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Premiere  Elements - Apparent Lost project assets path

New Here ,
May 08, 2020 May 08, 2020

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Keywords Metadata /pointers erased? No path? Delete clips/ Clear Asset window

Hi,

I have helped a new user create about 20 short projects in Adobe Premiere Elements 2020

On those that have been exported to MP4 and saved the assets will not reload into the project file. It seems to have lost the path to the assets. I have read and note post about external HDD but not yet fuilly assessed that possible cause. As far as we know the drive letter has not changed but the Ext HDD has been disconnected several times.

Hardware

Intel Core i5 8265U CPU  @1.6Ghz 64 Bit

Win 10 Home, vers 1903 build 18362.778  26.082019 install date

8 gb Mem

External HDD  WD My Passport Ultra  1 Tb 664 Gb used    

= F:\\Nice\  is the storage for the MKV files and MP4 original project assets

Internal HDD C:\    D:\

Workflow Use Case

Normal process

Create new project. Look in Files and folders. User renames her MP4s with a prefix 01, O2 …20 etc so they sort to the order that she want them in the timeline.  She then views them as large Icons and imports the renamed MP4s as assets into the unsaved prel.  

Go to F:\Nice\ … MP4s

Reference MP4 assets are on external HDD 

F:\\Nice\  The user does not normally name save a project before working on edits. I don’t agree , I would save empty project before importing assets. But …

Saved project files are on D:\ ADOBE_EDITS 

However she adds music which are MP3s  to project from F:\\Nice\  and or D:\ ADOBE_EDITS

Quick export MP4 to D:\ ADOBE_EDITS\ xyz.mp4

Close project

She Clears project assets window. I don’t feel happy about that but how else to start a new project with old clips of the still loaded project in asset window? APE hangs if you now load a new project without clearing the asset window. 

Exit project> see dialog box “erasing project meta data”  Why? I need to save the pointers or metadata  to all the original project assets?

Close Adobe premiere Elements 2020

Start project again

It opens a folder on D:\  looks there…why looking at D:\? Maybe the music was the last thing done and it was on D:\

Test: Open a previously correct .prel

project file, thumbnails are entered onto timeline red saying “Media offline” as a thumbnail

Property and rename options show the filename.mp4’s size and properties but the top of the directory box says “Where is xyz.MP4?” 

The timeline can be scrubbed and the voice over and music will play, but the MP4 clips are not loaded.

The user keeps saved versions on the project with different file names all the way through a 2 or 3 day editing session of the project.

The file naming convention is, e.g.   Beach 04052020 then the next is Beach 04052020 edit1.prel, next Beach 05052020 edit3.prel

Autosaves are in the project folder on D:\

The media MP4 files remain on F:\

The project is now saved again with Final at the end of the file name using Save As

At the end of the process the user creates an MP4 by

File > Export and share. The MP4 config is set to save the MP4 on the D:\ ADOBE_EDITS path.

This leaves the project in memory and showing in the timeline and project asset window.

 

--------------------------------

Next task is to start a new project.

If you New Project and try to import assets the program hangs.

Assuming that you just finished a project and want to start a new one you have to clear the old assets out of the assets window. You then get a warning dialog box that says “ This action will also delete one or more clips used in your Timeline or Menu. Do you want to continue? 

Of course the user says no. But the assets window is already cleared by the LMB that begat the warning dialog box.  That looks like possible incorrect sequencing

 Recall that If you go New Project and try to import assets before clearing the old project’s assets window, the program hangs.

OK now you can reopen the same project with the assets window cleared but the dlg box answered with a no. Illogical?

However in a few days if you try to reopen the same old project, it will ask you:

‘Where is the File ’00 P1040771.MP4?’  But it will import the prel meta data OK.  If you look at RMB and rename you can see the properties box, but it has no path. 

If you look in options and preferences there is no file path either.

OK the user is new and may rename things along the way etc; but I am a software engineer and I have spent all day on this error, workflow and documenting it.

I would like to find  a user configurable path for inbound assets, exports, PRELs, MP3, MP4 etc. Is there one?  Can assets be split across drives?

Why does clearing the asset window warn of deleting clips? I mean why would you want to delete clips? I also saw for a split second during the testing, a dialog box that said something like “This will delete meta data” when clearing the assets or trying to start a new project.  

There is probably a workflow where this does not happen, if so very good. Thank you for any suggestions to work around the problem of a project file losing its assets. 

 

 

 

TOPICS
Feature request , Freeze or hang , Import

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Community Expert ,
May 08, 2020 May 08, 2020

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I would truely like to help but I can't follow your complex workflow.   Can you break it down into smaller pieces?

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New Here ,
May 09, 2020 May 09, 2020

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Thank you, but its a circular process. I have TeamViewer if you instal that I can show you the problem in 2 minutes. I already spent hours trying to document the problem. 

The crux of the matter is at the end of making one project into an MP4 and then starting the next new project. You have to clear out the asset window before starting a new project. I think that breaks meta data on the first project. 

Project1 File > Export and share.

The MP4 config is set to save the MP4 on the D:\ ADOBE_EDITS path.

This leaves the project in memory and showing in the timeline and project asset window.

Command > Clear (the assets, i.e. MP4s used in the Project1  Deletes clips. Why? 

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Community Expert ,
May 09, 2020 May 09, 2020

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Are you saying that when you start a new project your media files remain in your Project Assets panel?

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Community Expert ,
May 09, 2020 May 09, 2020

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Elements does not import clips and save them to another drive.

Elements makes reference files to the clips on the external drive.

So if you disconnect the external drive clips go off line.

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Community Expert ,
May 09, 2020 May 09, 2020

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"and then starting the next new project. You have to clear out the asset window before starting a new project. I think that breaks meta data on the first project. "

 

Start new projects with File > New and give it a new project name.  The media panel will be blank.  You can add media from anywhere on you computer but don't move any files until you are entirely done with your project.  

 

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New Here ,
May 09, 2020 May 09, 2020

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Start new projects with File > New and give it a new project name
Hi,
Yes, we were getting hangs at that point, hence clearing the asset window
manually.
File>New cleared the assets OK

I just did another test session with the user. Quick saved the creation of
the final MP4 to D:\
Starting a new project and it tries to disconnect the F EHDD.

We got an ErrMsg I have not seen before,
See attached screen shot.

Today's test PRELs stored on D are working now with the original assets
MP4s on F ext HDD, but the user gets a failure to open project assets after
a few days.

If this is not cured, we will have to move everything to local drives for
future projects.

Thanks

Gary

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Community Expert ,
May 09, 2020 May 09, 2020

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Sounds to me that you have a hardware or operating system problem with USB powered external drives.  This might not be a Premiere Elements problem.  Something in your operating system may be putting them " to sleep". 

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