How to tidy the media bin in Video by Zaweba

Projects collect clutter. You import a folder to look for one shot, try three pieces of music before settling on one, and drag the same file in twice from two different places. By the end, the bin holds far more than the film uses. Video by Zaweba has a tidy command for exactly this, and it is careful about what it removes.

It does two separate jobs: it removes files that nothing uses, and it merges duplicates. You can use either one, and it pays to understand what each counts as "used" or "the same" before you press anything.

Removing files nothing uses

A file counts as unused only when nothing in the project points at it. That means no clip on any timeline (not just the one you have open), no take in the Episode Builder and no voice take. If a file appears in any of those places, it stays.

That rule matters on projects with several timelines. You might have a long edit, a short trailer and a version for social media in one project. A clip that only appears in the trailer is still in use, and the tidy will leave it alone even while you are looking at the long edit.

Removing a file from the bin does not delete it from your disk. Video by Zaweba only ever reads your originals, so tidying the bin changes the project and nothing else. If you later want a removed file back, import it again.

Merging duplicates

Duplicates creep in easily. The merge treats two items as the same in two cases: the same file imported twice, or copies that share the same name, size and length. The second case catches the common situation where you copied a card to two drives and imported from both.

When duplicates are merged, the clips that used them move across to the first copy. Your timeline does not change at all; every clip still plays the same picture and sound, but the bin now holds one entry instead of two or three. Edits, effects and trims on those clips are untouched because the clips themselves are kept, only the file they point at changes.

When to tidy

A good time is just before you hand a project over or archive it. A lean bin is easier for the next person to read, and easier for you when you return to the project months later.

Another good moment is after the rough cut, once you have decided which material made it in. Before that point, an unused file may simply be one you have not got round to yet. Removing it early means importing it again later, which costs nothing but a little time, but it can break your flow.

Avoid tidying while you are still auditioning music or alternative takes that sit only in the bin. They count as unused until they reach a timeline, so they would be swept out with the rest. If you want to keep alternatives around without them being on the main edit, one approach is to put them on a separate timeline in the same project, which counts as use.

The Notes tab

Beside the bin sits a Notes tab. It holds free text and is saved with the project, so the notes travel with the work rather than living in a separate document you might lose. Use it for the things that are not footage: the client's comments, the list of shots still to find, the name of the music track you need to clear, or which take the director preferred.

Notes and a tidy bin go well together. Before you remove anything, a quick line in Notes about what you decided and why can save a confusing moment later.

A tidy habit

None of this needs to be a big job. Run the tidy when a project reaches a natural milestone, check the bin afterwards, and keep a line or two in Notes. Video by Zaweba keeps your files on your own computer with no account and nothing uploaded, so a clean project is also one you can back up, move or share with confidence that it only carries what it needs.