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Archiving Video Clips
As you begin working with video you will accumulate a large quantity of video clips. Once you have completed a project, what should you do with the video clips? What if you want to recall some of those clips for a project in the future? How can you manage all of these huge files?
I don’t proclaim to be an expert, but I can share the method I use for archiving my video clips. I will also try to highlight other alternatives as I go along. My method employs the use of Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 (PSE4) and Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 (PE2), lots of DVDs, DVD cases (double cases preferable), and a good naming convention.
Since beginning with Adobe Premiere Elements 1.0, and now upgrading to Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0, I have backed up fifteen years worth of Hi8mm video tapes, and used these video clips to create four special projects. When creating a project in PE2 I may use between forty and sixty video clips. My objective was to burn all the tapes to DVD for easier viewing, and to archive the video clips for easy retrieval. To do this, I capture my Hi8mm tapes with pass through from my Canon Optura 20 into PE2 via firewire. Since scene detect is not possible with analog tape, I start and stop the capture to create my clips. I create a separate folder for each project, and store my clips in this folder. The naming convention I use for the project folder is YYMM—YYMM, for example; the folder may be 9102-9111, which would represent Feb thru Nov of 1991.
Once captured, there are two methods you can use with the video clips. One is to determine which clips you truly want to keep, modify as necessary (clip, enhance, etc...), and then save as an AVI file. You can create a special folder in your project folder for these files. The second method is to capture the clips on the timeline, clean them up (delete, clip, etc...), put in some transitions, add DVD markers at key places, create a DVD menu, and burn the timeline to DVD. I make sure not to go over 70 minute mark on the timeline. Since my Hi8mm tapes are two hours long, I burn two DVD’s per one Hi8mm tape. I put two DVD’s in a double DVD case, then I use Nero to create an insert that is labeled appropriately. Additionally, I list all the DVD markers so I can see what is in the DVD without having to put it in the player.
After I have either saved my cherished AVI files, or created my DVD from all my clips, it is time to archive them.
I use the following method for archiving my AVI files.
Step 1.
Open PSE4 and use the "view and organize Photos" browser. I create a separate catalog for videos from my photo catalog. You do this by selecting FILE>CATALOG>NEW. Create a new video catalog. Once created, select your video catalog and then go to FILE>GET PHOTOS> FILES and FOLDERS. Locate your video clips in the PE2 project folder, or the folder where you saved the special AVIs, through the pop up window. Highlight all the clips to be cataloged by PSE4. PSE4 will basically index all the clips in PSE4. You will see them displayed as thumbnails within PSE4 browser
Step 2.
Use the tags within PSE4 to identify the clips. I create a tag with the same name as the DVD I just created, for example, 9102-9111 (1991 — Feb thru 1991 — Nov), then I create other tags for people in my family. I have tags for events (e.g., Christmas, Easter, Birthdays, Vacations, etc...). Basically tag everything you think you might want to recall later for your video projects. You don’t have to be perfect, because you can change and add tags at anytime, even after backing up!
Step 3.
Once you are satisfied with the tags, you can back up the AVI files from your hard drive to DVDs (buying DVDs in bulk makes the cost less expensive). Go to FILE>BACKUP>COPY/MOVE FILES. Follow the selections to MOVE the files, and be sure to label it appropriately. Tell PSE4 to burn the backups. It will take about three to four DVDs for a one hour project. When completed, PSE4 will notify you that it will erase the files from the drive. You are then finished backing up, and the files are erased from your hard drive. Since I have DVD case holders that hold two DVDs per case, I try to be sure my projects are about 1 hour 10 minutes long. This maximizes my DVDs and DVD cases.
Step 4.
I then use Nero to create DVD case inserts. I label them and identify the number disc in the case. If there are three or four DVDs burned during the backup, it is important to label the discs and the cases appropriately. Following the same example, this would be Videos 9902—9111 Disc 1 and 2 of 3. The next case would be labeled Videos 9902—9111 Disc 3 of 3. You can see that this will require some space to store these DVDs. For ten DVD projects, assuming one hour projects, you may end up with thirty DVDs of AVI clips!
Step 5.
This is where it pays off. For example, if you feel like creating a project of your child’s birthdays, you can open PSE4 and select the birthday tag. You can select a combination of tags to change the selection as well. When you identify clips you might want to use, click on the clips and PSE4 will tell you which DVD it is on. Insert the DVD and COPY (important to remember to COPY not move the file) the file to your hard drive. Once you have copied all the files you want to your hard drive, then you can begin producing that memorable project!
If you have sufficient hard disk space, then you can catalog the clips using PSE4 without backing them up to DVD. Another thing to consider, if you do store your AVI files on DVD, is that this medium does not have an unlimited shelf life. As technology changes it will be important migrate the files forward to the next technology. This solution also ties itself to Adobe and its products, so if you migrate to another software tool it may prove problematic. Lastly, I store my archived Hi8 and MiniDV tapes off site, so that in case of fire I still have the original media. I also store a backup of my still photos off site as well.
For now, this approach has worked for me.
Last Updated February 2006
About Bob
Bob was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois (home of Northwestern University), eventually settling down in a village northwest of Chicago — Arlington Heights. He is husband to a lovely wife, Cheryl, and father to two fantastic children in high school; Ken — 16 and Melanie — 15.
Bob has about 25 years in the Information Technology field, starting out with Sears in Chicago as an Assembler Programmer, and presently with Motorola in Schaumburg, Illinois as a Relationship Mgr to an IT outsourcing partner.
Although Bob still finds his job challenging, he finds more fun and accomplishment in exploring the area of video editing. His first major effort was to create a vacation video of a trip to Europe. Looking back on it he realizes he has come a long way and attributes it to the great community built up in the Adobe Premiere Elements forum. After his first crack at a major project he decided to move on to backing up all his videos stored on Hi8mm and MiniDV tapes. He has finally completed archiving, and looks forward to rediscovering his creative side and doing projects as mementos for his family (a la the Grisetti Bunch), and maybe take on some work for friends. When not in front of the computer Bob likes to golf, bike, travel (Hawaii and Europe his favorites) and take photographs.
