Temporarily disable watch folders

[GSPFilmworks]

I've noticed when I've done a fresh install of AME it launches very quickly, just a few seconds. After I've set up my watch folders, 75 outputs to be exact, it takes over 1 mintue to fully launch AME. This is highly annoying for when I need to do a quick transcode to down-rez a file for client approval, fewer than 10 seconds.

My question - Is there a way to temporarily disable the watch folders during launch? Perhaps hold the SHIFT key or something similar, which disables the watch folders just for this session but fully restores upon closing and re-launch at another time.

[davidarbor]

This isn't possible as it's a pretty niche need. However, have you considered using the Public Beta for quick transcodes with no Watch Folders setup and the public version for your watch folders?

If you're not familiar, you can install the public betas from the left side ("Beta Apps" category) of the Creative Cloud Desktop app. These can be installed alongside the public versions without causing any issues since they get their own sets of preferences.

[GSPFilmworks]

Thanks David,

I thought it was the case since I hadn't found any answers during my research. I was aware of the checkbox feature, though, which turns off auto-encode of watch folders. The downside to that option is one has to load up AME first, then hit the checkbox for the next session. I supposed I could also figure out a routine that keeps the checkbox on. It hadn't dawned on me to load another version of AME on the system, either. Thanks for the suggestion.

--G

[davidarbor]

You're welcome. I went the other way and got annoyed that my encodes kept starting when I didn't want to use the Watch Folders, so I eventually shut them off by default. If it helps any, you can go into the preferences and change the delay before Watch Folder encoding starts.

[tayloramorgan]

David, I'm new, what are the watch folders for and how do you get rid of them? I tried the program to see if i could make a video smaller but after encoding it just disappeared into the ether.

[davidarbor]

Hi Taylor, Watch Folders are a neat feature that allow you to "watch" a specific folder for any files that get added into it. If AME is open and you have a Watch Folder setup, it will start transcoding newly added files (based on settings you choose) once they are added to the folder. This means you can render a high quality file out of After Effects or Premiere to your watch folder, then have it automatically converted to as many formats as you need without your intervention. 

That being said, Watch Folders are only used if you set them up. So if you're not familiar with them and your Watch Folders panel has no items in it, then you're not using them. So if your file disappeared into the ether, it's likely that you set a destination that you didn't intend and it's still sitting somewhere on your computer. 

You can go to File > Show Log (Ctrl/Cmd+L) and scroll to the bottom to see your last job. There's a line item called "Output File:" which will show you the path your transcoded file should be in.