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XMP Sidecar files
The short question is: can I force Premiere to only write XMP to a sidecar file & not write it into the media file itself?
I use clip markers like crazy, they become an integral part of my edit process and this info is written to the XMP inside my media. I have a few problems with this. Would love to hear from people that have thought this through.
My source media generally gets archived first. No one touches it, goes directly to the archive in duplicate for long term storage. PROBLEM: At the end of the project I don’t want to archive media files all over again just to retain 1MB of metadata.
PROBLEM2: The source media I’m actively working on is not getting backed up daily, it’s too big for the cloud, and it’s already backed up in my archive (step 1). As I wrap my head around XMP, I’m now realizing I’ve not been protected, with an HDD crash I’ll get back my media back from the archive & my project from cloud backup but all that metadata will be gone. Freak out.
PROBLEM3: When my assistant editor logs from a copy of the media on her local HDD, to get that metadata into the edit suite the media has to be replaced. Now that little bit of text data is causing huge copy times. (not a problem if working across the network)
PROBLEM4: my client’s media, I can’t alter their media. And towards the end of this project maybe I’ll move the edit to their systems relinking to their SAN media. Disappearing clip markers.
SOLUTIONS, would love to hear some. It seems to me if I can force XMP to the sidecar file, I could pretty easily deal with the above issues. Crashplan will back them up to the cloud, can move them between systems manually, can archive them at the end of the project.
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7 Replies
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Although PPro can sync some data from PPro into XMP…and I assume sidecar data….not sure markers is one of those things.
Even if your project media is not back up and you’ restore from the archive….
what about simply backing up your PPro project….clip markings are (I’d assume) are generally a function of the prject.
ppro Project files themselves are pretty small.
So if you can restore your media from archive, and you’ve got you PPro Project….which references that media….and holds the marker data….don’t you have what you need?
storing markups in media is potentially tricky business….when you think about a wider use case. If mulitple people what to think about and mark up an asset….storing that asset with all the markings from everyone who might use it…..could make things pretty “noisy” for lack of a better term….but I may not be thinking it thru….
hmmm
Alex Udell
Editing, Motion Graphics, and Visual FX -
Sequence markers are in the PP Project. Clip Markers are in the XMP attached to the media files, as far as I’ve been able to confirm. Unless I’m wrong in which case maybe my system is doing something bad in the sync between XMP data and the project. (Yes, I back up my project file)
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no….if you see them there….then they are there.
so the question is then….can you force sidecar?
I bet you can…try setting a piece of media as READ ONLY in the OS
see what happens then…
Alex Udell
Editing, Motion Graphics, and Visual FX -
Locking the files’ a good idea, but rewinding to the XMP.
You’re putting me down a good path here, so I took a PPro project from my Ass.Editor; import with the media offline… YES, the clip markers are in the PPro project file. Check that out. But then I relink the media to source file on my edit system and the clip markers disappear!?!
So maybe I’m getting multiple copies of the media with different Premiere assigned unique identifying numbers in the XMP? So once I relink to a duplicated file (that is not technically duplicate because the Premiere generated XMP ID’s don’t match across the two files from two systems) then the app syncs them & goes with the clip with no markers, thus deleting her markers. Something for me to test tomorrow.
Part of my test should be doing the same process with the original media that never got a Premiere import thus not yet having received an XMP ID.
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Should you disable the pref for XMP assign on import when using that workflow from you assistant editor?
Alex Udell
Editing, Motion Graphics, and Visual FX -
this is very interesting….please update your thread with findings….
thanks!
Alex Udell
Editing, Motion Graphics, and Visual FX -
I didn’t end up running all those test to nail down how Adobe interacts with the XMP IDs but we did move forward with…
Rule 1 import every piece of media into an adobe app before it is duplicated or backed up, so there’s no chance of the same file getting multiple Id numbers assigned.
Optional: turn off the I’d assign on export… But I find that difficult when dealing with many computers and freelancers. Plus the feature is pretty sweet when it works.
It’s a moot point because a Premiere bug eventually forced the entire project over to FCP7 anyways. Adobe was aware of the issue so maybe out bug won’t resurface for others in the new version?
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