garageCube

[FlyingLobster]

This is more a general VJ question rhater than specific to M8... but still interesting...(well I hope!)

I would like to have your advice on how to organize your video clips library on your computer.
Do you have all your clips in the same folder ?
Do you sort them by category ? What kind of categories ?
Do you name them with keywords so that you can find them back by a finder search ?
Do you have categories for real videos, 3D animations, still images ?
Black/white or color ?

Just drop a few lines explaining your strategy to have your clips well organized !

Thanks

[vanakaru]

I use folders with some sort of description. But I search for the clips using iViewMedia Pro (or AtomicView if iView can not be found any more). I have seen Extensis being used as well.

[FlyingLobster]

thank you vanakaru for your answers to my multiple topics !

[anomad]

. i've been giving this topic a lot of thought in the last few weeks...

. currently, i keep my videos in folders by size (320x240, 640x480, etc) and those are broken down by vids w/alpha channel, no alpha and purchased/downloaded clips (to differentiate what i've created vs. other peoples stuff)

. but, those categories don't always make sense - depending on what i want to do.

. for example - if i'm going to use the matrix grids in modul8, i'll want to use square videos (so they line up better).

. if i'm doing some effect oriented - then knowing the nature of the video might dictate which effects i'd use. black and white fine line art doesn't look very good w/pixellate or hexagons and some of the distortions.

. if i'm using black and white clips, then i'll want to cycle the RGB values using the auto-color and if the clip has an alpha channel, i'll probably use some trace.

. and some projects i'd want to know if the clip 'loops perfectly' or not...

. however, i haven't really come up w/a way to determine these different parameters in a universal way.

. my current thought is using the filename listing various parameters so i might know the best context to use them in.


-james
(a nomad. )

[vanakaru]

you could keep your clips in one folder and create system of folders with different themes but have reference movies in these (instead of making duplicates). This has been used if you save projects for future use. Modul needs to know where the used clips are and will loose address if these get moved around. So you have a folder with M8 project file and all used clips reference files.
You can make reference file when saving from QT.

[FlyingLobster]

Vanakuru,

can youd etail what you exaclty do or which functions you use in AtomicView ?
Do you add meta data to your files ? or just browsing ?

[vanakaru]

Sorry I can not help on Atomic. I just have iViewMedia Pro from years back and use it still. I just know that Atomic is the same type of app, but I have not got into it too much since the trial expired too soon.

[Vibber]

Well my movies are a mess really - even though I have also thought about this many times.

Here are two suggestions:

Use Apples own 'smart folders' or an app like Adobe Bridge to browse your content:

http://www.udart.dk/2009/10/11/organizi ... be-bridge/

Create a system of folders and organize your movies using 'hard links'. 'Hard links' are a special kind of alias files that allows you to store one file in multiple folders. That way you don't have to move your original:

http://www.udart.dk/2010/02/22/modul8-q ... ith-links/