Media Pool - Basic question

MarkG wrote on 10/16/2004, 5:30 PM
So, I'm starting my first project and learning Vegas at the same time. I've been using Pinnacle Studio7 for a quite while, but decided to go with Vegas (4.0) for stability. Anyway, I'm having a hard time adapting and would appreciate help with a couple questions:

First question is about the Media Pool. Some of my tapes have upwards of 200 clips and I've got 15 tapes of material for this particular project. It's a lot of material. I may choose material at any time from any of the tapes. Of course, I cannot see thumbnails of the clips in the Explorer window (to know which clips I would like to select). Do I need to open all these clips in the Media Pool (to see the thumbnails)? I'm not sure I understand why the Media Pool exists? It seems a little redundant. Why doesn't Vegas just allow users to see the thumbnails in the explorer window (or can it?), then I could drag them onto the timeline from there. That is more or less how they did it in Studio (obviously a different approach I need to get used to). Also, with that much material in the media pool, will it slow my machine down?

Other question has to do with the clips themselves. Is there a way to allow longer clips to appear as one clip rather than segmented by time. If I have a 2 hour long project, it will appear confusing to determine which clip is different from the next with the number of divisions between the clips. Thanks

Mark G

Comments

PeterWright wrote on 10/16/2004, 6:17 PM
Yes, you're right - you'll have to use the Media Pool if you want to use thumbnails. Naming the clips is also a good way of telling what's in them, and for sorting them.

In Explorer or Media Pool, you can have auto preview enabled, so that highlightling a clip (or a sound or still) shows/plays it in preview.

For a large number of clips you'd be advised to break them down into folders and subfolders inside the Media Pool.

If you've already done this in Explorer, you have no need to use Media Pool - I don't use it myself - I work straight from Explorer.

There are many ways of working - I capture tapes as one clip then if required create virtual subclips in Explorer by naming and saving Regions in the Trimmer.

regarding your second question, I don't know what you mean by "segmented by time" - please explain further.
MarkG wrote on 10/17/2004, 9:54 AM
Hmmm... that's one of my biggest frustrations with Vegas so far, not being able to view a thumbnail of each clip through the explorer window. Like I say, there are some 200+ individual clips per tape on a project with 15 tapes. I know which content is on each tape (I've labled them according to the type of material shot), but as far as individual scenes, it would be way more work to label each individual clip on this project. Just seems to me to be a huge oversight not to be able to view a thumbnail from the explorer window. Of course, I can click on a file and view it throuth the preview window, but that means spending a lot of unnecessary time "hunting" through files to find a scene. If I could play or veiw through the explorer window it would save a bunch of time.

As for the Media Pool, is there a way to save clips I've added to the media pool? I've added files from my project but they don't appear if I close Vegas and restart. Thanks,

Mark
GaryKleiner wrote on 10/17/2004, 10:52 AM
>> that's one of my biggest frustrations with Vegas so far, not being able to view a thumbnail of each clip through the explorer window.<<

Just open the WINDOWS explorer where you can use a thumbnail view. You can drag right to the timeline from there.

Gary
PeterWright wrote on 10/17/2004, 6:13 PM
Gary's way will at least give you a workaround.
I don't find thumbnails a definitive way to tell what's in the clip - firstly it all depends on what's in the first frame, and also you can have dozens of clips whose first frame looks similar. This means having to play the clip to find out and auto preview in Vegas Explorer does this.

A well chosen clip name can say more, and help sort material into program order.

If you add material to the Media Pool, then save the project, it should still be there when you reopen - does this definitely not happen for you?
MarkG wrote on 10/17/2004, 6:47 PM
I hear what you are saying about the thumbnails possibly looking similar with similar clips or retakes. But with SO many clips on a tape, a thumbnail would definitely provide some level of identification, particularly when scenes vary differently or shot at a different location. Once I narrow the clip down to the series I'm looking for (using a thumbnail) I would then use the preview window. I can't believe this hasn't come up before. It just seems so unintuitive no to be able to view some information of the files prior to previewing them.

I thought I saved the project I imported media into the media pool. Perhaps I will try it again.

Mark G