Yes, if you right click a photo, then click "Select Timeline Events" the photo will be "highlighted" in the timeline with some numbers....I guess the length of the clip ?...rather than it's timecode position in the project ?

However, the cursor doesn't automatically go to this position and if you're zoom level is incorrect for this procedure, you won't even see the rather very pale "highlight." Maybe they could add a stroke of color around the photo ? (just a suggestion)

Also, the reverse is not true. That is, you cannot see from the Project Media bin that this photo has indeed been used in the timeline with a "check-mark" or an "X" or something.....please !

you cannot see from the Project Media bin that this photo has indeed been used in the timeline with a "check-mark" or an "X" or something.....please !

When you add a photo (or media) to the timeline, it shows up in the Project Media. That's how you know it is being used!

When you click the "lightning bolt" icon in Project Media, it removes the references to unused events, such as those that have been added and then deleted from the timeline.

You can use the Project Media to select one or more events on the timeline, and you can use the timeline to select images in the Project Media. It works both ways.

I don't know what could be simpler. Not anything in Pinnacle that I can remember.

I see where we are getting our wires crossed. It's in our working method.

You probably use Windows Folders/Thumbnails to view and import files into VMS whereas I, coming from Pinnacle Studio, import "all" photos (whether I use them or not ) into the Project Media bin.

Therefore, I rely on the Project Media Bin to "show me" what I've used or not used.




Good to know. Thanks. But, this would only apply at the end of editing. A "clean-up" of used and unused files in the Project Media Bin..




I understand the former, but, not the latter. Can you explain that a bit further ? I must be missing something.

Not sure if the Studio version does this ...

Can you change the project media window to "Detail" view? This will give you a spreadsheet view of the media. One of the columns may be "use count". If it's a 0 then the item isn't on the timeline. If it's not a 0 then you know it's on the timeline somewhere.

I see where we are getting our wires crossed. It's in our working method.
I came here from Pinnacle a long time ago, and had to force myself to abandon my old workflow entirely. Once I did that, I never looked back.

You probably use Windows Folders/Thumbnails to view and import files
Putting all your media in one project folder has a number of advantages. You are right, the media are pulled from that project folder using Explorer, and appear in Project Media. Pulling them in willy-nilly from different locations and drives is fraught with pitfalls, and Project Media doesn't organize them for you, it just shows them to you.

Therefore, I rely on the Project Media Bin to "show me" what I've used or not used
That is not intuitive to my workflow. I don't use the "Detailed" view much, except when working with a lot of stills, for instance. I think you should make a feature suggestion to Sony. It might be handy.

Keep in mind that "Project Media" is a virtual folder, not an actual location. Deleting something only makes the reference disappear, you have to work to tell it to delete the actual media if that is what you want it to do.

But, this would only apply at the end of editing.
No. When you get deeper into editing, you might end up with dozens of audio or video takes (renders), that you no longer need. Kelly and I both have talked about the need to repeatedly clean up the Project Media. A minor inconvenience, though.

I must be missing something.
Right-click on a timeline event, and "Select in Project Media List."

...You are right, the media are pulled from that project folder using Explorer, and appear in Project Media....

Actuallly, I started using VMS this way. But, the problem I have with VMS's "Explorer Window" is that it is extremely slow to view photo thumbnails.

Even the "Project Media" folder, for some unknown reason, constantly "re-freshes" photo thumbnails as you scroll down to photos that are hidden from view. And then, as you scroll back up to photos that were already "re-freshed" VMS re-freshes them again. Why is that ?

... I don't use the "Detailed" view much, except when working with a lot of stills, for instance. I think you should make a feature suggestion to Sony. It might be handy.

Yes, I agree Musicvid. This is not my prefered working method either. I am not "data" oriented. I prefer to see what is what.
How do I make suggestions to Sony ?

...Right-click on a timeline event, and "Select in Project Media List." ...
Gee, you'd think I would have thought of that ? Many thanks.

A few comments worth pointing out in the "Detail" view of the project media pool:

1. The "Use Count" for video files will normally show twice the actual use count. If you drag a video clip to the timeline -- audio and video -- the use count will be set to 2 because the audio and the video each get counted individually. (So "christmas2009.avi" with a use count = 2 generally means it appears just once on the timeline.)

2. All of the column headers in the Detail View can be clicked to sort the list in that order. For example, click the "Name" to order the list by filename. Click a second time for descending order. To put all your "unused" photos at the top of the list, click the Use Count column once or twice so that all of your unused photos appear at the top of the list.

3. All of the columns can be arranged in whatever order you choose. Just click and drag a column header left or right to get the info you want in the order you want.

I tend to put everything that belongs to the project in the Project Media pool and then further organize it using the "Bins" capability in the Project Media pool. For example, on a big project from a two-week backpacking trip, I organized bins for each day or each campsite from the trip, and put the appropriate photos, video, and graphics, etc., in the appropriate bins. This made it easy on the timeline to edit stuf from Day 3, Day 4, etc. The "bins" are purely an organizing data structure and do not in any way affect the actual location of the original files on your hard disk.

But to be honest, I don't really do a lot of editing on a regular basis, so my workflow might not be the best example.

Tim L