Working Folder question/s

[djboshh]

1) What is the working folder's purpose?

2) I'm saving my projects to a different partition to the one where Windows is on. The working folder in it's default location is on the same partition as Windows (C:). If i ever need to reinstall Windows this would overwrite the working folder. Would this effect opening my projects, i.e do the projects depend on the contents of the working folder always being there, or can they be rebuilt if missing? At the moment there is folder there called 'AudioTmp'. I don't plan on doing any capturing.

Thanks

Paul.

[Ken Berry]

As its name implies, the working folder provides an identifiable space where various activities associated with editing a project can take place and where necessary, be stored.

But here's the thing. The working folder can be anywhere on your computer you wish it to be. The default location, as you would be aware, is set out in Preferences > General. Personally, I've always found it strange that a working folder like this should be in the Documents library! So I usually change it to somewhere else. And if I have more than one drive on my computer, and there is a drive with more space, I usually set up my working folder there. I have even used an external hard drive at times, though then you have to remember to have that drive connected before you open VS.

Moreover, there is nothing to say you can't have more than one working folder. In fact, I usually create a different working folder for each project, just to keep things tidy in case I want to come back and work on a previous project.

Another thing: there is a second reference to the Working Folder -- this being in the burning module. When you select one of the disc options and the burning module opens, down in the bottom left is a series of icons. The first is Settings and Options. If you open that, you will see Preferences and that also specifies a Working Folder. By default it is the same as in the editing module. But changing it in the latter does not change the location in the burning module, so you might want to change it there too... either to the same one you set in the editing module, or even a different one.

[djboshh]

Thanks for the reply, understood.

If i change the working folder for each project via preferences, does each project when re-opened then automatically adjust that setting in preferences for you or do you have to manually change it yourself each time?

If i don't have anything captured in the working folder, and all my video clips are in their original location (instead of being put into the working folder), can the working folder be safely deleted, i.e can VideoStudio at a later date rebuild anything it needs, i.e 'AudioTmp' etc.

[lata]

Thanks for the reply, understood.

If i change the working folder for each project via preferences, does each project when re-opened then automatically adjust that setting in preferences for you or do you have to manually change it yourself each time? NO

If i don't have anything captured in the working folder, and all my video clips are in their original location (instead of being put into the working folder), can the working folder be safely deleted, i.e can VideoStudio at a later date rebuild anything it needs, i.e 'AudioTmp' etc.NO

Hi

The active working folder, that’s the one selected in (F6) Preferences should not be deleted, it can be changed to another folder but not deleted.
Maybe Corel need to address the use of this folder.
Prior to using memory based video most was tape based or analogue, capturing video was done in real time playing the tapes, the captured files were saved to the Capture Folder, allocated by the user, makes since, this folder is the same beast as the Working Folder.

In addition whilst editing our project some options save to the working folder, Take a Snapshot comes to mind.
If you delete the active working folder Video Studio will show an error message when you launch the program, I think? It will NOT auto generate another folder.

You do not have to use the working folder for your video clips which may be fragmented through several folders, However I prefer to have all clips used in a project in one folder, then allocate that as the working folder, maybe it should be called Project Folder, but that would indicate it is dedicated to a particular project which it is not.
We have to manually select the working folder.

Ken also mentioned a second folder used for the Burner Module, you would not normally have to change that location unless the C:Drive is on the small size.

[djboshh]

So, I'm confused.

If my working folder is in its default location on the C: drive, but my project/s are on another partition (D:), what happens if i want to reinstall Windows on the C: drive. Surely that would wipe over C: drive which includes the working folder. Would the Projects in D: drive no longer work then?

[Ken Berry]

Only if the project .vsp files was in the Working folder on the C:\ drive. That's one of the reasons I usually set my Working folder to be project-specific. I include the .vsp file for the project and everything else in that specific working folder, but usually have the working folder on another drive.

[djboshh]

Seems slightly odd that VideoStudio expects us to manually change the working folder each time we open a new or previous project, and expect us to always remember to do so too.

Surely it would make more sense when saving a project for the first time for VideoStudio to automatically save it inside it's own folder which also includes it's own working folder inside too?

Well, atm my working folder is in its default location (C:) & has a folder inside called AudioTmp. However my project is on another partition (D:). Can the working folder be moved now that i already have the VSP file on a separate partition, i.e can i re-join them both again on the D: partition somehow?

[Ken Berry]

Seems slightly odd that VideoStudio expects us to manually change the working folder each time we open a new or previous project, and expect us to always remember to do so too.

You've misunderstood. VideoStudio doesn't expect that. It establishes one default working folder which you can of course use for everything and not think about it. It's only people like me who prefer to establish separate working folders for each separate project.

Surely it would make more sense when saving a project for the first time for VideoStudio to automatically save it inside it's own folder which also includes it's own working folder inside too?

I guess it would. At least they have the Project files all stored in the same folder as the default Working Folder (Documents > Corel VideoStudio Pro) -- only the working folder (really a sub-folder) is "16.0" or "17.0" (depending on which version of VS you are using), while all the project files are in that same folder but in another sub-folder called "My Projects".

Well, atm my working folder is in its default location (C:) & has a folder inside called AudioTmp. However my project is on another partition (D:). Can the working folder be moved now that i already have the VSP file on a separate partition, i.e can i re-join them both again on the D: partition somehow?

If all your video files in that project are on the same partition (D:\) as the vsp file for it, I would have thought VS would be treating the folder where the video clips are stored as being the Working Folder. And if the vsp file is also in that folder, then you are worrying about nothing. Or is the vsp file in yet a further partition or separate folder on D:\? I confess I am getting a little lost.

But if your video clips are in the default Working Folder on C:\ and the vsp file is on D:\, then if you moved the working folder to D:\ you would have to move it in its entirety i.e with all the clips. And then, when next you open the vsp file in VS, it would ask if you wanted to re-link (as it could not find the files any longer on C:\ where the vsp files tells the program they are). You would then simply have to navigate to the first clip, and the others should then all re-link automatically. Then you will be good to continue editing, and the next time you save the Project, the vsp will be altered to show where the clips are now stored. (A vsp file is only a small text file telling the program where the clips in the project are located, and what editing has been done to them.)

[djboshh]

Ok,

- I have VideoStudio installed on C: (where Windows is)
- My project is inside D:\VideoStudio\Movie 05 (3-4 years)
- My Clips are inside D:\Emily\(Video Clips for next movie)

[lata]

Hi

I have three drives on my pc.
After my holidays I transfer my footage to a folder on my D Drive, the last holiday was in Costa Rica, and that is the name of the folder. The drive is dedicated to storing my video clips. I may create a subfolder to store my images, my project will be a mix of video and images as a slide show at the end.

I start a new project inserting my files to the timeline.
I save the project (File Save As) as a VSP to the Costa Rica folder.
I go to F6 and allocate Costa Rica as my working folder.
If I choose to take a Snapshot the image will now be saved to the CostaRica folder.
Keeping all my files for a particular project in one location makes sense to me.

Sorry if we have confused the issue regarding the working folder.

Yes it would be good if the working folder was associated with the project, then when we open a working project the correct folder would be used. Unfortunately its associated with the program not the project.

I guess Corel could do that, a simple matter of prompting use to create a working folder each time we start a new project. Then access that folder each time we run that project

[djboshh]

Thanks for the info Trevor. Understood.

In future I will do things your way.

What can I do about my present situation where my project and clips are on d: but the working folder on c: (with audiotmp folder inside). Can the working folder's location be changed mid project? i.e to consolidate them all together on d:

[lata]

Hi

Don’t worry to much about the working folder, should you do a Snapshot the image is saved there, and if that’s not the same as your video clips location there is no problem, things will still work.

I just like to keep all clips used in a project in the same folder, when I come to the end of my project I can delete the lot knowing I have removed all and do not have find miscellaneous files throughout my drives.

[djboshh]

Could I change the working folder mid-project?

[BrianCee]

Yes you can move videos and photos etc. mid project - but when you next open the project you will get a message saying the files do not exist - with a button offering the option to relink - clicking the relink button allows you to point the project to the new library folder - usually you only need to do that once and then never again - but if you are moving from two locations into one you may have to do it twice - just read carefully exactly which file VideoStudio wants to relink to first - then it will often find the rest.

[djboshh]

Understood, Thanks Brian