Setting up a File System

[Dale]

I am trying to better organize downloaded tapes, but feel I am probably reinventing the wheel. I know there must be a good way to label, file and catalog/cross-file clips so they can be "easily" found and used. I am doing HD underwater videotaping. In addition to wanting to document a specific trip (e.g. 2009 INDONESIA), I would also want to be able to break up the downloaded tapes (:30-1:00) into clips that I can file into a "library" for future use. For example: "fish", "crustaceans", "octopus", etc. Then I could label each clip with a tag such as "octopus feeding, 2009 Indonesia".


Right now, my filing system is: Capture video (w/ Prem Elem 4.0) to a dedicated internal hard drive E. (After editing is finished, I would then like to export to an external 1TB hard drive to free up computer space, IF I can keep files seperate & keep track of the whatever links I need for future editing) On the E drive I have 4 files: AVI (for future "final projects"), DESTINATIONS (for the original raw downloaded tapes), MEDIA LIBRARY (where I HOPE to have clips stored & cross-referenced by subject and destination) and finally PROJECTS (where I keep the PE 4.0 working projects).


I know I am probably being rather anal about organization, but I think once it is set up methodically, I will have better use of some great underwater video that I have taken around the world.


I may have already made a mistake by putting tapes from 2 different trips in the DESTINATION folder, rather than keeping each entirely seperate to allow them to be moved intact (AVI/DEST/MEDIA/LIB) to the ext. hard drive later. I do have them in their own sub-folders though, e.g. DEST>PHILIPPINES or INDONESIA>"Raw Tapes"


This is quite lengthy and I apologize, but I have just done a System Restoration on my computer, so I figured it is a good time to redo this RIGHT. Any help would be appreciated. Also, if you ever do phone assistance, I would LOVE to get instant help. I live in the Chapel Hill, NC area, so if you know someone locally who would like to do some video editing tutoring, I would appreciate the contact.


Thank you in advance,


Dale Finch

[Bobby]

Hi Dale, and welcome from a fellow Carolinian! I am on Oak Island, down at the beach.

I don't think there is one "right" answer to file layout and cataloging, and as I have mentioned elsewhere here you can't be anal enough when cataloging or describing your stuff.

But I think you need to think about what your work OUTPUT is. If you are going to, for example, just take one tape and put it on a DVD your file requirements are very different from a situation where you will continually be creating new projects from existing files and mixing and matching as need be.

What are you going to do with all those files?

[Dale]

Initially, I will be trying to do a "Trip Report" to include samplings from 5-10 tapes taken on a 3-week dive trip. That's a LOT of video! I am slowly wittling down 11 tapes from an Indonesia trip in Aug., and hope to have a DVD I can share with fellow divers.

But in the long run, I would like to have a library of clips showing various critters or behaviors, along with their locations, to make DVDs on specific topics. That requires filing EACH clip from 11 tapes (just in this example; I have a drawer full of earlier tapes!) in a way that I can recall them.

Does this make sense?

Dale

[Chuck Engels]

Wow, great stuff Dale.
Welcome to Muvipix

I'm thinking that the catalog/organizer in version 8 would be a huge help to you.
I'll let someone like Steve with more experience with the new organizer comment on that.
You will possibly have to create some sub clips that contain just the parts you want to refer to later.
When you capture do you split the content by timecode? How long are the clips on average?

We have many good tutorials here in our products section. You can get access to all of the learning, article and tutorial sections for $25 (3 month access). You can get full access to everything in our products section for 12 months, presently only $70 (soon going up).
When you subscribe your rate stays the same for life as long as you continue to renew every year. That way even if the Premiere Subscription rate goes up to $300 per year you would still only pay $70 if you subscribe before the increase. Check out the Free/complimentary section, lots of free samples to get you started

[Dale]

When I capture, I have done scene detect as well as manually splitting a whole 1 hour tape on the timeline. I did notice a few days ago, that if I let PE4 do scene detect (after I have captured, when I "get media" from the file) the clips are actually listed seperately, and I can put them into a file(s). I thought that perhaps this was the beginning of a method for filing.

If I had to guess, the average clip would be 20 sec., but I have actually followed an octopus non-stop for about 20 minutes, running the camera the whole time. Then I need to find the "nugget" 20 seconds so I don't put the viewer to sleep!

I will check out the Products section. Thanks

Dale