How to Fix Premiere Pro Frame Hold Not Working Correctly

Fix frames disappearing when extending a frame hold in Premiere Pro by transcoding variable frame rate footage to constant frame rate ProRes or using Time Remapping as a workaround.

By Petrus Sheya

October 21, 2026 · 2 min read

Variable frame rate footage from OBS or similar screen recorders breaks Premiere Pro's frame hold feature. Transcode the clip to a constant frame rate format like ProRes 422 at 23.98 fps, or use Time Remapping as a workaround.

Transcode to constant frame rate

The most reliable fix is converting your variable frame rate recording to a constant frame rate before editing.

  1. Open Adobe Media Encoder.
  2. Drag your gameplay clip into the queue.
  3. Choose a QuickTime ProRes 422 preset.
  4. In the preset settings, set the frame rate to 23.98 (or match your sequence frame rate) and enable Constant Frame Rate.
  5. Start the queue and wait for the transcode to finish.
  6. Import the new ProRes file into Premiere Pro and replace the original clip on the timeline.
  7. Apply Clip > Video Options > Frame Hold, the hold now extends cleanly without frames disappearing.

Use Time Remapping instead of Frame Hold

If you don't want to transcode, freeze the frame with Time Remapping instead of the Frame Hold command.

  1. Duplicate the clip on the timeline (hold Alt and drag the clip up to a higher video track).
  2. Use the Razor Tool to cut the duplicate clip at the exact frame you want to freeze.
  3. Right-click the cut section and choose Show Clip Keyframes > Time Remapping > Speed.
  4. Click the keyframe button in the Effect Controls panel to add a keyframe at the start of the cut section.
  5. Drag the speed keyframe down to 0%, the clip freezes at that frame.
  6. Extend the frozen section by dragging its out point to the desired duration.
  7. Add your sounds, memes, or overlays on tracks above the frozen clip.

Why this happens

Screen recorders like OBS often write variable frame rate (VFR) files to save space. Premiere Pro's Frame Hold command assumes constant frame rate (CFR) media. When it hits VFR footage, the hold duration calculates incorrectly and frames after the hold point vanish. Transcoding to ProRes CFR fixes the root cause; Time Remapping sidesteps the bug entirely.

FAQ

Why do frames disappear when I extend a frame hold in Premiere Pro?

Your footage likely has a variable frame rate from OBS or a screen recorder. Premiere Pro's Frame Hold command assumes constant frame rate media, so the hold duration calculates incorrectly on VFR clips.

Do I have to transcode to ProRes, or can I use another format?

Any constant frame rate format works, but ProRes 422 is recommended for editing performance and quality. The key is setting a fixed frame rate like 23.98 fps during transcode.

What if I don't want to transcode my footage?

Use Time Remapping instead: duplicate the clip, cut the frame you want to freeze, enable Time Remapping keyframes, and set speed to 0% to create a freeze frame that you can extend freely.

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