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A
adaltas
Participant
July 16, 2023
Question

Premiere keeps linking to the wrong source clips

  • July 16, 2023
  • 1 reply
  • 724 views

Simply put, I started editing a big project a couple years ago and got off on the wrong foot with my organization (or lack thereof) and now I'm doing some fairly substantial damage control. 

 

After re-organizing all my source files, I managed to successfully re-link most of them in my timeline. However, as I'm making new changes to the edit, Premiere keeps getting occassionally confused, linking certain clips to incorrect source files. This seems to be happening because many of the source files share the exact same names which were automatically created by the various hardware devices that originally recorded them. Of course I should have changed them all to make each one unique from the start.

 

Where I'm at now: I've tried renaming some of the source files associated with the clips giving me trouble (as well as renaming the clips in the timeline to match the new source file names) but this doesn't seem to be solving the issue. What's really frustrating is when I successfully re-link a clip(s) it seems to trigger another clip(s) elsewhere in the timeline to automatically re-link to some incorrect source file. Also, when I render the project it also seems to cause certain clips to relink to the wrong file. 

 

In short, it's a bit of a big mess and I am hoping that I can solve it and get back on course. 

 

 

 

 

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    1 reply

    Kevin-Monahan
    Community Manager
    Kevin-MonahanCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    July 17, 2023

    Hi @adaltas,

    Thanks for the note. I have seen this situation occur many times over the years. Sorry about that. Premiere Pro needs metadata to determine how to differentiate between clips that are named identically when you first import them. To do so, it is best to download and save the entire contents of the CF card to your hard drive, then import/ingest them from the Media Browser. If you do it that way, then the metadata carries over and you can edit normally. The way you imported was probably different; likely, you imported the media only and not with metadata. 

     

    Now that you are in the throes of an editing session, it can be hellish in dealing with these kinds of problems. Renaming all your source files and linking them with the appropriate clips is probably the right way to approach the problem. It sounds like you are trying that already but only with some of the source files. You may want to take the time to rename and link everything properly. That's about the best advice I can give you, but maybe the community can offer up more tips for you. I wish you luck.

     

    Thanks,
    Kevin

    Kevin Monahan - Sr. Community and Engagement Strategist – Adobe Pro Video and Audio
    A
    adaltasAuthor
    Participant
    July 20, 2023
    Thanks very much for the thoughtful answer. So the problem I'm having is
    when I make a clip offline, it's unlinking others that it thinks are part
    of the same batch. When I click on an individual clip and go to relink,
    even though I have the "relink others automatically" box unchecked, it's
    nevertheless STILL relinking all the other clips it thinks are associated
    with the same one I have selected.

    Usually this is a great convenience but in this case where I'm trying to
    disassociate it from other clips, it's counterproductive.

    What could be causing this and how can I change it?
    Kevin-Monahan
    Community Manager
    Kevin-MonahanCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    July 20, 2023

    Hi @adaltas,

    Thanks for the note. My thinking is, again, the lack of metadata is causing the issue. You may have to suffer through this project with this anomaly. With your next project, or with a test project, try the technique I earlier discussed and see if your project and media doesn't behave better. Let me know if a test works in your favor.

     

    Thanks,
    Kevin

    Kevin Monahan - Sr. Community and Engagement Strategist – Adobe Pro Video and Audio
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