project back instantly.
In Premiere Pro you can create proxy files of large video files to ease the pressure from the playback speed of your machine, a Proxi file is created in Media Encoder where you create a smaller version of you 1k / 4k video file down to 720 / 1080, this version will easily be edited in the timeline compared to the larger version, once your ready to export Media Encoder simply swaps out the smaller version for its larger 4k Proxi self, sure you’ll be waiting a while but at least you’ve been able to edit in real time.
When needed your computer will temporarily store data from active programs in RAM, which allows it to work far more quickly and efficiently. Just understand that, unlike a hard drive, the data stored in RAM is erased once the computer is shut down. Which, of course, is why your programs aren’t still open when you power the computer back up.
However, AE and PR will store away written files on your hard drive in a disk cache to allow for faster editing in the future.
In AE you can set a maximum about of RAM to be used, when it’s full it simply rewrites itself, I would always recommend you empty this out when your done for the day so that other applications can take advantage of the empted RAM, you can always set this to empty itself at the end of the week, an addition benefit / satisfaction of this is that it tells you how much you’ve used when emptying out the data.
Premier doesn’t tell you how much you’ve used and does not empty the RAM data out automatically, in fact by default it just adds it up without any prompt, and I’ve seen machines slowly halt after months of use if you're manually emptied out!
Make sure the do this here >
You can also specify what apps use what RAM in the same place >
If your machine is struggling and you're the editor / animator and use the software on a daily basis look into this, I promise you you’ll be a happier designer in the long run.
