Project manager and handoffs in Video by Zaweba

Projects grow messy. Media ends up spread across downloads, card copies and old folders, and a finished edit may use two minutes of an hour of footage. The Project manager in Video by Zaweba gathers that up, and a pair of related File commands make it easy to hand a project or a part of one to someone else.

This is the set of tools you reach for when a job ends, when a drive is filling up, or when a colleague needs to pick up where you left off.

Three ways to package a project

The Project manager offers three approaches. Collect copies every file the project uses into one place, whole and untouched. Trim copies only the parts the edit actually uses, with handles, meaning a little extra on each side of every clip so the edit can still be adjusted later. Transcode converts what the project uses to ProRes 422 HQ or DNxHR HQ, two widely used formats that suit archiving.

Which to choose depends on what comes next. Collect is the safe, simple choice when you want everything kept. Trim is the space saver when the edit is settled. Transcode suits long-term storage, when you want the media in one dependable format rather than a mixture of camera files.

Choosing handles

Handles are the part people skip and later regret. With no handles, a trimmed project cannot extend a shot by even a frame, and transitions that need extra footage at each end have nothing to work with. A modest handle on each clip keeps your options open at small cost. If you think the edit may be revisited, give it a little more room.

Handing work to other people

File > Export a media log for Avid writes an .ale file. That is a log of clips and their details in a form Avid systems read, which helps when an assistant or another facility needs to bring the same media into their own setup.

File > Export selection as a new project takes the clips you have selected and makes a project of just those. It is a neat way to pass one scene to a colleague, split a long programme into parts, or start a cut-down version without carrying the whole original along.

A routine for finishing a job

When an edit is delivered, save the project, then run the Project manager. For a job that may come back, collect or trim with generous handles. For a job going into storage, transcode to ProRes 422 HQ or DNxHR HQ so the archive does not depend on camera formats that may be awkward to open in years to come.

Open the packaged project once from its new location before you delete anything. Play through it and confirm nothing shows as offline. Only then clear the original working files, if you want the space back.

Mistakes to avoid

Do not trim with no handles unless you are certain the edit is final. Do not delete source media before you have checked the packaged copy opens cleanly. And keep in mind that transcoding takes time and disk space, so start it when you can leave the machine to work.

The Project manager fits with the rest of Video by Zaweba's file tools, including relinking and the Files tab. Used at the end of every job, it keeps your drives tidy and turns finished projects into self-contained folders you can move, back up or pass on with confidence.