Proxy workflow?

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I apologize if this is an obvious question, but my experience has exclusively been working with uncompressed footage on a Linux system. Now I'm being presented with the opportunity to do some VFX work on a 2K project using Smoke 2015 on a Mac.

I'm quessing I won't be able to get real time playback with the uncompressed footage, but if I enable half-size proxies perhaps I will?

My main question then is - when I export the shots I've worked on (using proxy source clips) does Smoke automatically render the effects using the uncompressed footage and spit out an uncompressed file or files?  Or am I just going to be exporting effects made up of proxy footage?

Do I have to go through a different workflow to end up with full uncompressed 2K exports?

Thanks very much.

[BKM · Accepted solution]

Proxies are embeded and transparent to the process. Allof you renders will render both Full res and proxy versions. 
My workflow is to import with proxies at 50% but don't cache the media. This way the media is "soft" imported and just linked. But proxies are on your framestore.  When you need full res to key or track then the full res is linked, otherwise you can work with proxies in CFX and Action.

Proxies are great. 

[ad.lo]

Great Thanks.

And of course there's the Use Proxies button that I've always just ignored!