Editors, YouTubers and documentary makers often need to show that a cut existed before someone else’s release, or which version a client approved. The project file is the record of how the edit was built, but it is a poor record of when. Here is what Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve keep, where it falls short, and what to freeze.
Short answer: Premiere, Final Cut and Resolve project dates come from your own computer, and cloud history belongs to the platform. To show a cut existed before a date, export the project file and a reference render, and timestamp both with TimeBinder. A TimeBind shows that the exact file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches its fingerprint. It doesn’t show who made it or what a court will make of it.
Disclosure: I’m Inna Hall, co-founder of TimeBinder, the file timestamping tool this guide uses. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Table of Contents
What editing apps record
- Premiere Pro. A .prproj file is compressed XML that refers to media on disk. By default, current versions auto-save every 5 minutes and keep the last 20 versions in an Auto-Save folder, each named with its save date and time.
- Final Cut Pro. A library (.fcpbundle) is a package containing event and project databases and, by default, managed media. Final Cut backs up the library database at regular intervals (every 15 minutes when something has changed) to a backups folder, with the date and time in the filename, and deletes backups older than a few days. Backups do not include media.
- DaVinci Resolve. Projects live inside a project database rather than as loose files. You can export a single project as a .drp file, and Resolve can keep timed project backups.
- Camera files. Clips carry their own creation metadata from the camera clock, and many cameras write sidecar files with recording dates.
Why those records are easy to challenge
Every date above comes from a clock you control, and auto-saves and backups roll over: Premiere keeps a fixed number, and Final Cut deletes old backups after days. Project files also only point at media, so a project opened on another computer may show nothing but offline clips. Cloud review links (Frame.io, Vimeo, Drive) are good third-party records of when something was shared, but they belong to an account and can be deleted or expire.
What to freeze
- The project file at each milestone (assembly, rough cut, the version sent for approval, picture lock): the .prproj, an exported .drp, or the library with media excluded.
- A reference export of the timeline (a small H.264 file is enough), so the record can be watched.
- A media manifest: a text file listing each original clip and its SHA-256 hash. The free SHA-256 file hash checker calculates hashes in your browser.
- Scripts, storyboards and EDL or XML exports, which are small and describe the edit in a format other apps can read.
A simple routine
- At each milestone, save a copy of the project with the stage in its name and export a reference file.
- Update the media manifest if you added footage.
- TimeBind the project, the reference export and the manifest together in TimeBinder.
- Keep the certificate with the project and send clients the same export you TimeBound.
Which plan fits
The free plan gives you 1 Token a month, which is one Pooled TimeBind of up to 10 files. No credit card is required for the free plan. A Pooled TimeBind is usually recorded within 24 to 48 hours, and often sooner, depending on Bitcoin network activity; an ASAP TimeBind costs 3 Tokens and gets its own Bitcoin transaction straight away.
For more milestones, Essential is US$20 a month for 5 Tokens (5 Pooled, or 1 ASAP plus 2 Pooled). Expert is US$50 a month for 15 Tokens (15 Pooled or 5 ASAP), and unused Tokens roll over. Verification is free. See pricing.
What a timestamp does and doesn’t do
TimeBinder anchors each file’s SHA-256 fingerprint to Bitcoin and gives you a Proof of Time Certificate. That is verifiable evidence of when a file existed: it shows the file existed no later than the anchor date, and any later change to the file is detectable. An ASAP TimeBind can be checked directly on the Bitcoin blockchain without relying on TimeBinder; a Pooled TimeBind is verified through TimeBinder. Your file is hashed in your browser and never uploaded.
It doesn’t show who made the work or who owns it, it doesn’t stop copying, and it doesn’t cover a version you didn’t timestamp. Who owns footage and edits usually depends on your contract or employment terms. See a creator video dispute example scenario and photos and videos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Premiere Pro project file show when the edit was made?
Only loosely. A .prproj file is compressed XML describing sequences, clips and effects, and Premiere’s auto-save copies carry the save date and time in their names. All of these use your computer’s clock.
Should I timestamp the project or an export?
Both. The project shows how the edit was built; a low-resolution export shows what the edit looked like, and anyone can watch it. Together they are much easier to explain than either on its own.
My footage is hundreds of gigabytes. Do I have to timestamp it all?
Not necessarily. Make a manifest: a text file listing the SHA-256 hash of each media file, and TimeBind the manifest with the project. Anyone can re-hash a clip later and check it against the list. TimeBinder hashes files in your browser, so large files take longer but are never uploaded.
Are Final Cut Pro backups useful evidence?
They are useful working records, and their names carry dates. They come from your own Mac’s clock, don’t include media, and Final Cut Pro deletes older backups after a few days.
Plan details were checked against timebinder.io/pricing on 29 October 2026.
