Huge project file in PE2019

[Ronald v. H.]

Using Premiere Elements 2019 I usually create projects with a prel file size of 400 KB. However, last year I created a projects with a prel file of 55 MB, and I don't know why.

I really don't understand what I did differently, but this large file results in long waiting times when loading or saving the project.

To investigate the cause of this large prel file, I copied the project and removed all video and audio clips from this copied project. It didn't make any sense. The empty project still has an enormous prel file size.

Can someone explain what causes the huge size of this prel file and how I can solve this? 

[Ann Bens]

Data from Stabilize footage can make a project huge.

[Ronald v. H.]

Thanks for your reply Ann. But what is the data in my project if all clips have been removed? Yesterday I removed all media cache and preview files and still the project file is 55 MB...

[Ann Bens]

Media cache and preview files are not stored in the project file..

Do you use stabilizer a lot?

There are effects that can blot a project.

[Ronald v. H.]

No, I don't use the stabilizer. Earlier I used moving titles. But I still wonder why the project file keeps its large size after I have removed all the clips from the project. In fact the movie has now a length of 0 sec. I also removed all the media from the project.

[Ann Bens]

The moving titles data might be stored in the project too. I have no idea.

55 mb might not be that huge after all.

[Ronald v. H.]

I don't think so. I have replaced all moving titles by static ones. Unfortunately the size of  the project file has not been changed. Any other idea?

[Bill Sprague]

Somewhere I read that some software will reserve or keep, and not give back, any disk space it uses.  I don't know, but Premiere Elements may be one of them.   Disk space has evolved where a terabyte is around $25!  

[Ronald v. H.]

Hi Bill,
Thanks for your reply.
Indeed this could be the cause. In that case I am still looking for a
solution. Or I have to accept…