-
How do you organize converted files?
I’m writing a file-based workflow handbook for my company, which is a great time to rethink how we manage media. As often happens, there are plenty of inconsistencies and duplicates, which waste people’s time and cost more in storage.
So we’re all on the same page: conversions are non-unique duplicates of media, made out of technical necessity. If all our tools could deal with the source files or masters, we wouldn’t need them.
1. Do you have any systematic procedure for dealing with conversions?
2. How do you name converted files? If the new name includes a suffix they won’t relink, but using the exact same name as the original risks confusing them with the source.
3. Where do you keep them within your drive or folder hierarchy?
4. Do you keep them for as long as you keep the originals? If not, when do you delete them?
5. If you use a DAM software, how does it manage these things?
Currently we keep most conversions and have no consistent naming scheme. It’d be good to bounce some ideas.
-
1 Reply
-
I think you need to describe your situation more. Are these files on one SAN or transferred between single workstations. Do you have a post production or QA supervisor that signs off on what is distributed (in other words, marking cuts or title sequences as “finals”).
Why so many conversions? What programs are involved and can you pick an intermediate codec that will serve near everyone involved?
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up