Premiere Pro 2020 vs Premiere Pro 2019: what is different?
Premiere Pro 2020 (14.0, released Nov 2019) saves projects with internal schema version 37. Premiere Pro 2019 (13.0, released Oct 2018) only understands up to 35, 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 2020 | Premiere Pro 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Release | Nov 2019 | Oct 2018 |
| App build | 14.0 | 13.0 |
| Project Version attribute | 37 | 35 |
| 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="37"> + <Project ObjectID="1" ClassID="62ad66dd-0dcd-42da-a660-6d8fbde94876" Version="35">
Both 2020 and 2019 use the dense serialisation, so no fields need rebuilding. Changing the version is the only edit required.
What you may lose going from 2020 to 2019
Features below were introduced after Premiere Pro 2019. Their data may stay in the XML, but Premiere Pro 2019 has no code to interpret it, so expect them to be ignored, flattened or missing:
Added in Premiere Pro 2020
- Auto Reframe (AI reframing for vertical and square)
- Time remapping up to 20,000%
- HDR10 metadata on export
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 2020 project in 2019
- Duplicate your
.prproj. Never convert your only copy. - Drop it into the panel above and choose Premiere Pro 2019 as the target.
- Download the converted file and open it in Premiere Pro 2019. Expect a prompt about converting an older project, which is normal.
- Create a brand new empty project in Premiere Pro 2019 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 2019? Open the Creative Cloud desktop app, choose All apps → Premiere Pro → Other versions and install it alongside your current version.