Copy File Paths from Missing File Paths

[michellek36123792]

Hi all:

Apologies if this is a super simple question. I just haven't been able to find an answer in the forums or on the web.

Taking on a project from another studio and we're trying to figure out all the missing files and relinking them. One of the issues I'm having is that I can't seem to right click on the File Path column to copy the file path. We're sending the paths to the previous studio by email to request the missing media.

Is there another way to copy the file paths? Or even better, to batch get all the missing file paths?

We're currently using After Effects 2015.

Thanks

M

[Dave_LaRonde · Accepted solution]

Here's the dead-simple way:

Have that other studio put all the footage into one folder, with the exception of image sequences.  They should be in their own folders.  They can use the Collect Footage command.

Then you can just double-click on a piece of missing footage, navigate to that one folder, double-click on the appropriate file and ZAP!  AE finds the other missing footage.  You might have to navigate to the individual image sequence folders, but that's not a big deal.

[sncfrk]

tips on preventing the issue isn't the same as answering the question. It's actually irrelevant why the question is being asked– the point is to answer the question as it stands.

For some arbitrary reason, the "File Path" column truncates the file path regardless of how much room that column is given. So all I can see is <Missi...tures/texture...jpg. How the hell is that helpful to see the middle of a portion of a path? And as OP stated, the path can't seem to be expanded or copied or double clicked to reveal the whole thing. Things like this are absolutely infuriating, especially when every freaking person who replies dodges the question and makes some comment about how preposterous it is that the person posing the question has found themselves in such a situation. This is the case on more than half the threads I come across here. Post the answer or don't post at all!

[Tagori5C1D]

This is the worst reply ever, it should be easy enough to team After Effects to make these paths easy to copy as a text, especially now with everybody working remotely, please Adobe, find a way to make this easy to everyone, or at least delete this smart ass post.

Yes, everyone knows that if you collect your files you probably wouldn't have this problem, yet, a lot of people work with AE files they did not create, so it helps to know where these files were originally in case you have to send to a producer or another designer that is working far from you or the server with the files.

[Stargeyser]

I have a similar problem and I klnow poeple just want to be helpful and I don't want to be ungreatful or anything, but this is a workaround that might work for some people in some cases and it doesn't rewally answer the question nor solving my problems.

Sometimes in a middle of a project I have to reorganize my material in order to work mor efficient and save time in the long run, and It would really save me a lot of time and work if you could see the original link path somewhere when relinking.

Like in Premiere. That Premiere function is gold and saves tons and of tons of time and money for me, and if it's useful in Premeier it is useful in AE. Why? Sometimes when yu have to reorgnize hundreds of images with similar names and folders it takes a lot of time and money to relink them, it is so much esayer to find the right new folder cluster if you know the original path and name.

So if there is way please tell me and if there isn't pleaase tell me that, too. And yes: please try to answer the original question. I know people just want to help, but with workarounds you often seem to end up spending more time than work than it's worth, or they mess things up even worse, or you have to involve other poeple = more time and money spent and so on...

[Mrtn Ritter]

Dave's solution is actual the intended and professional workflow, if you pass over an AE project. I would claim this from the other studio as well or refuse to start working. Nobody pays you for project organisation.

If you expand the project tab, you can see the paths of the footage. Might have to right-click the column and add this view, though. You can't click the path, that's right, but AE shows where the file was original located.

You can also filter the project items by "missing footage" using the search bar. Then you can resolve each one of them. If all footage items are in one folder, it's enough to relink only one of them and AE will find the others.

To really save time and money you'll need to organize the project before hand. I did usual plan up to one day for this. Not a single keyframe is set on this day. Just structure. 

*Martin

[Stargeyser]

Cheers mate, that solves my problem! I was looking for the information in the wrong place.

According to your oppinions structure, again: I know you all mean well and just want to be helpful but like I said; one process is not like the other and giving advice not answering the question might be helpful to some people and not to others.

Telling me I really "need to organize the project before hand", something I'm already spending a lot (a lot!) of time doing, is like telling astronauts they relly have to wear scarfs in outer space or they might catch a cold. Not trying to be offensive or insultive or rude or anything, I'm just saying that everything is conditional.

I usually work with artistic projections, like wall-to-wall and exterior fasade projections and things like that, really complex projects running over 4-8 months with a lot och creative and artisic freedom.

Sometimes I'm just given a theme and my task is to "cover the wall with an artistic animation" and start planning from that, and the first week or weeks of work is usually just planning and looking for and structuring material.

Nevetheless, a couple of months later a lot have been added, a lot have been cancelled, someone in charge of the organisation ordering the animation might have seen something at an art show they want me to try to implement and so on. If you do lot of changes and main redirections, impossible to predict "before hand", in a project it  usually makes the original and once fine working structure less and less useful as it goes along. The first thing you start to do do is ad hocs and workarounds just to make it work so you can proceed, trying to avoid the dreaded full reorganisation.

When the ad hoc solutions and the workarounds become to many and the original once sufficient and very functional structure starts to work against you it is in my oppinion better to take one or two days to reorginze everything rather than cling to the one you got. Personally I love to work that way, I love tyhe artisic freedom and use my intuitiion as I go along, but it calls for discipline and structure and there are not many creative poeple who can handle that much freedom. I have seen a lot of projects fail and collapse and quite a few collegues fail because of the lack of discipline and structure, and I have never missed dead line so far.

Having said that, again; cheers mate for solving the problem, that was exactly the information I was looking for. Have to admit, I'm feeling kind of  stupid for not finding it myself, I give you that much 😄

Have a good one!

Stargeyser

[Mrtn Ritter]

Thank you for the details - this really sounds complex, yet cool! You mind to share a link?

*Martin

[calebb1677722]

I know this is old, but... in case someone else ends up looking here...

I was in this situation on my MacBook and I didn't have a problem expanding the project window and file path column to see the full file path. But still there's no ability to copy the file path (like... really??). However, I realized that I could just screenshot the path, and then Preview/Quick Look is smart enough to recognize the text and let me select and copy it. 

An extra step but at least it's a workaround...