Smart Package error "Timeline Contains VSP files"

[Watson5608]

Have had a lot of problems editing this video project with Corel, from disabled links to unable to relink to vsp files even though they haven't been touched. Now we're trying to use SmartPackage to try and edit a project on a different computer without having to redo all the editing in the Timeline from raw clips. Saved the current project then tried to do Smart Package. Error message pops up that "The Timeline contains one or more VideoStudio project file clips. Smart Package cannot proceed." Is there an option in which we can choose what file type the clips in the Timeline are? Are there any other options so we can share a project from one laptop to another to continue edits?

[lata]

Hi
Welcome to the forums……..

You seem to be having several problems which I am afraid may be the way you are using the program and controlling your video files.
I’ll try to explain each problem you have mentioned.

Video Studio Projects
First when we insert a file to the timelines, Video, audio, image etc the file is represented by a virtual clip, a thumbnail, this is linked to the files location on your hard drive. If you these files in any way then Video Studio will loose that link, then request a Re-Link. You then browse the hard drive to find the original inserted file.
Video Studio will request a re-link for files that have been deleted, re-named or moved.

The project is saved as a VSP Video Studio Project file, this file is not a video file it is a project file containing the edit information.

Nesting
This is a process where we can add a project file, a VSP to the timeline, adding one VSP inside another, it will display as though a video file but can confuse especially if you are unaware of doing this.
Nesting projects can cause many problems

I do not recommend that anyone uses the nesting process, instead render the individual projects to a new video file, then add the video file to another project.

Your Projects

It would appear that you have nested a VSP inside another otherwise you wouldn’t have seen the error “The Timeline contains one or more VideoStudio project file clips. Smart Package cannot proceed."

If you have done this by mistake then the nesting problem could get complicated

You need to identify the files you have used in the project, open your project.
Go to Settings-Preferences-General tab – Clip Display Mode to File Names only, your clips in timeline view will display the file names.
If you find a VSP, Right click the clip and select properties then take note of the name, this also shows where on the hard drive the VSP is saved to. Do this for all VSP’s you find.

Now open these VSP’s and again view the content, hopefully you do not find any nested VSP’s.

Once you have identified a project that does not contain a nested VSP you need to convert it to a video file, Share Create Video File, the settings you choose depends on your original video files properties and what you are intending to make.

Ok its getting a little involved, so tell us what you have found.

[Watson5608]

I imported my video files into Corel and began dragging/dropping them into the Timeline to edit. Does all this mean that before dragging/dropping into the Timeline I have to render each raw video file first and can then add it to the Timeline and edit as needed? I never had to do anything like that for FinalCut Pro, so is this an extra step for Corel?
Thank you

[BrianCee]

No you do not need to render individual clips before you drop them into the timeline - just put them in the timeline direct.

I think our confusion arises from the fact that you mentioned re-linking to .vsp files - you do not need to link to vsp files you just go "File>>open" and browse to the vsp and select it - it then opens and puts all your clips back in the timeline - after editing "File>>save" puts everything back away in the vsp. - then you say the error references vsp files in the timeline - not something which happens automatically - have you added any vsp files to the timeline?

so when exactly does the vsp linking problem you mentioned occur - what are you trying to do at that point.

[Watson5608]

What I did was record video, capture it from the camera to the laptop, imported the video clips into Corel's media library, then drag and dropped them to the Timeline and began editing. The problem has come with trying to take a project that I have clips edited in the Timeline onto another laptop for further editing and rendering. Sometimes when we open the project - from the desktop, open the folder it's saved in, double click, it opens Corel and the timeline is there with the edits - there is sometimes the error message saying that some clips have not be relinked. The clips that don't relink are green screen shots. Tried to use Smart Package to move everything into a bundle so we could transfer it from one laptop to another to continue editing. That's when we get the message that it can't use Smart Package because there are VSP files in the Timeline.
Sorry this is so complicated. I really appreciate your time and help!

[lata]

Hi

We seem to have two issues here that need correcting separately.

First you are at some time seeing a Re-Link request, the only reason for a re-link request is that the files on the hard drive have been altered in some way. However they now appear to be Screenshots
ScreenShot images are saved to the working folder, you can allocate any folder to be the working folder, I usually use the same folder where the camera files reside, that way all clips related to a particular project are together.
Go to Settings – Preferences to select/change the working folder, by default it will be within the My Documents structure.
--------------------------------------------
Secondly inadvertently you appear to have used a process called nesting, this is adding a VSP inside another VSP.
Easy to do by mistake if you do not recognise the difference between a Video File and a Project file.
If you have added these types to the library they look just like videos, a thumbnail.

You must identify your projects content
Go to Settings-Preferences-General tab – Clip Display Mode to File Names only, your clips in timeline view will display the file names. View the project from timeline view.
If you find a VSP, Right click the clip and select properties then take note of the name, this also shows where on the hard drive the VSP is saved to. Do this for all VSP’s you find.

Did you identify any VSP files?

[Watson5608]

I'm working on "Computer B" so I have had to reimport the raw files into my version of Corel. Importing the raw footage into corel everything comes in as .mov or .m2t, as it should. I think what happened as we screwed up the green screen. My partner took the shots filmed with the green screen onto his computer, "Computer A". He then edited the green screen effects and rendered them out to bring to me. Looking at those files, he rendered them out as .vsp. So I added his .vsp files into the timeline, which is why smart package couldn't work.

Now that smart package will work, will it grab all the files in the library as well or just the files in the timeline as they are? When we open the smart package on another computer, will it open up as the project with the clips in place in the timeline or as a file folder of all the clips from the timeline as individual files?

Thank you so so much for all your help!

[lata]

Hi

Thanks for the feedback, it all makes sense now…….

Smart Package makes a copy of the files used in the timelines, it does not copy the library content.

It also creates a new VSP project file saving that to the same folder.
The clips in the timeline may have been cut, frames removed, Smart Package does not save the trimmed clip, it saves the raw file.

Opening the VSP in another computer should work just like opening in the parent computer.
You may however receive a Re-Link request, if so browse and find the file within the Smart Package, all files should be linked. Then File--Save to preserve the links.

Library
The library contains virtual clips, thumbnails representing the raw files on the hard drive, if you need to use the raw files then you have to move them to the other computer.

As a workround you could add them to the end of your project and allow Smart Package to copy them.
Open VSP in other pc, drag files to library, delete from timeline.

[BrianCee]

There are a lot of VideoStudio tutorials on Youtube and quite a number of them deal with the smart package - here is one of them - but a browse around will give you more :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xPWDM9wtyw

[Bill Aggie]

So I had this problem and I was sure I did not nestle any vsp files. Well... VideoStudio does this if you use any time remapping (as in speeding through a clip you might be describing as it plays 2 or 3x speed, etc.). VideoStuido inserts a Vsp in place of the time remapping so any clips you include at high speed will be the VSP that prevents you from smart packaging this.

I find this is a big bug myself. There needs to be some provision to do a fast clip and not get locked out of smart package.

[lata]

Hi Bill
If we use Remapping from a clip in the library, the process works the same as the timeline option
A VSP is placed in the library
Now dragging this to the timelines will display the VSP as individual video clips, no VSP.
Now Smart Package should work.

Another option
Yes I agree that Smart Packaging should support nested VSP projects
We can however convert the remapping VSP to a video file.
The easiest is to use the batch convert option
Once you have the video file, import to the library, then replace the timeline VSP with the video file

Otherwise Corel could allow the File Save Trimmed Video to work for these clips, so far that option does not work.
In fact Corel could make that automatic when using Remapping.

[Bill Aggie]

Well I I'm reading your first suggestion over and over and it's going over my head. My concept is next time to render a project with just the speed play then use it as a clip. That's a lot of darn work. I think you have the answer I did try your 2nd option and my project blew up. It took me 3 hours to put it back together. It's not your suggestion, VS is buggy and when I pulled that vsp out it somehow screwed up the timeline even all the way to the front of the project. Grrrrr...

[lata]

Bill
To replace the VSP with the new video file we can drag the video to the timeline over the VSP, pressing CTRL key will change the cursor to Replace Clip, then drop the video
The timeline clips should remain in place

If things go wrong try hitting undo, or you can close the project without saving

It may be best to create a copy of the project when testing these new options