Maintain folder structures on import

[davisbot]

Add an option to preserve empty folder structures on import!

Often I or an assistant editor will create a folder structure in the finder with empty folders to be populated with media later on in the production workflow (i.e. Final mix stems, color files, graphics). Currently if you import empty folders or folders with only one item in them, those empty folders disappear on import and the single item that was inside them is left outside any folder. This prevents planning and proper organization, and I'm not sure what the benefit of it is? Fewer folders? But I wanted those, that's why I made them.

Just leave the folder structures as they are, don't change them. If some users want an option to "automatically remove empty folders on import" then add that, but don't make removing them the default.


Importing empty folder structures is an essential organizational tool for any medium to large scale professional production. I made this same request in May of 2018 and have never gotten a response or seen it addressed, I really I hope I do this time!

[jasonk54312862]

it looks like it keeps the folder structure if there's MORE THAN ONE FILE IN THE FOLDER. 

WHY?  this makes no sense.  just import the folder as I have already created it

[R Neil Haugen]

That's been an ongoing pain for some time. I don't know why, but a LOT of us do complain about it only bringing folders 'in' if there are 2 or more files in the folder.

Neil

Mod note: Editied for content.

[jasonk54312862]

i've switched from Avid to Premiere since 2012 ish and don't remember this happening and I edit every day.  Is this a new bug?  so weird if not ha

[R Neil Haugen]

It's been around a couple years or so I think. Yea, you don't often 'hit' it, because most of us don't have folders with one file.

I know there are a couple media formats where the camera creates multiple clips from one longer running file, and puts each clip in a new folder by itself. I wonder if this is the reason that one file folders aren't brought in as bins.

Neil

[theTallest77]

Adding my experience here. Prior to the update all I had to do was set up a Footage bin in my project, then select all the cam folders in Media Browser and drag them in to that bin. Folder structure was retained. NOW, when I try to do that, nothing happens. I've also tried importing via right-click->"Import" in the project and selecting all folders from there, and nothing happens. I am FORCED to manually create bins for each cam, then go into each bin, switch over to the "Import" pane, and import the cam folder for that bin.

[R Neil Haugen]

That's just bizarre behavior! Wow, and would bo so maddening.

And it's something I can't replicate, nor know how to get around. Plus I can't mimic your listed process to import anything from the Import page into a specific bin.

So this is all just very puzzling.

I just use the "import" option by right-clicking in a project or bin, and it brings any folders with multiple items in them in as bins. Still ignores making bins if there's only one item in a folder, which is still annoying.

Neil

[FSR_Industries]

This is such an annoying change that they've made. Needs to go back to how it was. It's basic 101 to organise footage, especially when doing a shoot for a client that might be sevaral smaller shoots on different cameras or days perhaps. No one should be throwing all their footage into one bin with no organization. Adobe, please fix this. Doesn't matter whether I pull from Media Browser or Project panel, it only creates a bin for the folder that has multiple files in it. Even if I have a "FOOTAGE" folder with multiple folders within that, and only one of those folders with actual files in it so far, it will only bring that one folder that has files within it. So my point is, folders don't even act like "files" for the purpose of this bin exercise.

This has got to get a fix! The last few versions have had this issue and it's driving me nuts.

[NTzenov]

I'm sorry Adobe, but you dropped the ball on this one. You currently have two features, both labeled Import, that behave differently from each other -- bad design.

I agree with many of the comments before. This new "Import" page is a joke. I'm well aware of its terrible design, so I just skip it... however many of my students seem to have forgotten our introductory lecture on properly organizing and importing your assets, and upon creation of a new project many of them see this "Import" page as a welcoming and 'easy' way to get started. The only problem is that their projects have increased in complexity throughout the semester, and this is causing issues and groans... as well as confusion as to why their project structure looks different from what I have up on my screen.

Solution:

Add a checkbox to disable it if you want, but this page should retain folder structure. It's the first thing people see, and I'd love to use it (if it actually worked well); I don't believe anyone would be confused by bins in Premiere, nor do they adversely impact workflow that much, so if an editor has a simple '10 file' project... one bin won't break their workflow. There's no reason anyone should be able to select a folder with over 100 files spread across 5 subfolders to just have every file tossed into the project panel... or have ever single file slapped end-to-end onto a new timeline. How the **** is that helpful?

[jasonk54312862]

Folders with ONE OR ZERO FILES do not bring in the folders so if you have ten folders with ONE clip and import the drive you have organized, you get ONE bin with 10 files and now have to reorganize and make new bins.

THIS IS AWFUL.



Jason Kileen

Mod note: Edited for content

[R Neil Haugen]

Yes, that part is something most everyone agrees with. But isn't the only thing that's been discussed in this thread.

I'm one who has at times worked with dummy/template projects, so I can import the structure, dump the placeholding media, then import the working media just to get a precise organization structure.

And it's been asked repeatedly to be able to import simply the folder structure as-is to bins, no matter whether they have content or not.

Maybe someday we'll get it. It's something that does get asked a lot and I've no clue why it hasn't been changed long ago.

Neil

[jasonk54312862]

The point is it used to be fine. I don’t remember having this said until 2022 and think would’ve noticed because it’s ridiculous.

[R Neil Haugen]

Is it annoying? Oh yea. But needing to have something in each folder isn't new.

I couldn't add folders without something in them ... clear back to the first CC version. So my template projects always had to have a dummy item that Premiere could 'see' or the folder didn't get included.

As also noted in Jarle Leirpoll's excellent and massive tome on working with Premiere Pro.

Neil

Jarle’s Book “The Cool Stuff in Premiere Pro”

[jasonk54312862]

I dont think so as would’ve noticed before. Either way why defend an obvious flaw?

[Stan Jones]

jasonk,

It is ridiculous.

> The point is it used to be fine. 

That's what I would have said. But we'd both be wrong. I just opened PR 2020 (Version 14.9). That version also ignored folders with zero or one item. My test structure (folders with zero, one, and two or more files) had not used the problem you describe above - a Folder that has only one folder in it. And I confirm that such a folder is ignored.

My installed version of 2019 is crashing. CS6 - omg, everything imports into one folder.

Stan

[davisbot]

Add an option to preserve empty folder structures on import, so if you or your assistant editor has created a folder structure in the finder with empty folders to be populated with media later on in the production workflow (i.e. Final mix stems, color files, graphics), those empty folders won't disappear on import from the finder or from Media Browser.

This is an essential organizational tool.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

When I import a folder with subfolders in it, all of the content in the folders are missing from Premiere. This means I have to manually import each subfolder's contents. Never had this problem in Premiere before and it really kills my time management, due to the slow process of individually importing all of these files. Any chance you can fix this back to the way its always been?

[John Palmer]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE allow us to copy folder structures from the operating system directly into Premiere.

[John Palmer]

Including sub-folders...

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Not only that, but If I have Folder B with one file inside folder A with no files, don't merge it with Folder B with files inside Folder C with no files and place it on the root tree and not import those folders! How am I supposed to find the footage I placed when I can't find it since it was "moved" (and the search function is broken as well).

[Charm3D]

When we import a folder hierarchy only the folders with more than 1 item remain. Any folders with only one item in it, the file will be imported but the folder does not remain.

[davisbot]

Just came to request this feature and realized I already did... two and a half years ago. Has this been addressed? The ability to maintain folder structures is crucial to any larger scale television or film production.

[Gregory5F84]

I can't believe this is not getting more upvotes. It's driving me crazy that when I click "Import folder" on a folder with just one itme it doesn't import the folder

[thalvorson_7fold]

This is critical. I am building out course content with a very intentional folder structure and naming convention to handle the volume of videos being produced. I am seeing the subfolder structure get eliminated on import. Right now it appears it only goes 1 folder layer deep. So if my structure has 2 or 3 layers deep all the assets anywhere inside get scanned for and dumped up on the 1st folder level. VERY CONFUSING and VERY DISORIENTING while in production with the team. We've had to resort to manually dragging folder by folder into premiere to rebuild the structure which is a huge time suck when handling the volume of content in production.

[davisbot]

Bumping this again since it's been 3 years -- can someone from Adobe please respond? Is this being addressed? Preserving empty folder structures for organization is a critical tool for any assistant editor.

[davisbot]

Any word on this Adobe?