Organizing HD

[Haddock]

The name of my projects (ezp) are always at the top of the structure tree of the folders wich contain all the files needed (video, photos, title, music ....)

Sometimes, I need to reorganize the structure of the folders. I care that they stay in the main folder.

Re-opening the project and Edius shows under the timeline that some files are not visible... logic. I click on the icon and the complete table of links missing apears. I have then to inform Edius where are the folders containing the missing files...

Is there a way that Edius do a first scanning of the folders (it can see) to relink automatically the files ?

[GrassValley_PS]

No. You have to manually point to the file or folder (depending on what method you choose).

[Haddock]

No. You have to manually point to the file or folder (depending on what method you choose).

Thanks for these clear answer... I was hoping... Pity

[BernH]

No. You have to manually point to the file or folder (depending on what method you choose).

This is the same for every piece of edit software on the market. If you change the path to it's media or the media file names, you have to manually relink.

[David Clarke]

Some software has a search button and looks for files, and then once found will automatically relink others (Premiere and Vegas for example). I do find with EDIUS that if I have a main media folder and lots of sub folders, and I move the whole thing to another drive I can just select all the clips that are missing and point to the main folder and it relinks all the clips in subfolders as well.
Also if all my clips are in the project directory and I move the whole thing EDIUS finds them straight away. They may be moved to a drive with a different letter but they are in the same relative path so EDIUS finds them.

[Drbgaijin]

When it comes to media management in EDIUS - there are many different approaches. Usually each person finds the way that best suits their editing style and organisation skills.
Going against the grain, as I often do, I brought with me ideas from the world of Avid's media management and adjusted them to work with EDIUS.
At the following link you can find a very short video introduction to the 3 video tutorials I have made describing my method.
The only time I have ever seen a media missing icon, was when I deliberately made some media go offline for one of the tutorials.
I have moved projects from drive to drive, from computer to computer and never had any media offline.
Here is the link
https://shop.gaijin-eyes.com/product...ia-management/
The free short intro is down on the right hand side, under the Title of "Uninspiring Trailer"
Regards
Douglas

[BernH]

Some software has a search button and looks for files, and then once found will automatically relink others (Premiere and Vegas for example). I do find with EDIUS that if I have a main media folder and lots of sub folders, and I move the whole thing to another drive I can just select all the clips that are missing and point to the main folder and it relinks all the clips in subfolders as well.
Also if all my clips are in the project directory and I move the whole thing EDIUS finds them straight away. They may be moved to a drive with a different letter but they are in the same relative path so EDIUS finds them.

Yes, some do have a search button, but you still have to manually start the process, and the over all process is not that much different than in Edius. The OP, however, was asking if Edius could automatically scan and relink. An automatic scan and relink in it's relative path folders (sub-folders of the project folder), would only be beneficial to a moved file, but would never re-link a re-named file.

While doing this could theoretically be programmed, it may not be a good option. Even with a moved file, what would happen if you had 2 files in separate folders, but they had the same file name, maybe just different resolutions. An automatic scan could quite easily link the wrong file.

The only NLE softwares that I have seen that automatically scan and link their media folders, are ones that do their own media management, such as media Composer and Liquid, but of course with them, you don't normally go messing with media at the Windows Explorer/Mac Finder level. Even still, they have re-linking routines that you may have to use occasionally.

[Drbgaijin]

There is also a more detailed introduction to the EDIUS media management series
at this url:
https://gaijin-eyes.com/edius-2/
Regards
Douglas

[noafilm]

Not much detail to see because you need to pay to see it :)

[Haddock]

This is the same for every piece of edit software on the market. If you change the path to it's media or the media file names, you have to manually relink.

Other software (not video editing) can do automatic search on folders that are in the main folder..... that's why I was hoping

[Haddock]

Some software has a search button and looks for files, and then once found will automatically relink others (Premiere and Vegas for example). I do find with EDIUS that if I have a main media folder and lots of sub folders, and I move the whole thing to another drive I can just select all the clips that are missing and point to the main folder and it relinks all the clips in subfolders as well.
Also if all my clips are in the project directory and I move the whole thing EDIUS finds them straight away. They may be moved to a drive with a different letter but they are in the same relative path so EDIUS finds them.

Changing of harddisk the complete project : works. I knew.

But if I change a folder of place (remaining in the same main folder) or change a file of folder.... Edius will find them if I select the main folder ???.

[Haddock]

...
I have moved projects from drive to drive, from computer to computer and never had any media offline....

Regards
Douglas

Yes, moving the same structure from drive or computers works, I know.

But moving inside the structure... that's my question. May be that choosing the main folder it will examine all subfolder ?

[BernH]

Other software (not video editing) can do automatic search on folders that are in the main folder..... that's why I was hoping

Such as what software? If you are referring to something that you have to open a file every time you start the software, such as photoshop, microsoft word, or most applications for that matter, it is just showing you the contents of the folders in a mini windows explorer based file requester. It isn't actually scanning folders and rebuilding a project file/database.

Video edit software keeps it's own database, in the form or your project file, that tracks where a file is located, it's name, it's codec information, resolution, timecode, in/out points, where it is located in your timeline, etc. Essentially there is a lot of information that is being tracked.

If the software had to automatically scan it's media folders and verify all this information for all files, and then automatically scan and relink anything that doesn't match it's database, you could be waiting a long time for the software to open before you can start to edit.

Never mind the fact that if you have a bunch of folders with clips of the same name, like those often recorded by consumer cameras where every time the camera is used it starts numbering it's clips from 0000 and starting timecode from 00:00:00:00 if it even records timecode, you can imagine the nightmare that could ensue from clips getting incorrectly automatically relinked because of files not being unique.

Just like shooting with your camera, manual control almost always gives better results in this regard as well.

Yes, moving the same structure from drive or computers works, I know.

But moving inside the structure... that's my question. May be that choosing the main folder it will examine all subfolder ?

Moving or renaming any files that are being tracked by the project database, creates an error in the database by changing the relative path to the file. This has to be corrected by using the restore offline clips dialog. You can choose to relink a file or by folder, in which case anything in that folder that is off line will be relinked at the same time, as long as the restoration method for all the files is set as folder. This can be 1 file or 1000.

My point is, you have to manually tell Edius to search for the files. It will not do it automatically for the reasons that I mentioned above, but you don't have to do it one file at a time. If you changed the name of a folder with 50 files in it, you can relink the 50 offline files in the same time that it takes to relink 1 file, if you use the relink folder method.

[Haddock]

Thank you Bern for all these explanations.

Most of them I knew. Moving a folder from a subfolder to another one and the relink can be manually done in one action. Same for changing a complete project from one HDisk to another is not a problem.

The only think was to see if Edius could examining "automatically" all subfolder when not finding some files that I have change of subfolder.

It seems to not be the case.

I was asking that because when opening a havy project (with more then 1000 files), you can see under the Timeline that Edius is counting the list of all files that it charges. So, it is going in all subfolder to verify the presence of "each" files. If it can go in each subfolder, it"could" do a search (second pass for the not founded files). Windows can also find a file anywhere. Since 7 it's very easy.

And when I have moved files and forgotten where I have moved, I do a search with W7 or beter with Total commander. After that I go in the relink pannel of Edius and show it the way.

I am convinced that this feature can be added.

Thank for your time

[Haddock]

Yessss it works when changing from disk.

Edius can examining "automatically" all subfolder and do links when not finding some files...

More explanations if some of you are interested.