saved file

[Cope This 719]

Could someone tell me at which point a file is saved.
The situation is this I downloaded all of the files on a AVCHD Canon HF s21 to my PC. Selected and placed some of these on the timeline saved the file then shut down Premiere Pro. I then removed the USB from the PC. Later without having the camera attached, I opened the same project to find that I would have to reattach the camera in order to get my files into the project . It was a good thing that I hadn't formatted the camera.

Can someone tell me when a Project is permanently saved.

Thanks John

[Bob]

John,

Premiere projects don't actually contain the media files. When you save a project, what you are saving is a file that contains a list of all the media files you imported to your project and the locations where the files are located. The project file also contains information about how you edited the media files and the effects and transitions you applied. The media files themselves are not altered or modified in any way.

It's important to understand that "import" does not mean transfer. "Import" is simply a process that adds the file name and attributes to your project, the files remain where they were. From your description of what happened, it sounds like either you didn't physically move the media files from the camera to the pc or you imported the files on the camera instead of the files you copied to the PC. If you import from the camera, when you unplug the usb connection, the files became offline.

This tutorial tells how and why to use the media browser in Premiere Pro. At about the 4 minute mark it discusses the issue of transfering the files from the camera. http://library.creativecow.net/harrington_richard/Premiere-Pro_Media-Browser/1