How to re-import updated media files

chris8 wrote on 6/20/2013, 1:49 PM

I've made my movie and imported various sound and image files which I have edited with external editors. If I then update such a media file, how do I get MEP 2013 to recognise the updated file and incorporate it in the movie? Do I have to delete it from and newly drag it back on to the timeline (which does work) or is there a cleverer way to do it? Dragging is OK for one or two items but quickly gets old when there are many files that have been updated.

In particular I'd like to know if it's possible with audio files and be able to retain any volume curve edits I've made previously without having to enter them all again.

I'm aware of the Exchange Object mode (4) but that kills any curve edits along with the previous media item.

Thanks for any help !

Comments

gandjcarr wrote on 6/20/2013, 3:57 PM

Hi,

If you move the old files out of the folder that they were in when you created the project and replace them with the edited files if they have exactly the same file name as the old ones, MEP may recognize them as the originals (I have not tried that but it might work). Even if MEP does not recognize them as the originals, when you are loading the original project, when the files are not found where they are supposed to be, MEP will alert you and you can then browse to the correct file and it will use that one.

George

cpc000cpc wrote on 6/20/2013, 7:31 PM

chris8,

Perhaps too late for the current project, but have you considered using a 'linked' external editor? You set the program to be used under 'File' >> 'Program settings' >> 'Folder' tab -- in this case 'PhotoDesigner' but others will work if they follow the OLE (object linking & embeding) standard.

And then use a right click menu over your object:

When you exit the editor you're prompted to save as or overwrite. If you overwrite (having made a backup of the original first!) you will find the edited image on your MEP timeline with effect intact.

Volume curves (which are saved within the project, not the audio file) are retained as far as I can tell by simple testing. I assume you are not somehow introducing the curve with your external editor.

Regards,

Carl

chris8 wrote on 6/21/2013, 5:15 AM

Thanks for the suggestions guys. After playing around a bit I think I've come up with a useable workflow.

To replace an image with a newer version of itself, put the newer version in a new directory (mod1/, mod2/ etc) and rename the old version to 'name_old'. When you restart MEP it will ask for the new location of the unfound image and you point it to the new place then.

To replace a sound file is more complicated because it seems that MEP stores a local version of whatever mp3 or wma (etc) you throw into the project. This means that if you store your new version of the sound file in the mod1/ folder and rename the old version, when you restart MEP it still finds the old version! Right click the file in the timeline and go to Properties to discover that the file actually being used is a local copy in user\MAGIX\Movie Edit Pro 2013 Plus\AudioTemp\. So what you have to do is delete this local copy (and all its variants). Now when you restart MEP it won't find the local copy and will prompt you to point it at the new version. It will then happily make a new local copy of the new version using whatever volume curves it already had for the old version.

Simples! (not).

Editing items in the external editor does seem to work but I found it got really confusing knowing where it was storing the updates, particularly if it was really making edits to 'hidden' local files. Explicitly making new folders and keeping track of the updates makes life easier if you have to stop and work out what it is you've done.

Thanks again!