Project Manager errors "clip could not be copied because it is offline"

[SpivR]

Copying a project using Adobe Premiere Pro Version 24.6.1 (Build 2)

Open existing project

File > Project Manager ... >

Sequence > (I select all sequences as I want to make a complete archive/backup of the project)
Resulting Project > Collect files and copy to new location

Options > (no objections enabled)

Destination Path > Local external SSD Drive

I get multiple errors during the copy and logged in the Event window:
Yellow warning, date/time, Clip could not be copied because it is offline: "blah.mov"
Some lines are for "blah.mp4" or "blah.wav"
(all errors are for video or audio media files)

When I inspect the output folder on disk, all these "missing" files are actually there
When I open the copied project, I don't get any media or offline errors from Premiere Pro

This is my pruned/minimal project that I use as a template.  It is around 1.5 GB of disk space.


As I use this project, and build it up during an actual edit, after I copy it again with project manager at a later time, and then open the copied project, I get "offline media errors".  When I try to relink the media, I always get errors "this media is of the wrong type".

When getting that error, if I select "cancel" in the relink dialog (NOT the "offline" button), the the project file continues to work apparently without any problem.

I am concerned whether my project file has become corrupt, this a benign bug in project manager only, or something serious I should be worrying about?

[Claire H.]

Hi @SpivR ,

I am so sorry to hear that you having issues with project manager. Thank you so much for sending detailed repro instructions. Here are some recommendations to try troubleshooting first: 

• Try unchecking the option "Include preview files"
• Try Making a new empty project and import the main sequence from the original project in the new one and then try Project manager.

If that does not work, please send us some more information about your system and media, and if possible, some screenshots/screen recordings of what you're seeing. Sorry for the frustration this may be causing.

-Claire

[SpivR]

I already have "include preview files" turned off.

I tried making a new project and importing the existing one and I still get the error.

Note that sometimes the error is gone, but after a few iterations of using project manager, the error shows up again.

It often lists the missing media/asset showing and older path where it used to be located.  I have since figured out that Premiere Pro keeps a history of older file locations (presumably as a 'hint' to try and automatically relink missing media).  Is there an official way to cleanse the project file all the old history file locations?  Maybe that would help.

Quite a while ago I posted a feedback/enhancement suggestion.  Excuse if I repeat it here briefly, but since I have your attention....

What I really would like is for project manager (or a similar new command) for "archive entire project" that will collect all the files and assets of a project and duplicate/copy everything into a new file system disk folder so I have a single folder I can archive and move offline with full confidence it has everything used by the project.

I realize for large projects this could result in huge disk space needed, but I have not found any simple way to create a complete backup of a project using project manager or other current methods.

Bonus if this "archive project" would replicate the bin structure as nested physical folders instead of consolidating everything into one physical folder the way "project manager" currently works, but I can live without this nicety if i could just get a single folder with everything for a project inside it.

[SpivR]

One final note - when i get the missing media and try to re-link, most of the time now I am able to relink to the existing asset and rarely getting the "mismatched media" error I was getting earlier.

so this problem is annoying, but seems to be non-fatal so far?

[Claire H.]

Thanks for the feedback! I am glad to hear that you are able to continue to work with your projects.

[SpivR]

Thanks!

At the risk of being pedantic and repetitive, the challenge in using 'project manager' to archive a project is the way it doesn't preserve physical folder structures on the file system but more crucially, it doesn't actually handle all assets properly.

Specifically, it will not copy all assets for included After Effects projects that are in the Premiere Pro project and used via dynamic link.  Some of the assets used are missing in the copied project.

[Claire H.]

Yeah, unfortunately After Effects compositions using Dynamic Link will not be moved using the Project Manager. If your project contains dynamically linked After Effects compositions, selecting Convert After Effects Compositions To Clips option flattens the composition into a video clip. The advantage of selecting this option is that you can play back the converted video clips even on systems that don't have After Effects installed. Or you have to manually transfer them.

Here's some more information about Project Manager.