Changing the name of "Private" folder

ramkuma

ramkuma

Well-known member
I remember reading that you should never change the name of the "Private" folder (when you upload source files to your computer) from "private" to something else. Can anyone explain why. And if the folder name was changed can it cause original files to disappear? Thanks.
 
Because AVCHD-aware apps expect files to be in a PRIVATE directory. Why would you want to change the name? Just put it in a different subdirectory and you'll have organizational freedom while maintaining compatibility with all the NLEs.
 
So if I can translate this correctly, you can change the name of "PRIVATE"? Or not? And you can change the names of folders inside the PRIVATE directory without creating any problems? Thanks.
 
No, you should never change thename of private, or any of the directories within it, ever. They must always stay exactly the same.

Why would you want to change them anyway?
 
Barry_Green said:
No, you should never change thename of private, or any of the directories within it, ever. They must always stay exactly the same.

Why would you want to change them anyway?
Click to expand...

So that you can organize and reference better. It is hard to see what you have at glance when every folder you have says "PRIVATE." What I have done is create a folder and label it whatever I want, and then put the "PRIVATE" folder inside that. What could happen, Barry, if you did change the names of any folders within the "PRIVATE" directory?

The reason I am asking is because I am trying to explain to a colleague why you should not change the names of any of these folders. She says not being able to change the name of "PRIVATE" and the directory folders it contains is just "silly." And I would have to agree with her.
 
Okay, let me be clear -- you must not under any circumstances ever change any of the folder names.

If you want to organize your footage, just put the PRIVATE folder within another folder. Such as CAM 1/PRIVATE, CAM 2/PRIVATE, DAY 4/PRIVATE, etc.

If you change the names of the folders within, then several things COULD happen, depending on the program you're using. It may not recognize your footage at all, for example, because it's in a nonstandard format. Or you might lose access to all the clip metadata, which includes timecode and file spanning information.

Silly? Why do you think the camera should be able to foresee your file-name changing, and be able to guess at whatever it is that you've done? Do you think it's silly that you can't go around in Windows and change the name of the SYSTEM folder? I would think it's silly that someone would want to go into Windows and change the name of the SYSTEM folder -- I mean, seriously, what good reason could there be for wanting to do that?

The folder structure is the same as blu-ray. The directories are named what they are, and located where they are, so that the whole system knows how to work. Change it at your peril. I submit that there is zero good reason to want to change it, and in fact, wanting to change it is what I would classify as silly; there's a simple-enough workaround of just putting them within a folder, which is what you're already doing.
 
Thanks a lot, Barry. Is it possible that if you change the folder names all around that some of the video itself just disappears? My colleague--who changed the names of all her folders-- is missing a bunch of footage.
 
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Depends on how she is accessing the footage. It is possible, I guess. But none of the .MTS files should be missing so she should be able to go into the STREAM folder and extract those directly. And then remind her that it was silly to go changing the folder names! :P
 
If you change the Private folder name or any other folder, if you copy back the folder on an SDHC card, the camera won't be able to read the footage at all.

The folder structure must remain intact.

If you try to access the footage in Premiere Pro using the browser window, it is important to keep the folder strucure intact.

Same thing with Avid. And when linking to AMA, you can't even put any accent on the letters of a top folder prior to the PRIVATE folder.
 
What if you wish to delete clips within the 'Stream' folder e.g. clips that are just not usable for some reason - and you don't need to archive them? Does this have any effect on the overall structure of the Private folder?
 
Does keeping all the folders intact only impact on "spanned" files? Currently I am using an unhacked GH2 and most of my recordings are 10 minutes or less. And so far all I have been doing is copying the individual .mts files to my hard drive. And these have played and opened up in my NLE fine.
 
I have been using just the MTS files from the STREAM folder for 3 years now and never had an issue at all. It you do it that way the first file of a spanned one has a tiny blank gap in it (probably around 10 frames??) In Sony Vegas I just drag the end of the clip backwards and then butt up the 2nd clip without any issues. Barry says you are supposed to import the entire structure I know but for me it certainly doesn't cause any issues at all by copying the MTS files only.

Chris
 
It's easy to remove files from the file heirachy structure, that's not the problem - but if you stick the card back in the camera, things can be unpredictable. Sometimes, you just get a message saying file unavailable and a little blank on my JVC, but other times, if you have disturbed things the message just says card corrupt - and offers to reformat it. If this is your only card, and you MUST shoot, then the only option is to wipe the card clean and start again - so the good files on there will also get lost. I have developed the process that I take the mts files off the card to the hard drive, and never delete them from the card. Even if I know some shots are rubbish - I either delete them via the camera menu or leave them alone.
 
Hi Guys

Please don't get me wrong ..the correct way to do this is Barry's way ... copy the entire file structure intact to your computer. I was simply stating that I have been copying just the contents of the stream folder to my drive with no issues. Also be aware that I DON'T use the camera via USB , neither are the files transferred using Panasonic software. I take the cards out of the camera, plug them into my card reader and copy them. They are kept aside until the edit is complete (just in case one file might not have copied correctly) and once I'm done with the client those cards are then formatted IN THE CAMERA ..never format them on the computer!! and put back into my SD case...I tend to circulate around 8 cards for around 3 months and then another 8 cards for 3 months..then I replace the first 8 so I'm working with new cards twice a year. I'm even a little dubious about deleting a couple of files in the camera..if I know it's a bum shot I just leave the file there, just like Paul, and ignore it in the NLE. I only ever format cards completely after a shoot so I have a fresh, formatted in camera, card ready for the next job.

Chris
 
ChrisHarding said:
I was simply stating that I have been copying just the contents of the stream folder to my drive with no issues.
Click to expand...
But there ARE issues. You may not have run into them, but they're there.

Issue #1: using just the .MTS files means you're throwing away your timecode. No timecode is recorded in the .MTS files, it's recorded in the metadata in the other files on the card, so if you don't copy the whole directory, you're forever losing timecode.
Issue #2: using just the .MTS files means you're throwing away your metadata. The AVCCAM cameras use a metadata system that includes the ability to set a user name for clips, to set index markers within clips, all sorts of information that you can attach to the clips. That info is not saved in the .MTS file, it's saved in the other files. If you copy the entire PRIVATE directory, you keep all that. If you copy only the .MTS files, you lose that forever.
Issue #3: spanned clips. The entire PRIVATE directory includes information on how to PROPERLY stitch together spanned clips and treat them all as one clip. If you use only the .MTS files, you won't have your spanned clip information, your NLE may glitch files when you try to string them end to end, you might have audio glitches or trashed frames that you then have to go in and line up and snip out, when if you'd just kept the PRIVATE directory intact, you wouldn't run into *any* issues.
Issue #4: You can't copy your footage back to a camera or a blu-ray or AVCHD DVD. The files are stored in a playable format that can be copied back to an SDHC card so you can use your camera as a playback device, if you needed to take footage to a client and play it back on their TV for example. Or you can archive your footage directly to a blu-ray disc (or in blu-ray format on a regular DVD, called an "AVCHD DVD"). That gives you a direct digital copy which is also playable on a blu-ray player. If you abandon the directory structure and go with just the MTS files, you lose that capability.
Issue #5: some NLEs REQUIRE the entire directory folder. For example, Final Cut Pro cannot do a Log & Transfer without the complete directory structure. So if you ever migrate from your current NLE to FCP, and want to edit old footage, you'd be screwed screwed screwed if you copied only the .MTS files. (well, you could get around it by transcoding with clipwrap I guess, but still, the peril should be obvious).

So you may not be doing those things, and therefore haven't run into the limitations you're creating for yourself, but -- please don't say that there are no issues, because there definitely are, and if someone else NEEDS timecode, needs to do a multicam shoot of long files etc, they'll really be screwed if they follow what someone else says when they say "there are no issues in just copying the .MTS files."

Besides, I really don't get WHY folks think it's preferable to just copy the .MTS files??? I mean, you're saving, what -- .00001% of your disc space? The other directories and files take up practically zero space, zero time copying, there's zero effort, in fact it's easier to just copy the private directory than it is to navigate all the way into the stream directory to extract MTS files. I have a card with 6.75gb of data on it. 6.72gb of data is the .MTS files, so that means all the rest of the directories and files together amount to 0.03gb. Practically nothing. So it's more work and you give up options, when you copy just the .MTS files.

So, look, really -- get in the habit of copying the whole directory structure. There's actually zero good reasons to not do it, and lots of good reasons TO do it...
 
Hm, Barry, but I'm one more which do not copy entire structure, only .mts files and I haven't any issue. I work with Edius 5.5, many of my shoots are multicam with free run timecode and use timecode in NLE without any problem!!! Edius 5.5 read timecode from .mts and even if I transcode clips in CanopusHQ I have correct timecode-Is that strangely??? Problem is that I haven't any problem, any needs or any issue becouse I don't use metadata!!! When I have long .mts files I use .mts clip join tool without any problem or loosing timecode, or audio glitches or trashed frames. I know that I don't know use metadata but that is becouse I haven't any need to use them! I agree with you-There's actually zero good reasons to not do it and I will do that for projects that may edit someone else on another NLE.
 
Me too - I've found no reason to clutter things up with a directory tree that isn't needed. In Premiere if I use the entire structure then I get info in the media browser, and on selecting the 'private' folder, it brings in details of what it was shot on, timecode IF supported by the camera, and some other info - none of which is particularly handy to me. So I shall continue to bring in off the card, just the .mts files - I don't need the other data, and frankly it's makes file handling a bit of a mess. I don't need to use the media browser for how I edit, and I'd rather just import my files direct into the project window.

I too shoot frequent multi cam, and don't have any problem with timecode mainly because I rarely sync code in the cameras anyway - and use tape run time code - not absolute.

I'll remain as I am - and just use the mts files. My workflow is not advantaged by any of the extra information - so not needed.
 
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