Suggestion - Sharing .prel files.

[Chris B]

A couple of days ago I posted a technique for a studio transition. I tried to explain what I had noe - and helped Beth with a couple of finer points. In doing so I uploaded a couple of screenshots to show what I'd done. What I thought was - this would be easier if I could simply give everyone the file. Then they'd be able to see what I'd done. But of course I can't do that because nobody has the same videos or even the same directory structure.

So - how about we create a "standard" for demonstrating techniques? This would be a small known set of files in a known location so a .prel file that I upload could be downloaded and viewed by anyone.

I would suggest we use the free files available here with alternate names as follows:

Satin_Motion.avi > clip1.avi
Blue_Solar.avi > clip2.avi
Blue_Kaleidascope.avi > clip 3.avi
Motion_1.avi > clip4.avi

That should be enough for most purposes. All are the same size, length & frame rate. If you don't like the colours you can always change them!

I would then suggest we put them in a directory "c:\Video" - I know that this is the C drive and lots of people don't like using that - but at least everyone has one!

This should allow any .prel file to work with these files. To this effect I have created the structure and uploaded a .prel file (zipped) to
http://www.muvipix.com/cpg/displayimage.php?pos=-736
for people to have a go with.

Notes - we're going to have to include the version of PE that we used. This also won't work for V1 users as the titles are separate from the file.

Nice to haves - a zip file containing all the videos above named appropriately to be downloaded in one go?
A couple of Pictures (called pic1.jpg and pic2.jpg)

What does everyone think?

Chris.

[Maxine370]

Great Idea.

Not that I minded experimenting to try and figure it out. It helps to spark off so many more ideas.

Hope you are enjoying that little daughter of yours. Before you know it you'll be looking back on the videos and saying to yourself..."When did she get so big".

I have 2 boys (almost 2 and almost 4) and I have one of these "When did they get so big" moments every day lately.

[Chuck Engels]

Chris,
You don't really have to go to that measure to share prel project files.

When I open one of your project files it will ask me where the files are, all I need to know is how many images I need and the names of the originals along with the track they go to. If you name the images by number it makes it even easier.

There is a tutorial on sharing prel files in the products (Brady Bunch intro part 3 I think, very simple really).

[Maxine370]

However Chuck... if the sizes are not the same then the effects applied may not look the same.

I was thinking the same thing but I like the idea of uniform sample pieces.

[Chuck Engels]

Very true Beth. If there aren't many images we could provide the images along with the project file, but just using the files Chris has suggested will work just fine