Premiere Pro 2019 vs Premiere Pro 2018: what is different?
Premiere Pro 2019 (13.0, released Oct 2018) saves projects with internal schema version 35. Premiere Pro 2018 (12.0, released Oct 2017) only understands up to 33, which is why opening the file shows “This project was saved in a newer version of Adobe Premiere Pro”. The message is a gate, not a judgement about the content.
| Premiere Pro 2019 | Premiere Pro 2018 | |
|---|---|---|
| Release | Oct 2018 | Oct 2017 |
| App build | 13.0 | 12.0 |
| Project Version attribute | 35 | 33 |
| XML serialisation | Dense (full fields) | Dense (full fields) |
What the converter changes in your file
A .prproj is gzip-compressed XML. The tool decompresses it, edits the root Project element, and compresses it again:
- <Project ObjectID="1" ClassID="62ad66dd-0dcd-42da-a660-6d8fbde94876" Version="35"> + <Project ObjectID="1" ClassID="62ad66dd-0dcd-42da-a660-6d8fbde94876" Version="33">
Both 2019 and 2018 use the dense serialisation, so no fields need rebuilding. Changing the version is the only edit required.
What you may lose going from 2019 to 2018
Features below were introduced after Premiere Pro 2018. Their data may stay in the XML, but Premiere Pro 2018 has no code to interpret it, so expect them to be ignored, flattened or missing:
Added in Premiere Pro 2019
- Selective colour grading and display colour management
- Intelligent audio cleanup in Essential Sound
- Add, rename and edit multiple Lumetri instances
- Editable vector graphics
Why this jump is rated low risk
- Adjacent major releases share most of their project schema, which is the safest case.
Step-by-step: open a 2019 project in 2018
- Duplicate your
.prproj. Never convert your only copy. - Drop it into the panel above and choose Premiere Pro 2018 as the target.
- Download the converted file and open it in Premiere Pro 2018. Expect a prompt about converting an older project, which is normal.
- Create a brand new empty project in Premiere Pro 2018 and import the converted project into it, rather than continuing in it.
- Scrub every sequence. Relink media if drive letters or paths differ.
Don't have Premiere Pro 2018? Open the Creative Cloud desktop app, choose All apps → Premiere Pro → Other versions and install it alongside your current version.