Card File Names

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ADBest
Posts: 79
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 3:04 pm
Location: Sunderland

Card File Names

Post by ADBest »

I am getting down to work on video captured from the card on my Panasonic HC-X920 and I’m working on several projects simultaneously. This has raised a number of questions which I am sure have been asked and answered before and I would be very grateful if someone could save me a great deal of trial and error by answering them or pointing to answers:-

• Individual shots are given numeric file names by the Cam which are difficult keep in some logical order. Is it possible to ‘batch rename’ files to give them identifying names, eg Trees 1 to Trees 10? By the time I have a hundred or more shots and particularly when working from more than one card the file naming system becomes bewildering.

• Secondly. What is the point in using the ‘Panasonic Writer AE 5.0’ software to import the files to the PC when it is much simpler to simply place the card in a reader and transfer the .m2ts files directly?

• ‘HD Writer AE 5.0’ also copies a .cont, .pmpd, and .tmb file for each shot thus making ANY renaming procedure even more time confusing and the file record even more complicated?

I’m editing using CS5.5 and find the editing process straight forward and the Panasonic Cam quality a revelation. Wondered how it could be improved until I saw the work of a fellow club member using a 4G Cam displayed on a 4G TV!!
Our club members, (Darlington Video Makers Club), are currently salivating over ‘gimbals on sticks’ and in lens mechanisms but we are keeping our feet on the ground by running a ‘novices’ training course, as pioneered by the Reading Club. (Hopefully with the same recruiting success).
Now back to my filing system and the daunting prospect of renaming a mass of files individually.

Regards

Arthur Best
col lamb
Posts: 680
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:51 pm
Location: Preston, Lancashire

Re: Card File Names

Post by col lamb »

Arthur

Firstly, backup the card to your video archive disc.

Copy the whole card content into your Video To Edit location.

See my sticky post on AVCHD as this explains the saving process.

AE writer is a very basic editor, it also enables file renaming see page 52 of the manual. If you have an individual movie file greater than 29 minutes use Ae writer to capture the file.

Also I think you mean 4k TV, if you think your 920 is great just try recoding on a 4k camera for a giant leap in picture detail and colour depth.
Col Lamb
Preston, Lancashire.
FCPX, Edius6.02, and Premiere CS 5.5 user.
Find me on Facebook, Colin Lamb
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ADBest
Posts: 79
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 3:04 pm
Location: Sunderland

Re: Card File Names

Post by ADBest »

Hi Col

Thanks for your early reply.

I have read your sticky and now remember that I have read it before. A great deal of it passes way over my head – but some of it sticks.
I don’t consider my work of sufficient importance that the world would be significantly worse off if I lost the lot. My main aim is to archive my footage in case I need to use some of it again in the future.
I record to SanDisk 16GB SDHC class 10 30MB/s cards which now cost about the same as the mini DV tapes did when I stopped using them. (In fact when you consider that they store 50% more, then I suppose they are cheaper).

If I explain what I intend to do then I would be very grateful if you would point out any errors in my proposals.

• I record at 1920 x 1080i
• When a card is full I copy the contents onto one of my, (many), spare internal hard drives using my ‘All in One HDD Docking’ device and archive the SanDisk card. I thus have two copies of my work.
• At the moment, on commencement of a project, I set up a series of folders on my internal video drive which match the ‘bins’ I have created in Premiere.
• As the project proceeds, (not necessarily in a logical, chronological, order), I copy the .m2ts files from the card to the appropriate folder. The files could be renamed here if I could work out how to batch rename in Windows Explorer. (Maybe it is not possible).
• From here editing proceeds as usual.

My uncertainty is that I will have lost some vital information that may be required by Premiere when I ignored the .cont, .pmpd and .tmb files attached to each Panasonic Cam shot.

Thanks for your comment.

Arthur Best

Ps By the way I couldn’t find anything on batch renaming in the ‘HD Writer AE 5.0’ instruction manual.
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ADBest
Posts: 79
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 3:04 pm
Location: Sunderland

Re: Card File Names

Post by ADBest »

Batch renaming in Windows Explorer is possible.

See http://www.howtogeek.com/111859/how-to- ... ple-files/

The Explorer method will do for me.

Arthur Best
col lamb
Posts: 680
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:51 pm
Location: Preston, Lancashire

Re: Card File Names

Post by col lamb »

Your process seems fine, do not worry about the files you commented on, the only thing to be carefull of is as I said prior a single very long file.

What I do after backing up the card is to create a working folder and copy all the card files into the working folder.

On completion of the project you can then delete the files not used to save on space if necessary until you are sure you can delete all the folder

You can also use the Premiere Project Manager function to create an archive copy of all the project files, this is then copied to the archive/backup hard drive for future use if necessary. I have used this a few times and it has been handy.
Col Lamb
Preston, Lancashire.
FCPX, Edius6.02, and Premiere CS 5.5 user.
Find me on Facebook, Colin Lamb
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