Creating a Template that Keeps PRE7 “Fresh, Slim and Trim”

[George Tyndall]

Creating a Template that Keeps PRE7 “Fresh, Slim and Trim”

Note: the following method requires that one also have PSE7 installed.

Underlying Principle: If you have PSE7 installed, then the less-capable PRE7 Organizer is superfluous.

Background: When using PRE7 to edit a project, I noted that 1) its Organizer contained all the media that I had ever used in previous projects and 2) the Organizer panel would scroll extremely slowly (in other words, frustratingly). Given the fact that all these media were already being managed by my PSE7 Organizer, it seemed to me that what I was accomplishing with the PRE7 Organizer was to give PRE7 additional and unnecessary work to do when all I really wanted to do with it was to work on a new project. So I decided to create two “slim and trim” PRE7 Templates that I would use for all my future projects, one to be used when the project would consist mostly of 2288x1520 stills (minimal video) and the other to be used when the project would consist mostly of 1440x1080i 30 video (minimal stills).

My slim and trim “PRE7 Template for STILL Projects” has the following characteristics:
- The Project Preset is NTSC-Hard Disk…-HD 1080i 30, which results in 1920h x1080v (1.000) frames on the Timelines
- The Organizer contains no media whatsoever
- The Edit>Project Tab contains nothing
- The Default Transition is set to my favorite transition
- The dropdown Edit>Preferences has settings that I use repeatedly (but that I can change as necessary before adding media), including slide and default transition durations
- I save the resulting PREL file on an external HDD
- Whenever I wish to start a new project, I click on this file
- As soon as this PRE7 template is open, I so a Save As to rename the file with the name of my New Project
- I import the media that I will use for the New Project and then proceed as usual to complete the project

The result of this method is that I am always working with a “fresh, slim and trim” PRE7 program that contains only the media for the current project and that is not “bogged down” in any way with media from previous work.

I’ve also created a file named “PRE7 Template for VIDEO Projects” in a manner similar to the above but with the following difference: The Project Preset is HDV 1080i 30, which results in 1440h x 1080v (1.333) frames on my Timeline. Whenever I wish to start a new project that will consist mostly of video that I’ve created with my Canon HV30 set to HDV, I click on this file and–Voila!-- I’m ready to begin a new video project with a fresh, slim and trim version of PRE7.

[Shrimpfarmer]

George that is a really good idea which I will adopt asap. I too share your frustrations about the slow organizer in PE7. Up until now I have just deleted all the files in the organiser and then imported my fresh material. However, in my workflow I had to wait for all the extraneous unwanted rubbish to appear first. Yours is a far more elegant solution.

Many thanks for sharing this.

Shrimpy

[Jayell]

I've just purchased pse7 & pre7. Sounds like a good way to start clean and keep it that way. Thanks for the tip, George!

[George Tyndall]

George that is a really good idea which I will adopt asap. I too share your frustrations about the slow organizer in PE7. Up until now I have just deleted all the files in the organiser and then imported my fresh material. However, in my workflow I had to wait for all the extraneous unwanted rubbish to appear first. Yours is a far more elegant solution.

Many thanks for sharing this.

Shrimpy

Shrimpfarmer and jayell, there has been a new development: I've just discovered that DELETING ALL THE THUMBNAILS ON THE PRE7 ORGANIZE TAB ALSO CAUSES THE RELATED THUMBNAILS IN MY PSE7 ALBUMS TO DISAPPEAR, WHICH IS NOT ACCEPTABLE AS I TEND TO USE MY ALBUMS FOR MORE THAN ONE SLIDE SHOW.

If you, like me, tend to create your slide shows by doing a Send to Premiere Elements of your sorted PSE Albums, then please be aware of this downside, which I've just noted for the first time.

[Shrimpfarmer]

Thanks for posting that heads up. I don't use that route so I am still good to go

[Jayell]

Yes, I think I picked up on that in another thread. But appreciate you following up on it, George.

[George Tyndall]

Eureka!

Thanks still once again to Barb O and muvipix, a problem is solved.

To create a PRE7 template that is slim and trim--that has no images but only the original PRE7 icons in the useless Organize (blue) Pane when you open PRE7--the secret is to use the PRE7 File>Open Catalog command to link to a PSE7 Organizer that also has nothing in it. I created a PSE7 Organizer like this that I will use for nothing else.

With regard to the Edit>Project tab, I've added to my PRE7 template only the opening and closing m2t clips and titles that I use regularly to open and close my slide shows and videos.

Here is an additonal tip: If you want to use the Create Slide Show option that Steve describes in his tutorial--the one that allows you to select the duration of both your slide and your default transition*--there must be NO UN-NUMBERED MARKERS WHATSOEVER on the Timeline. If there is even one, the option to have Create Slide Show add your default transition to each slide is grayed out. The solution is to add the unnumbered markers, if desired, AFTER you've laid your slide show or clips on the Timeline.
____
*ib-Slideshow Creation (PRE7)

[Jayell]

Thanks for all your work on this, George. I've created my blank catalog and linked it to a project. Looks like that's the one that opens by default even when I open another project (which is good). Not sure about that, but this is a great start.

[Barb O]

To create a PRE7 template that is slim and trim--that has no images but only the original PRE7 icons in the useless Organize (blue) Pane when you open PRE7--the secret is to use the PRE7 File>Open Catalog command to link to a PSE7 Organizer that also has nothing in it. I created a PSE7 Organizer like this that I will use for nothing else.

FYI - George, I am glad that you found something that works for you in version 7 of Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements.

However, before you make that your basic workflow, I want to mention that this procedure may not work in version 8 with its common Organizer.

Unfortunately, I can't confirm whether or not this procedure will work in v8 because I don't have v8 installed. However, Adobe's party line is that you only need one catalog and v8 does share the Organizer more directly than v7. Thyerefore, using different catalogs may have more restrictions in v8.

[George Tyndall]

... I want to mention that this procedure may not work in version 8 with its common Organizer.

Barb O, I believe I was the first on this site to state that I would not be "upgrading" to 8.

FYI, I like 7 so much that I ordered an extra copy of it, new in the shrinkwrap, on ebay.

7 will probably be the version that I use for a very long time.

[George Tyndall]

George, I am glad that you found something that works for you in version 7 of Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements.

Barb O, I want to thank you one more time for helping me with my "slim and trim" PRE7 template.

Words cannot describe how satisfyiing it is to see in the Organize Pane, each and every time I open the PRE7 program, the words "Select your connection device," followed by those colorful PRE7 icons, in place of hundreds of useless thumbnails that seem to accomplish nothing more than to cause the program to open at a snail's pace.


Thank you!