missing stage frame files

[garryw40009217]

I am using Premiere Elements version 13 on a WIN 10 PC. I started a large project several years ago but had to leave it for a while due to some health issues. However, during that hiatus I had to upgrade my PC from 8.1 to 10 and also (a while later) rebuild WIN 10. Probably 90% of my PE13 editing has been done on WIN 8.1 originally so it (hopefully) has survived a couple of re-installs. I've tried to ensure all data files have been backed up right from the start - using Windows native "file backup" and my own manual backup using an external H.D., however, PE13 seems to use a variety of data files and they do not appear to be all in common directories ("folders") and sub-directories so some may have eluded a critical backup. Recently I attempted to pick up where I left off with the big project and discovered that the program couldn't start because it couldn't find the (raw) *.mts files. So I did a manual search and found them in a very odd 6 levels down sub-directory (perhaps due to my using a program to eliminate duplicate picture and video files about a year ago that didn't run perfectly?) and copied them into a new directory where PE13 can access them now. BUT, now when I try to open an existing project PE13 asks for the "stage_frame.png" file - which I can not find anywhere on my PC or in the backups. This brings to mind a couple of questions: 1. does this mean all of the videos I have created are now useless? 2. Is there any way to recreate the missing files? 3. If I were to upgrade to a current version of PE is there any chance whatsoever I could "recreate" the videos into useable projects using the .prel files from PE13 (which are preserved on the PC)??  Any and all suggestions will be GREATLY appreciated. 

[Steve Grisetti]

I don't know what to tell you. If you reinstalled it after upgrading your operating system, I believe Premiere Elements should behave the same way in Windows 10 as it did on Windows 8. So I'm not sure I understand the question on recreating the missing files. Just uninstall and reinstall and it should work.

I wouldn't start moving program files and data files around. I'm not sure it will fix your problems.

As for upgrading to version 2024, don't expect to be able to open old files with version 2024. Premiere Elements has never really been backwards compatible, so you can't open version 13 files in version 2024. It's best to finish your work in the same version of the program you started it in. Otherwise you could run into weird behavior and possible project file corruption.

[garryw40009217]

Thank you for your help with this problem, Steve.  At least I know now that upgrading to a newer version of PE won't gain anything. I'm not having a problem with running the PE 13 program itself - I have used it a few times on WIN 10 so it doesn't need to be re-installed as far as I can tell. The problem is I'm missing some data files that are required to open existing (completed) projects. The missing data files are "stage_frame.png" files which are unique to each project I assume.  I think I need the assistance of an actual programmer who has worked with PE 13 or other version of PE that is similar insofar as the required data files to open projects is concerned.  Do you (or anyone else reading this) know if there is any way to get Adobe tech people to look at my problem and offer solutions?

[Peru Bob]

I think you just need to relink the media.

stage_frame.png is probably an image that is part of your project.  Where did you store your media?

[garryw40009217]

I read recently that the stage_frame.png files are created when you select graphics/words (i.e. "stills") to introduce a movie or insert same within a movie. I assumed that these files would be automatically saved in the "projectxx.prel" files of the finished movies as they would be needed in order to watch the movie on a TV using a thumb drive that holds the movies.  If that is true, I don't understand why it is that now when I try to open any of the finished movies on my PC that the program pauses and asks "where is file xxxx ".  The first file it asked for was the "00001.mts" file and when I located the mts files I used the browse tool in PE 13 to direct it there. Now when I try to open that movie it asks "where is file "stage_frame.png"? So, using the logic based on the first "where is" halt, I looked for stage_frame.png files but can not find them in any of the media folders that are associated with PE 13, or any other program either.  Maybe the program logic for PE 13 needs these particular files for reference (and who knows how many more special files?) in order to make edits to the movie even though I haven't even told the program yet that I want to edit this movie.  I really don't understand why I can't simply call up the completed movie and watch it - all the specialized files should be contained within the movie. Is there a different option I should be using when the program starts up? 

[Steve Grisetti]

If you haven't reinstalled the program since upgrading your operating system, I still recommend doing so -- even if the program does open.  Doing so should put the necessary files where they belong.

[garryw40009217]

Steve - I found the installation file in my downloads folder and ran it. PE 13 re-installed (after I uninstalled it using WINDOWS' Control Panel) but that had no affect whatsoever on moving any data files back to where they belong.  I need to contact someone who understands the different data file types and where they are all supposed to be located for PE 13 to use them so I can view  the movies I created and continue editing .  Does anyone in this forum know anyone with this kind of expertise and how I can contact them?

[Steve Grisetti]

It's not likely any of us consumers will be able to help you. Adobe Customer Care can possibly give you the information you need. But since this is an older version rather than a current version, they would likely charge you for helping you.

Though it's possible if you tell us which specific files you're trying to locate, we can tell you where they are on our computers. (And I still can't figure out why installing the program would not put these files in the right places to begin with.)

[garryw40009217]

Steve - thanks for keeping up with my posts.  Your suggestion to list the files I'm trying to locate and have someone locate them on their PC would be great if I actually knew which files are missing. That's why I asked about contacting someone who knows the inner workings of the Premiere Elements suite of programs. I thought of trying to go to Adobe directly but haven't yet because of the likelyhood of being charged for their help - which I'm sure won't be cheap.  Also I'm not sure exactly how to go about contacting them - I think I tried that once a long time ago but could never get a response from anyone in that support group. Is it a question of just waiting for a reply - if so, how long do I give them - a week - a month? Any ideas on that?   (My issue with the Elements program is that sometimes it won't open an old movie I made [it appears to be functional to create a new movie but I don't need to do that right now] and with one that I somehow lucked out with, it opened and I could see the narration track had data in it but no sound came from that track during playback - just the sound that was recorded during the original filming [Super 8 equipment]. As well, I could see the graphics I inserted to lead into the movie on it's own track but again it wasn't shown during playback. So, there are anumber of issues I have with the program - the first one to solve is to get the program to open the saved movies consistently - what data is missing?  I used a "Fast Duplicate File Finder" utility a while back to try to free up disk space and I might have moved (or deleted) some picture files in error but I can't search for them until I know what files I need to look for.)  So I will try to get help from Adobe but are there some tips to getting them to actually look at my problem? Thanks for your help, again.

[Peru Bob]

So I will try to get help from Adobe but are there some tips to getting them to actually look at my problem?

By @garryw40009217

Unfortunately, Adobe no longer supports PSE 13.

https://helpx.adobe.com/support/programs/adobe-support-policies-supported-product-versions.html

[Steve Grisetti]

Good point, Bob.

Sadly, Garry, we may have reached the end of the road here. I'm not sure what else to recommend.

Though you can try chatting with Adobe Customer Care by using the chat window that pops up here: https://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html?rghtup=autoOpen

No guarantees, but I don't know what else to do at this point.

[garryw40009217]

Here's the latest development in my ongoing saga. I used the CHAT for customer support yesterday. It lasted over an hour and I was bumped up to "more senior tech support specialists" twice. In the end they told me they currently only support PE 2023 and 2024 - so there is nobody to give me any help with PE 13, HOWEVER, PE 2024 WILL work with the movies I created using PE 13!  Therefore if I were to buy the UPGRADE to 24 (now available with a 20% discount) their tech support wiill assist me in recovering my movies made with 13 - and I have it in writing. So I made the purchase late yesterday and did the download and installed the program. When I opened it, it looks very much like 13. But I'm not going to attempt to do anything with it until I have (almost) unlimited time at hand to get their support team to walk me through the steps needed to get the old movies working again using a pristine program to start with - which I intend to do on Monday. Got my fingers crossed! Thanks Steve and Bob for your advice. Maybe this problem can be a guide for someone else facing a potential disaster with old programs - providing it works for me. I will post an update in due course to let you know how it worked - or didn't work!

[Steve Grisetti]

Make sure you keep an extra copy of any project you open in version 2024. I don't know where the tech got his information, but Premiere Elements is definitely NOT backwards compatible with version 13. Corruptions and strange behaviors are common.

So if it works, go for it. But if it doesn't --- keep a backup copy.

[garryw40009217]

Steve, thanks for the cautionary note.

I just finished working with a Sr. support agent in Adobe.  I gave him access to my PC to save time as he could do stuff 3 or 4 times faster than me since he knows what needed to be done and I had no idea where to start.  He opened PE 24 and quickly had an old PE 13 video on the screen - with all the editing I had done intact. I got him to open 4 or 5 movies out of the 30+ I made with 13 just to make sure the first one wasn't a fluke. He also showed me how to find and quickly reconnect any files that might "go missing" while working on edits. (The videos looked a bit more grainy to me than I remembered them using 13. I've always thought videos lose some clarity every time they go through another editor but that may be totally subjective and not at all technically correct.) He did not try to figure out why 13 doesn't work anymore - his objective was to help me continue editing the old videos. (He also confirmed that all the edited videos are saved as .prel files as I suspected.)  From Adobe's perspective - their goal was to solve my problem of not being able to edit plus make a sale at the same time.  Mission accomplished.  Maybe it's "karma" at work - now I might be able to enhance my videos even more using a program that isn't 11 years old - more bells and whistles at my disposal.  Bottom line is that I haven't lost all the work (many, many hours of time) I did using 13 and I will be watching for possible "corruption and strange behaviors" as I continue using 24.  Thanks for all your suggestions.  I'm happy for now!

[Fixthebugs]

Hello, Thank you for the update. Can you please share with us the method the SR. tech showed you to quickly reconnect files that are missing? I, for one, would really appreciate it. Thank

Also, it was great to hear that PE 24 will open PE 13 files. This is something I will be attempting soon and I'm sure to have "missing" files.

[garryw40009217]

Hello Fixthebugs. Sorry for the lapse - I haven't spent a lot of time working on my "project" recently so I don't have a lot of progress to report. I have played back all the videos that I created in the past 6 or 7 years (about 40 of them with a variety of lengths from 3 minutes to 2 1/2 hours; total time of about 28 hours) and then rendered each one and saved it once again. I did encounter a couple of incidents where PE24 wouldn't open the old video the first time I retrieved it due to a "missing" file. To fix that, I closed PE24, then searched for that particular file using "File Explorer" (I run a Windows 10 machine), then wrote down the path for that file, then re-opened PE24 and when the program stopped with the prompt "where is file xxxxx.xxx" I used the browse box that popped up to navigate through the path to the missing file - and then PE24 continued opening the old video.  I don't know about your situation, but in my case the "missing" files are not actually missing from the PC  but they were moved to other folders (by my clumsy attempts to eliminate duplicate pictures a while back) so PE24 just has to be directed to where they reside now. I figured this part out on my own after the Sr. Tech had simply done the same process to locate the "My New Video Project*.prel " files for the movies I had made using PE13.  I haven't tried editing any of my old videos yet using PE24 as I'm still reading Adobe's "HELPX" tutorials to understand the new methods for editing in PE24 - the overall look of the "Workspace" is very much the same as in PE13 but the control buttons are different. I  hope the foregoing will help you. Good luck!