Video Viewer File Path?

[MMP]

Is there a way to set the path for the starting video directory?

If not, is there a chance that could be added?

Thanks!

Regards,

MM

[Dave Labrecque]

Is there a way to set the path for the starting video directory?

If not, is there a chance that could be added?

Thanks!

Regards,

MM

Michael,

Save Video Viewer Preferences in the viewer blue pyramid menu seems to do it.

Speaking of such things... lately my Open dialog for the Video Viewer had been taking about 10 seconds to appear. I just now set the Open file path via the video preferences, and now it opens right away. Interesting.

[MMP]

Michael,

Save Video Viewer Preferences in the viewer blue pyramid menu seems to do it.

Hmm. Tried that. Just seems to go to the last opened directory on my system.

Regards,

MM

[Dave Labrecque]

Hmm. Tried that. Just seems to go to the last opened directory on my system.

Regards,

MM

Here's how it works for me... saving video preferences memorizes the open file path such that it becomes the default after closing and re-opening SAW. However, closing the EDL and opening another does not revert the path to this preference. Rather, it goes to the last path accessed during the current SAW working session. Is that what you get?

Maybe you'd like closing of an EDL to revert to the preferential path?

[MMP]

Maybe you'd like closing of an EDL to revert to the preferential path?

Yeah. I always have the video on a different drive than the audio. I would like a default path to that drive for every time I start a new EDL.

What I seem to get is the last active path for any file operation.

Regards,

MM

[Sean McCoy]

Agreed.

[Dave Labrecque]

Yeah. I always have the video on a different drive than the audio. I would like a default path to that drive for every time I start a new EDL.

What I seem to get is the last active path for any file operation.

Regards,

MM

Hmmm... to me it seems like it defaults to the last active path for only video file operations. I just tried opening a new EDL and new sound file, and the open video file path was still what it was for the last video file I opened, not that of the EDL I'd just opened. In that case I'd think your video file path would always point the drive you're opening video files from, if not the root directory of the drive. Is that not the behavior you're getting?

[MMP]

It seems to point to the directory of the last new EDL I created. Right now, a TV spot I created early this morning, though not the video directory, the EDL directory. Now I have updated 8-12 EDLs in the interim.

Maybe it's system specific.

Regards,

MM

[Dave Labrecque]

It seems to point to the directory of the last new EDL I created. Right now, a TV spot I created early this morning, though not the video directory, the EDL directory. Now I have updated 8-12 EDLs in the interim.

Maybe it's system specific.

Regards,

MM


Strange. I just tried creating an EDL in a random folder, but the video viewer open dialog still points to the video-preferences-set folder. :confused: Then opening a video file forces it to point to that same folder thereafter. It wants nothing to do with any particular EDL's folder.

Maybe there's some interplay with the Options/File Path setup?

[Bob L]

Michael... you have to actually open a file in the path you want to create as the default... the problem is that if you just navigate there in the viewer open file dialog and do not actually select a file, Windows rejects the path when you cancel out of the dialog... so place a junk video file at the path you want for a default... actually open that file in the viewer... then save the viewer prefs from the viewer menu (not SAW)... that should do it.

Bob L

[MMP]

Thanks! I feel like I knew this at one time...but,old age is setting in.

Regards,

MM

[Dave Labrecque]

Thanks! I feel like I knew this at one time...but,old age is setting in.

Regards,

MM

Still not working for what you were asking for, if I understood you right, Michael. For me, after closing the EDL, it reverts to the last video file opened path and not the saved video preferences path.

[Bob L]

Dave... that is correct... once you start changing paths, the dialogs retain that path till you restart the program at another time, when the paths start back at the default.

Bob L

[Dave Labrecque]

Dave... that is correct... once you start changing paths, the dialogs retain that path till you restart the program at another time, when the paths start back at the default.

Bob L

OK, thanks. I think MM was hoping for a path re-point to the preferences default following each EDL closure -- that's why I mention it.

[MMP]

Well, this works well enough. The part that was confusing for me was that the new viewer preference of which directory to start in isn't loaded until the next SAW start. Now when I think that the preference file is only read on startup of the program, it makes sense.

The only enhancement I can think of would be allowing multiple preference files to be saved and loaded by the viewer. Given that the viewer seems to be going through an enhancement period, it may make some sense to add this as new capabilities and formats are supported.

Regards,

MM

[Dave Labrecque]

Well, this works well enough. The part that was confusing for me was that the new viewer preference of which directory to start in isn't loaded until the next SAW start. Now when I think that the preference file is only read on startup of the program, it makes sense.

The only enhancement I can think of would be allowing multiple preference files to be saved and loaded by the viewer. Given that the viewer seems to be going through an enhancement period, it may make some sense to add this as new capabilities and formats are supported.

Regards,

MM

Understood. How would you like to see the multiple VV preferences selection implemented. Your basic open file dialog? I gotta wonder if choosing a new preference in the Viewer would be much easier than closing/opening SAW. Closing/opening a new session is the big (if at all) time hog, no? And it sounds like you'd be doing that, anyway. Unless I misunderstood.

[MMP]

O.K. I know I said this was working well enough, but it is starting to drive me a little crazy.

Please advise me of a better method if you can think of it.

All my audio is organized by folders on my D: drive by audio/client/project/.
All my video is organized by folders on my E: drive by video/client/project/.

When I choose to open an EDL it points to audio, and then I am always a couple of levels away from what I want, works great.

When I choose to open a video, it goes to the video folder...also great.

Then if I save an edl and go to open a new video, it points to the audio folder...???

I will never be putting my video on the same drive as the audio. What is the intent of this design choice? Is there a way to avoid this other than actually closing SAW and reopening it? Is my production process flawed?

I am in the middle of post production on 365 videos and I have to admit this is slowing me down. Each is starting with a template EDL which gets renamed after the video is added & then the audio is extracted. I then have to change the path back to the video drive and folder to add the next video, or close out the program to reset the default folder back to /video/ again.

Am I missing something obvious?

Thanks for any help.

Regards,

MM

[Bob L]

This is not happening for me... the video viewer seems to be maintaining its own path and stays right where I left it even when I open new edls and save them and change audio folders... my video path is still where I last left it to open another video.

Can you give me a step by step to create the problem?

Bob L

[MMP]

The process I am using for this project:

Load template edl from /audio/ folder

Load video file01 (File open starts in "video" folder) from /video/project/ folder

Save EDL as "file01" in audio/project/ folder

Extract audio from video to /audio/project/ folder

Save EDL to /audio/project/ folder

Load template edl from /audio/ folder

Load video file02 (File open starts in /audio/ folder)

Regards,

MM

[Bob L]

Well... it seems it is the extract audio function that is changing the path... makes sense... that is now the working path... and normally that would be a great way to work... because now the path is set and stays in your new project destination... till you change it.

No matter what I do... every sitiuation will be different for every person and every project... what works for this project will not be the best for the next project or person's work methods... there really is no way I can see to change it so you have a perfect automatic scenario all the time... unfortunately you sometimes have to do some manual clicking to get the job done... it is simply part of the process of doing complex and/or repetative projects.

Bob L

[MMP]

If this is the case, then why doesn't the extract save dialogue start in the set video folder?

I don't mind clicks, but that doesn't seem logical to me.

Either the video should always point to the video folder & the extracts point there too, or the video points to the video folder and the extracts go to the audio folder without changing the video path.

Regards,

MM

[MMP]

Unfortunately, I get much better throughput using a second drive for the video.

Regards,

MM





I've talked to some video producers about ways to handle such things. They approach projects as we do in audio. One drive for the program, and to keep the project clean, one folder for the media on a separate drive. Two drives only. One folder, containing all the media and EDL info, session backup files, etc.
Then, when archiving, it's all in one folder. These guys do commercials, infomercials, programs, presentations, video for web pages, etc. National, regional, local.
Sometimes the simpler way out is the best.

[Bob L]

Well Michael... I'll look into splitting the internal audio and video path storage and see what happens.

Bob L

[MMP]

Thanks for looking at it Bob.

Regards,

MM

[Dave Labrecque]

FWIW, I often work with the video and audio on different drives, too.

[MMP]

I found a little work around to my issue.

I put a shortcut to the video directory in the audio directory and that is a pretty direct leap.

I think a last ten video file directory addition to the viewer might be useful for a future update.

Regards,

MM

[Dave Labrecque]

I found a little work around to my issue.

I put a shortcut to the video directory in the audio directory and that is a pretty direct leap.

I think a last ten video file directory addition to the viewer might be useful for a future update.

Regards,

MM

Great idea. Nice innovative thinking, Michael. :)