Jeremy Richard moving pictures editor Est. 2008

Avid Media Composer, when organising media files, puts each clips (imported media, captured media, render file, title, mixdown, transcode and motion effect) in one and unique folder. Depending on the version of Media Composer we are using and the way we setup the format of our project’s media files (OMF or MXF), it will either be inside an OMFI MediaFiles folder or in an Avid MediaFiles folder. Both folders are located at the root of the hard drive.
If we wish to overcome this, and have our footage from different projects in different media folders, it essentially requires us to know how to rename a folder and how to create a folder from the Finder (OSX)/Explorer (Windows). In the case that media files from multiple projects are already mixed up in the same media folder, the use of the Media Tool or even Consolidate will be needed.

For the ones in a hurry

Here is the main procedure:

With OMFI MediaFiles folders

If the project stores media files in an OMFI MediaFiles folder:

1. rename the actual OMFI MediaFiles folder with a different name (it could be OMFI ProjectName, for example);
2. then create a new OMFI MediaFiles or let Media Composer create a new folder when starting a new project;
3. each new media files, from this new project, will then end up in this newly created media folder.

With Avid MediaFiles folders

If the project stores media files in an Avid MediaFiles folder:

1. inside the Avid MediaFiles folder and again inside the MXF folder, rename the existing folder named 1 with a different name (it can the name of the project it contains media files from);
2. then create a new folder named 1 (still inside the MXF folder) or let Avid Media Composer create its own when starting a new project;
3. each new media files, from this new project, will then end up in this newly created media folder.

OMFI MediaFiles

If setup to capture or render as OMF files, Media Composer will put the files inside a folder called OMFI MediaFiles, regardless of the name and settings of the project.

So instead of letting Media Composer put the files of different projects in the same OMFI MediaFiles folder we are simply going to create a new OMFI MediaFiles folder and make the original one ‘invisible’ to Media Composer. This involves renaming the original folder, using a name that Media Composer will not recognise as the one which should contain all the files related to the projects (OMFI MediaFiles).

Let us say that we have a project call ‘The Mission’ and, for whatever reason, we have to pause our progress on this project to start a new project called ‘The Adventure’. From the Finder/Explorer:

1. rename the existing OMFI MediaFiles folder, containing all the media files related to ‘The Mission’ project, something like ‘OMFI The Mission’;1The name of the folder here does not matter as long as we do not name it OMFI MediaFiles or something else that will let us wonder what is it for if encountered three months later..

   

2. then we create another folder, where the original folder is, and name it OMFI MediaFiles (keeping the space between OMFI and MediaFiles, the capital letters for Media and Files and the letter s at the end of Files);2If renamed something like OMFIMediaFiles (no space between OMFI and Media) or something like OMFI MediaFile (with no letter s at File) Media Composer will not see it and will create its own folder.
3. when starting the new project and importing or rendering media, these media files will end up in the new OMFI MediaFiles folder we have just created.

   

Avid MediaFiles

Since the use of MXF as a default format for Avid, Media Composer puts its projects’ related files (imported or captured media, render file, title, mixdown, transcode and motion effect) inside a folder called Avid MediaFiles and not OMFI MediaFiles. But unlike the OMF files, the MXF files are inside a folder called 1, itself inside a folder called MXF which itself is inside the Avid MediaFiles folder.

What matters here is the 1 folder.3The digit 1 is being use for a name for media folders as Media Composer might need to increment these folders as we capture more media files: Media Composer will stop creating media files in the 1 folder if the count of theses files reaches 5,000 and will create another folder, named 2, in which the rest of the media files will be created. And if our project grows even more (and contains more than 10,000 media files) it will create a third folder named 3 and so on. This is the one recognized by Media Composer as the one which should contain the media files. Meaning that every time a media is created, if this folder does not exist, Media Composer will simply create one so it can carry on with its work.

So if we take the same example as the one used for OMFI MediaFiles, let us say that we are working on a project called ‘The Mission’ but we are being urged to pause this and start this new ‘The Adventure’ project. So from the Finder/Explorer:

1. rename the existing 1 folder, containing all the media files related to ‘The Mission’ project and which is inside the MXF folder itself inside the Avid MediaFiles, as something like ‘The Mission’;4The name of the folder here does not matter as long as we don’t name it 1.

   

2. then we create another folder, where the original one is, and name it 1;5This stage is optional as if Media Composer does not see a 1 folder it will create one itself.
   
3. when starting the new project and importing or rendering medias, for example, these files will end up in the new 1 folder we have just created.

   

If there are more than just 1 folder

If we are working on a large project containing more than 5,000 media files,6The digit 1 is being use for a name for media folders as Media Composer might need to increment these folders as we capture more media files: Media Composer will stop creating media files in the 1 folder if the count of theses files reaches 5,000 and will create another folder, named 2, in which the rest of the media files will be created. And if our project grows even more (and contains more than 10,000 media files) it will create a third folder named 3 and so on. the trick still works. What might be needed is that our naming system stays coherent; adding, for example, to our 1, 2, 3, etc folders the name of the project, to have something like TheMission-1, TheMission-2, TheMission-3 etc.7We could try to go further and put these folders within another folder (having something like Avid MediaFiles > MXF > The Mission > 1, 2, 3 etc) but Media Composer won’t find the media files, resulting in a Media Offline composer screen.

And as I explain below, in the Invisibility part, renaming the folders won’t disrupt the link between the media files and the master clips inside the Media Composer project. So we will still be able to consult the ‘paused’ project if necessary.

Invisibility

The ‘invisibility’ of a renamed media folder can be tested while a project is actually open.

Regarding OMFI media folders, if we rename the folder and we go to our project all our media will be offline. When we rename the media folder to its original name (OMFI MediaFiles) and we go back to our project, this time our clips will link back to the media files again.

As for the MXF media folder, the action of making an older folder invisible has a different output. When called differently than 1, the renamed folder will still be recognized by Media Composer. Though it won’t import or save the files into this renamed folder but in a new 1 folder. In other words, if we name the media folder of our ‘paused’ project: TheMission1, Media Composer will still be able to see the media files but will keep creating new media files inside the mandatory 1 folder.

This can be useful when two projects share the same footage or you want to briefly check something on an older project. But it can also be useful when actually doing some maintenance with media files being mixed up in a same media folder, like explained in the If is it already mixed up? part.

If is it already mixed up?

If it happens that we want to separate media files from different projects, that have been put together in the same media folder (whether it is an OMFI MediaFiles or in an Avid MediaFiles folder), there are at least two solutions:

• Media Tools will list us all media files related to a specific project so we can move these somewhere else, on another hard drive;
• Consolidate will allow us to move our media files into another hard drive or even within the same hard drive, but not in the same media folder, in combination with the renaming folder trick.

If there are many media files having been mixed up, whatever the technique used, it is going to be a tad boring and cumbersome task. But at least, once done, we know where our media files will be.

Note: On a personal level, I do prefer using the Media Tool for such action as it was more or less originally conceived for that kind of purpose. But this trick of using consolidate as moving files to another media folder can come handy if we are in the situation where we dispose of only one hard drive and, for whatever reason, we can not plug another one into our system. One thing to remember though, is that using the consolidate tool, as moving files to another media folder on the same drive, only works if using Avid MediaFile folder (more on that in the Consolidate part).

Media Tool

Media Tool’s primarily role is to tell us where the files related to a specific project are. Media Composer give quite fancy names to our media files and if we have been distracted and mixed up files from multiple projects in the same media folder, it is difficult to guess which files are related to a certain project by just reading their names. Also, unfortunately, when Media Tool found these files, right clicking on these will not show us the Reveal File option. So the action of finding the media files inside the Explorer/Finder involves two phases which can make the whole process a tad tedious.

What follows can be done from whatever project we want. So, for example, if our media files from Project A and Project B are mixed up in the same media folder, it does not matter if we look for the media files of the Project A from the Project B or vice versa as Media Tool can search media files for all projects located on our machine, as long as their related media files are inside the visible media folder.8Media Tool will not list projects which files are in a renamed OMFI media folder.

First, let Media Tool list all relevant media files together:

1. go to Tools then select Media Tool, two windows will pop up: Media Tool and Media Tool Display;
2. in the Media Tool Display is listed all the hard drives and all the Media Composer projects found on our computer:9Media Tool will not list projects which files are in a renamed OMFI media folder.
   • first we select, on the left hand side of the display, the hard drives on which we know/think the media files related to our project are;
   • then we select, on the right hand side of the display, the project we want the media files to be selected from;
   • and to be sure we are going to see all related media files, at the bottom of the window, we are best to select Precompute Clips and Media Files10The Precompute Clips are the rendered effects and the Media Files are the original imported or captured files. in addition to Master Clips;
   • finally we press OK.

     

3. We now see in the second window, Media Tool, a list of all files found and related to the project selected in the Media Tool Display.

If we try to right click on one of these listed files, there is no option Reveal File in the menu showed to us. But we can put all these findings in a bin in which we will be able to Reveal File in the Explorer/Finder:

1. we first create a new bin which will receive the reference of all the media files listed in the Media Tool window; the bin can be called whatever we want and after the successful operation can be removed;
2. we now select all listed files in the Media Tool window;
3. and copy all of these in our newly created bin (using the copy and paste key shortcut or moving them with the cursor).

This newly created bin is now the container of references to all the media files used in the searched project. What we did is duplicate the references of media files to put these in another bin; it is like if we had copied a clip from one bin to paste in another bin; this does not duplicate the source files but only their references.

With this new bin we can now reveal the source files of this references in the Finder/Explorer and move these media files into another media folder:

1. inside the bin, we right click on a clip and choose Reveal File so the actual source file will be selected in the Finder/Explorer;
2. now, knowing which file to move we can move it to another media folder.

Unfortunately we can not Reveal File on multiple clips at once (if we try an error message will simply tell us that “Reveal File only works with a single clip selected”). This is where, in a case of a large amount of media files to be moved, the process can be tedious. But it is also true that, once we found the first media file, it might be easier to guess which are the other ones used in the project: it could be that all media have been captured or imported the same day, so once we know the date of the first media revealed, we can select all the other files in the Finder/Explorer with the same date, for example.

In case we wrongly move a media file that belongs to another project, we can reuse the same process this time pointing to the other project which wrongly moved media belongs to.

Consolidate

Note: Using Consolidate as the way of moving media files to another media folder only works with Avid MediaFiles folder and not with the OMFI MediaFiles folder. As explained previously in the Invisibility part, if the OMFI MediaFiles folder is renamed, Media Composer will simply not found the media files and a big Media offline will appear in the composer. My observations are that Media Composer will not be able to consolidate media files that, for the software, actually do not exist/can not be found. So what follows is to apply on projects which media files are in an Avid MediaFiles folders. If we have to deal with OMFI MediaFiles folder we need to use the Media Tool (see the previous Media Tool part).

Consolidate is traditionally used once the project is over and we just want to save the clips edited in the final timeline and the final timeline itself, without keeping all the media and rendered effects that are of no use (not in the final timeline).

Here we are going to use the tool as a way of moving all the media files related to a project (even those not in use in the final timeline), from one media folder to another media folder.

But first we want to be sure that everything is visible in our bins. By default the rendered effects are not displayed in the bin. In case we don’t mind re-render everything once the consolidate is over we can can leave it as it is. But in case we do mind, here is what we can do to display these rendered effects in our bins:

1. for each bin containing timelines, click on the bin menu (the hamburger menu at the bottom left hand side of the bin window) and select Set Bin Display…;
2. the Set Bin Display window pops up and here we select Rendered Effects and click OK;

   

3. we are now able to see the rendered media files straight in the bin (they have icons resembling of a black and white square with a little circle in the top right hand side corner ), thus when moving the media files we will not forget the rendered fades, the colour correction effects, etc;

So, whether we choose to have the rendered effects or not we can now move the files:

1. select all clips in the bin except the timelimes11If we select the timelines, Consolidate will then do its ‘real’ job of only selecting the edited part of each media files used within the timelines. (if there are any) and right click Consolidate/Transcode…;
2. in the then new Consolidate/Transcode window that pops up we make sure:
   • that consolidate and not transcode is checked, in the top left hand side of the window, as transcode is used if we wish to change the codec of the media files;
   • to check the Video and audio on same drive(s) option;
   • to select the right Target Drive;12One with an empty 1 folder or which contains media files from this same project. If there is no 1 folder on the drive, Media Composer will create one automatically.
   • to uncheck the Skip media files already on the target drive option so it won’t skip media files that we want to move from one media folder to the other even if there are on the same hard drive;
   • to check the Delete original media files when done option, so the old master clips (the ones linking to the media files’ original files) will be deleted;13If we do not check the Delete original media files when done option, once we press the Consolidate button, a Copying Media Files dialogue box will appear. It will ask us if want to link the newly consolidated media files to the original clips or create new clips all together. Here we select the Relink Master clips to media on the target drive option. Thus we keep the original clips associated with the newly consolidated media files and the old media files are associated with the copy of the original clips appended with an .old extension. So it becomes visually possible to delete the old media files by deleting the clips with the .old extension.
   • all the Convert options are unchecked;
3. once everything is setup, press the Consolidate button;

   

The newly consolidated media files will be link to the original clips in Media Composer and the original media files will be deleted. Now, if we Reveal File one of the clips inside the project it will indicate the media files which are in the new location.

The End