Trying to, but unable to re-edit film footage already burned to disc.

raoul-beaman wrote on 9/25/2018, 9:50 AM

Hi everyone. I am using Movie Edit Pro 2018. I have recently burned a completed film to disc and made 10 copies. I now want to go back into the original footage/film and do some update editing, make a some changes and generally improve it. I cannot now get back into the project, although the original was saved, and is still listed in my projects list, and I know the complete film is still in the programme memory somewhere, as I am still able to burn further discs of the complete film, but as soon as I select the project to re-edit, all I get in the edit workspace screen (timeline mode) is the title, the length/time of the original film burned to disc and a blank screen. Nothing appears on the individual tracks to work/edit with. Have I done something to prevent the display or can someone please give me advice as to how to retrieve the original film footage. Have looked through the PDF 'Help' folder but couldn't find anything relating to this problem. Thanks to any one who can help me.

Comments

emmrecs wrote on 9/25/2018, 10:23 AM

Hi.

Did you retain on your computer the original unedited (raw) video files from which you made your final version, not just the .mvp project file? When you re-open the project, do you see a message that MEP is unable to find some or all of the files you used in your project?

If the answer to both these questions is Yes you should be able to point MEP to where those files are and it will then fully recreate your project, hopefully!

If the answer to either or both of those questions is No then I fear you have only one possible option: you will need to import the .vob (video) files from your burned disc to your computer and then attempt your re-edit. In this case your options for change are clearly more limited than if you still had all the original files.

I know the complete film is still in the programme memory somewhere

The complete film needs to be on your computer hard drive, it will certainly not be in the "program memory"!

HTH

Jeff

browj2 wrote on 9/25/2018, 11:06 AM

@raoul-beaman

Hi,

Along with the answers to Jeff's questions, can you give us a screen shot of the timeline once the project is loaded?

John CB

raoul-beaman wrote on 9/26/2018, 3:55 PM

Hello Jeff, hello John CB. Thanks to both for the interest. Sorry for delay - work commitments. Re Jeff firstly - No, I have deleted it all thinking that the final version I have saved and burned to disc would be on the hard drive and available for me to edit at any stage. Following your response Jeff, am I to understand that I can only do further editing after burning to a disc, if I have kept all the original footage and not deleted it. My lack of knowledge told me that once the project had been burned to disc and saved, I thought I would be just able to call the project back up, let it load and away I would go, but now you have suggested that once I have deleted the initial raw footage, I cannot. That seems to make sense, but why can I not even play the completed project that has been saved after burning and then if I wanted to, just work/edit on what remains ie that footage within the project burned to disc? This is the bit I struggle with. There is no message to say MEP cannot find any of the files.

John CB - re yours - I could send you a screen shot but there seems little point as there is nothing to show on the timeline. The playback marker is at the beginning on the very left hand side adjacent to the 0.00.00 start time. All the tracks are blank. The only point of interest is the fact that above the timeline, the length of the finished project ie 14 mins, 38 secs, comes up in the margin immediately above the first track, which gives me a little hope that MAGIX seems to know what I am trying to recall but cannot produce the actual project on the timeline, If that makes sense. If I now know that I mustn't delete the raw footage and this becomes part of the completed project then I won't, and I will have to learn from my initial mistakes.

Sorry if this is basic stuff - I am learning quickly. At least the completed project is saved on the hard drive as I can burn any number of discs with the completed film, I just cannot recall it, watch it on the screen or edit it. Frustrating!

Thanks to both. Regards - Raoul Beaman,

raoul-beaman wrote on 9/26/2018, 3:58 PM

Jeff - Meant to say. Although I have deleted all the original footage from Magix, I still have it available to reload if necessary. RB

browj2 wrote on 9/26/2018, 4:33 PM

Hi Raoul,

A project in MEP is a set of instructions that contains pointers to use the original files, including photos, video clips, audio recordings, including the path and file name, along with instructions as to effects, titles, transitions. A MEP project uses the original files - photos, video clips, audio recordings each and every time that you open it; it does not import a copy into the project file. None of these are stored in the program. Look at the size of the project files - project_name.mvp; it's small and obviously does not contain photos, video clips, audio recordings. When you export or burn to a DVD/BR, you are creating one or more separate completed files or renderings. If you then delete the original files and go back into the project in MEP, it will tell you that it can't find the files. That is what Jeff was referring to.

You say that, "I know the complete film is still in the programme memory somewhere, as I am still able to burn further discs of the complete film..." How are you able to burn further discs? With which program?

If the original files are gone, then you can't burn from the MEP project if the timeline is blank. However, when you burn to DVD/BR, the project is usually rendered to a folder and then burned from there. This is probably what you are referring to. There would be a folder with files like: VTS_01_0.VOB, VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB in them. These are the rendered files, not the original files.

You must know whether or not your deleted the original files. Take a look through your hard disk where they may have been. I never delete source files unless they are backed up to an external drive or data disk. If you moved them to another location, you can put them back or point MEP to their location.

If you did delete the original files, then all that you can do is to import the .VOB files onto the timeline of a new project and work with those.

Edit: I just saw your latest post after I wrote this. Put the original files back to the same location or point MEP to the new location.

John CB

wongck wrote on 9/26/2018, 5:57 PM

When you load a project, and if some media (video, music, photos etec) are missing from it, it will ask you via a window where are the missing media.... are they moved to another folder or backup elsewhere?

This even happens to effects/transitions when I move from older to newer that are missing it ( i.e. premium to lower end version).

Well, at least my MEP does that. So with that you should smell a rat.

if you have a backup, restore them to the original folder..... else MEP will ask you for each media.

raoul-beaman wrote on 9/28/2018, 4:25 AM

Thank you again to John CB and Wongck. Will respond after I have checked further. RB

raoul-beaman wrote on 10/12/2018, 6:35 AM

Hello Jeff, and to those who kindly made comment - JohnCB and WongCK. Think I can advise you

that this is now solved as a result of your help. By reinputting the original raw footage (deleted to save disc space) MEP has allowed me to get back almost the complete film for editing. Lesson learned. DO NOT delete original footage (irrespective of burning the project to disc) if you think you may have to go back and do further work on something you may initially thought was complete. Thanks to everyone who gave input. Raoul Beaman, Herefordshire.

wongck wrote on 10/12/2018, 7:05 PM

Glad that it worked out for you.