Workflow Tip! Use that MS Toolbar!

Grazie wrote on 4/12/2006, 12:59 AM
Ok, I'm slow . . Maybe you all do this but I just applied some more management to my VEG access.

Yes we can have up 9 of the last "open" veggies hanging by their fingertips to the FILE menu. This is good. And IF you're already within V you can pick one off. But how about the 10th last open? Or the 15th last opened? Sounds silly? well no.

In using nested veggies I can now work on subsections of the BIG-vid in many ways. This CAN bring withn it some frustrating searching ansd rummaging. I can easily knock-up 9 plus veggies just by trying different things out. Now how do I easily, quickly and out of sequence summon up number veg 15? or the BIG Nested Veg - which just maybe lying at number 11?

Here is another way. Just done it.

Make a Shortcut and give it one of them cheesy MS Icons and stick it on the Taskbar.

I now have ones for my V6 Folder; my latest main VEG project folder and I have a cheesy MS "STAR" Icon for my latest Project BIG-VID assembled-nested. AND dong it this way they open as new VEG instances too! Meaning, what ever I WAS working on doesn't get substituted by clicking on one of these Taskbar Icons. Love it!

Grazie

Comments

farss wrote on 4/12/2006, 1:46 AM
It's amazing what you can make many MS apps and OSs do.

I write a fair bit of VB code but never really plumbed the depths of the code editor, I'm used to writting code for old style compilers with nothing more than a text editor. So blow me down after years of using this thing I only a few days ago found that I can use the search to find something and under View there's an item to return to the previous location plus another option that jumps me straight to where something is declared, those two gems have made me more productive.
Except now I keep wondering why I can't do the same thing in Vegas.
And that's pretty frustrating when I'm working with two hours of audio. Zoomed way in fixing some little glitch, hit the wrong key and I'm at the end / start of the event, a key to go back to where I was before the foobar would be nice.


And now someone is going to tell me there is one and make me feel really stupid.

Actually I think I've gotta agree with what someone said somewhere else about Vegas, some things are TOO easy to do

Bob.
Grazie wrote on 4/12/2006, 2:21 AM
Actually I think I've gotta agree with what someone said somewhere else about Vegas, some things are TOO easy to do

What? Like Text synching . .. ;-)
GlennChan wrote on 4/12/2006, 7:57 AM
And that's pretty frustrating when I'm working with two hours of audio. Zoomed way in fixing some little glitch, hit the wrong key and I'm at the end / start of the event, a key to go back to where I was before the foobar would be nice.
Hitting backspace will bring your own loop selection back. Shift-L or Shift+Q to select it, hit enter twice (play and pause) should bring you there.

Unfortunately I don't know of any way to get the last playhead position.
Paul_Holmes wrote on 4/12/2006, 8:01 AM
I just discovered a program called "Directory Opus." It's a Windows Explorer replacement and I'm loving it for just the reason mentioned above. It allows you to create groups of tabs, like Firefox.

So, if all my vegs are in one directory, or in various sub-directories I can create a tab group for just that project. Double-clicking on the desktop or the taskbar brings up DO with the last set of tabs I've saved and set up and there right in front of me, almost immediately are all my veg files waiting for me to double-click.
BrianStanding wrote on 4/12/2006, 8:02 AM
I trust you have the space bar set to Play/Pause in the general preferences?
jrazz wrote on 4/12/2006, 8:20 AM
I use google desktop search and it saves me a ton of time that I would use to search directory to directory, drive from drive, trying to find a file that I worked on a year ago or so. Now, all I do is type in the name of the client (all my files have the name in all related files) and it brings it up- I right click and hit open folder and there it is.
It is really helpful if you have multiple, multiple hard drives... or maybe I just need to organize better :)

j razz
BrianStanding wrote on 4/12/2006, 8:33 AM
Doesn't Media Manager do this automatically?
jrazz wrote on 4/12/2006, 9:03 AM
I'm sure it does, but google desktop does it for all files. I have not used media manager since I had problems with it at first... I know, it is better and great now, but I am already using google desktop and it works great and I can find contracts, pictures, video, cd/dvd top designs, etc. with it.

j razz
rmack350 wrote on 4/12/2006, 9:21 AM
PC Magazine mentions that Directory Opus has "startling speed".

Great, just what I want, to be startled every time I browse for files ;-)

I've been using a program called ExplorerX2 which has a few nice features like dual panes (like norton commander). Looks like Opus has some more features I use, like synchronization. That's very important because I like to keep a portable USB drive synked up with my work assets.

I still find Explorer to be a great tool all on it's own. I use "find" all the time because we just have way to much storage in our little company. Sometimes I just want to find files created today.

I use the Windows toolbar a lot as well. If I've got a project I'll set up a folder of shortcuts to the things I'm working on and drop it on the toolbar, or better yet, in the Explorer "links" toolbar, which may be what Grazie was writing about. If I don't do this I spend too much time staring at the screen trying to remember what I was about to do.

I love Explorer's ability to select a bunch of files, hit alt+enter, and set properties for the whole bunch. I wish Vegas could do this.

Rob Mack
Paul_Holmes wrote on 4/12/2006, 5:55 PM
Directory Opus's speed is only startling in comparison to starting an instance of Windows Explorer. As I said I double-click the desktop to open it. Within about 1 sec my dual panes are staring me in the face and all the tabs I've defined. I'm finding this incredibly useful to keep 5 or 6 or more oft browsed places in my file system just a couple clicks away.

Occasionally I use Copernic desktop to find files I've long "lost", but for projects I'm working on Opus really is an incredible enhancement. No more clicking on C, then Video, then the project, then this subfolder, then that subfolder.

I was originally storing my current video project in Explorer's favorites and that at least got me to the top directory quickly, but now, as I said, I double-click the desktop, click the tab I need and I'm there.
rmack350 wrote on 4/12/2006, 6:43 PM
Directory Opus looks great and it does a lot more than just the tabs.

For Explorer and IE, if you put a folder named current project in the the "links" folder in favorites then it can appear on the explorer toolbar. You just drag shortcuts in there. Not bad considering the price and it sounds to me like it takes as many clicks as it takes to get to your tabs. I also have explorer set to start when I press ctrl+alt+e.

What I don't like is explorer windows all over the desktop. Usually i'm going from folder A to folder B so having a dual-pane file browser gets them both to the forground at once.

I do a ton of prep for the web every day. I'm totally with you on making navigating folders easier.

Rob Mack
vicmilt wrote on 4/13/2006, 2:21 AM
Great thread....

I've got about 40 or 50 separate hard drives with archived media, photos, art, etc. -
By and large each drive is "job specific".
I mount them with firewire when needed.

Is there any software that will index them all and keep the index on Drive C: so that I can find a file even if the drive is not plugged in?
Grazie wrote on 4/13/2006, 3:11 AM
Is there any software that will index them all and keep the index on Drive C: so that I can find a file even if the drive is not plugged in?

Vic? This would appear to be a job for Media Manager. Offline media is still referenced. I've just learnt how to do the UPDATE of "Offline" media. I had material on a F/W drive which was showing up as being OFFLINE. I then did an update and the media showed up. But the thing where I think you would score is that ALL media would have referenced/added to start with and THEN you hold a library of that material which in itself would be the option for the many and various mountains of media you have.

The more I think about it, the more I think MM would be good for you. PLUS MM gives you a staggering ability to create searches on the smallest of a clue I can remember about the media!!

Media Manager? Brilliant!

Grazie