Editing questions at DVinfo.net

Bob Griffiths · March 29th, 2010, 08:44 AM

Hi all,

Just starting to edit my first nano footage... so far so good. But a couple of questions have come up:
- All the nano files are locked, which makes coping and moving them problematic. Any reason why they can't be unlocked?
- The nano and the Nexto NVS2500 create several files and folders that bury the actual .mov files way down in the file structure. Any reason why these can't simply be eliminated?

Thanks!

George Griswold · March 29th, 2010, 09:23 AM

What platform? Mac or PC? The locked file can be unlocked by setting permissions/ ownership on the folder in either. That should help move them around more easily.

As long as the clips have different names you could drag them into your media drive say, by date and them import into NLE.

Bob Griffiths · March 29th, 2010, 09:37 AM

Mac, FCP7.0.2

Found a little program called FileXamine that does the "unlock" trick as a batch very nicely. The question is if all those extras files that get included with the nano/Nexto file structure... like "}STT{" with the nano... and "SETUP000.NVS" with the Nexto... have any real purpose? I'm guessing they don't mean a thing but I hate guessing with production files.

BTW, the tally worked great! Thanks!

Luben Izov · March 29th, 2010, 09:57 AM

Hello Bob,
Locking the files is a great idea and works just as supposed to, but, as you founded it could be annoying...
If you are adding an extra info (rename the files) to all of your NF QT/MXF/MPG files for the purpose of your editing/storing work-flow, I would suggest to you "Automator" if you are on Mac OSX. It will do anything for you, of course, after you set up the work-flow first or the applications or plug-in/Script. Very simple and very powerful application fully customizable by the end user.
In your case, it will copy, rename (any way you like-keeping the original name or not is up to you), unlock, convert (using CD converter or Sony XDCAM Transfer) and many more all up to the work-flow made by you.
Here is the link for more info Automator: Explore
If you wanna see the video, please click on Introduction to Automator on the posted link.
Hope this helps
Cheers
Luben

Bob Griffiths · March 29th, 2010, 10:05 AM

Hey Luben,

Thanks for the info! With roughly 1100 files to change, I was looking for a quick fix. ;-) So I went with FileXamine. I would love to learn more about Automator because you confirm what I have always heard... it is powerful if you take the time to set it up. Thanks for the link.

Be well...

Aaron Newsome · March 29th, 2010, 02:37 PM

I do not believe the "locking" of files done by the nano and XDR really provides any value. It really is more of an annoyance than any kind of safety feature.

Also, when the files are copied to the Nexto device, there is no way to unlock them on the Nexto (although they do appear locked on the Nexto). In order to unlock them, you have to copy them to your computer.

I've tried Finder, Windows Explorer and attrib and none seem to be able to unlock the files on the Nexto.

It really is annoying.

Bob Griffiths · March 29th, 2010, 02:52 PM

I have to agree, it's annoying.

Dan, what's the theoretical benefit?

Luben Izov · March 29th, 2010, 03:04 PM

Hi Aaron,
I do not have NEXTO and can't try it with "Automator". If you are MAC user you have Automator on your system by default (I think, I could be wrong. I use it for so long can't remember if I've downloaded it) or could be downloaded, try it to unlock your files on NEXTO. I could try to help you with building your work-flow if need it of course.
Cheers
Luben

Luben Izov · March 29th, 2010, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Griffiths

Hey Luben,

Thanks for the info! With roughly 1100 files to change, I was looking for a quick fix. ;-) So I went with FileXamine. I would love to learn more about Automator because you confirm what I have always heard... it is powerful if you take the time to set it up. Thanks for the link.

Be well...

Hi Bob,
I just came back from a shoot in India for two months and I had over 7 TB of material on the RAID. All done in no time when back... took a seconds with the renaming the way I wanted it...

Andrew Stone · March 29th, 2010, 04:42 PM

If you have used UNIX in your past and need a refresher, you may wish to roll up your sleeves and do some command line kung-fu! Here's what to do...

Launch the application "Terminal" found in the Utilities folder. Navigate to the directory in question. Say your directory is called "nanoflash_files" and it is in your "Documents" directory, you would issue the following command:

cd Documents/nanoflash_files

verify you are in said directory by issuing the present working directory command:

pwd

then do a change permissions command to make all the .mov files read/writable by the user:

chmod 764 *.mov

and you are done.

Aaron Newsome · March 29th, 2010, 04:47 PM

Andrew, I've been a UNIX user for 20+ years and yes I do know how to unlock files from the Terminal window but it doesn't work on when trying to unlock files on the Nexto. The FAT32 filesystem flatly rejects any attempt to modify permissions on the files.

Like I said, the locked files isn't really protecting anything. It's just an annoyance.

Aaron Newsome · March 29th, 2010, 05:10 PM

Ok, I just tried a new method of unlocking the files on the Nexto. A VMWare Windows XP virtual machine running on my Mac allowed me to unlock the files with the attrib command.

This is really a super pain in backside, just to unlock the files. Like I said, an annoyance.

Dan Keaton · March 29th, 2010, 05:42 PM

Dear Friends,

I believe the original purpose of locking the files was to prevent them from being accidentally deleted.

I do most of my work on a PC, and I do not have to worry about them being locked.

Bob, you mentioned that copying and moving them is problematic.

Are you saying that you have to unlock the files just to copy them?

Or do you have to unlock them to move them?

My workflow is to just copy the files to the destination folder, in which the locking does not get in the way at all, then reformat the CompactFlash card in the nanoFlash, in which the locking does not get in the way.

I am saying all of this to determine:

1. Where is the actual problem?

2. Determine what you would like us to do.

Would you like us to remove all locking?

Would you like for locking to be a menu option?
(Please note that we do not like to add menu options unless they are necessary as each new menu option complicates the system to new users.)

Bob Griffiths · March 29th, 2010, 09:00 PM

Hey Dan,

If a file is locked on a Mac and you try to move it to another folder on the same drive, OSX will copy the file to that location. If the file is not locked then it will simply move the file.

The workflow I used today was:
- I connect one of my production drives to the edit Mac using eSATA.
- I copy the files onto my Rorke array.
- I go through each of the folders that were created by the Nexto2500 and ShotPut Pro with FileXamine and unlocked each of the nano created files.
- I then move the files into folders that break the shoot down by day. these are usually the top-level folders created by ShotPut.
- THEN I import into FCP

The reason I move the files is that I don't want them buried four layers deep in folders. If the files were unlocked from the start, this would be a very simple drag-n-drop process.

Thanks!

Jeff DePonte · March 30th, 2010, 07:02 AM

"If a file is locked on a Mac and you try to move it to another folder on the same drive, OSX will copy the file to that location. If the file is not locked then it will simply move the file."

Bob: I agree, this is an annoyance, and I bet that a majority of nanoFlash owners are Mac users. (Anyone for a poll?) I spent a year with a Focus Enhancements FireStore, which was a good experience. Their files are NOT locked.

Jeff

March 29th, 2010, 08:44 AM	#1
Bob Griffiths Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Carbondale, Colorado Posts: 117	Editing questions Hi all, Just starting to edit my first nano footage... so far so good. But a couple of questions have come up: - All the nano files are locked, which makes coping and moving them problematic. Any reason why they can't be unlocked? - The nano and the Nexto NVS2500 create several files and folders that bury the actual .mov files way down in the file structure. Any reason why these can't simply be eliminated? Thanks! __________________ Bob FireDancer Productions, Inc.

March 29th, 2010, 09:23 AM	#2
George Griswold Major Player Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: New Orleans, LA Posts: 218	What platform? Mac or PC? The locked file can be unlocked by setting permissions/ ownership on the folder in either. That should help move them around more easily. As long as the clips have different names you could drag them into your media drive say, by date and them import into NLE. __________________ George T. Griswold, Jr. www.videonow.info New Orleans

March 29th, 2010, 09:37 AM	#3
Bob Griffiths Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Carbondale, Colorado Posts: 117	Mac, FCP7.0.2 Found a little program called FileXamine that does the "unlock" trick as a batch very nicely. The question is if all those extras files that get included with the nano/Nexto file structure... like "}STT{" with the nano... and "SETUP000.NVS" with the Nexto... have any real purpose? I'm guessing they don't mean a thing but I hate guessing with production files. BTW, the tally worked great! Thanks! __________________ Bob FireDancer Productions, Inc.

March 29th, 2010, 09:57 AM	#4
Luben Izov Major Player Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: White Rock Posts: 254	Automator can help Hello Bob, Locking the files is a great idea and works just as supposed to, but, as you founded it could be annoying... If you are adding an extra info (rename the files) to all of your NF QT/MXF/MPG files for the purpose of your editing/storing work-flow, I would suggest to you "Automator" if you are on Mac OSX. It will do anything for you, of course, after you set up the work-flow first or the applications or plug-in/Script. Very simple and very powerful application fully customizable by the end user. In your case, it will copy, rename (any way you like-keeping the original name or not is up to you), unlock, convert (using CD converter or Sony XDCAM Transfer) and many more all up to the work-flow made by you. Here is the link for more info Automator: Explore If you wanna see the video, please click on Introduction to Automator on the posted link. Hope this helps Cheers Luben

March 29th, 2010, 10:05 AM	#5
Bob Griffiths Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Carbondale, Colorado Posts: 117	Hey Luben, Thanks for the info! With roughly 1100 files to change, I was looking for a quick fix. ;-) So I went with FileXamine. I would love to learn more about Automator because you confirm what I have always heard... it is powerful if you take the time to set it up. Thanks for the link. Be well... __________________ Bob FireDancer Productions, Inc.

March 29th, 2010, 02:37 PM	#6
Aaron Newsome Major Player Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Rancho Santa Margarita Posts: 590	I do not believe the "locking" of files done by the nano and XDR really provides any value. It really is more of an annoyance than any kind of safety feature. Also, when the files are copied to the Nexto device, there is no way to unlock them on the Nexto (although they do appear locked on the Nexto). In order to unlock them, you have to copy them to your computer. I've tried Finder, Windows Explorer and attrib and none seem to be able to unlock the files on the Nexto. It really is annoying.

March 29th, 2010, 02:52 PM	#7
Bob Griffiths Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Carbondale, Colorado Posts: 117	annoying I have to agree, it's annoying. Dan, what's the theoretical benefit? __________________ Bob FireDancer Productions, Inc.

March 29th, 2010, 03:04 PM	#8
Luben Izov Major Player Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: White Rock Posts: 254	Hi Aaron, I do not have NEXTO and can't try it with "Automator". If you are MAC user you have Automator on your system by default (I think, I could be wrong. I use it for so long can't remember if I've downloaded it) or could be downloaded, try it to unlock your files on NEXTO. I could try to help you with building your work-flow if need it of course. Cheers Luben

March 29th, 2010, 04:42 PM	#10
Andrew Stone Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 975	If you have used UNIX in your past and need a refresher, you may wish to roll up your sleeves and do some command line kung-fu! Here's what to do... Launch the application "Terminal" found in the Utilities folder. Navigate to the directory in question. Say your directory is called "nanoflash_files" and it is in your "Documents" directory, you would issue the following command: cd Documents/nanoflash_files verify you are in said directory by issuing the present working directory command: pwd then do a change permissions command to make all the .mov files read/writable by the user: *chmod 764 .mov** and you are done.

March 29th, 2010, 04:47 PM	#11
Aaron Newsome Major Player Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Rancho Santa Margarita Posts: 590	Andrew, I've been a UNIX user for 20+ years and yes I do know how to unlock files from the Terminal window but it doesn't work on when trying to unlock files on the Nexto. The FAT32 filesystem flatly rejects any attempt to modify permissions on the files. Like I said, the locked files isn't really protecting anything. It's just an annoyance.

March 29th, 2010, 05:10 PM	#12
Aaron Newsome Major Player Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Rancho Santa Margarita Posts: 590	Ok, I just tried a new method of unlocking the files on the Nexto. A VMWare Windows XP virtual machine running on my Mac allowed me to unlock the files with the attrib command. This is really a super pain in backside, just to unlock the files. Like I said, an annoyance.

March 29th, 2010, 05:42 PM	#13
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear Friends, I believe the original purpose of locking the files was to prevent them from being accidentally deleted. I do most of my work on a PC, and I do not have to worry about them being locked. Bob, you mentioned that copying and moving them is problematic. Are you saying that you have to unlock the files just to copy them? Or do you have to unlock them to move them? My workflow is to just copy the files to the destination folder, in which the locking does not get in the way at all, then reformat the CompactFlash card in the nanoFlash, in which the locking does not get in the way. I am saying all of this to determine: 1. Where is the actual problem? 2. Determine what you would like us to do. Would you like us to remove all locking? Would you like for locking to be a menu option? (Please note that we do not like to add menu options unless they are necessary as each new menu option complicates the system to new users.) __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

March 29th, 2010, 09:00 PM	#14
Bob Griffiths Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Carbondale, Colorado Posts: 117	Hey Dan, If a file is locked on a Mac and you try to move it to another folder on the same drive, OSX will copy the file to that location. If the file is not locked then it will simply move the file. The workflow I used today was: - I connect one of my production drives to the edit Mac using eSATA. - I copy the files onto my Rorke array. - I go through each of the folders that were created by the Nexto2500 and ShotPut Pro with FileXamine and unlocked each of the nano created files. - I then move the files into folders that break the shoot down by day. these are usually the top-level folders created by ShotPut. - THEN I import into FCP The reason I move the files is that I don't want them buried four layers deep in folders. If the files were unlocked from the start, this would be a very simple drag-n-drop process. Thanks! __________________ Bob FireDancer Productions, Inc.

March 30th, 2010, 07:02 AM	#15
Jeff DePonte Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Honolulu Hawaii Posts: 76	Please Unlock! "If a file is locked on a Mac and you try to move it to another folder on the same drive, OSX will copy the file to that location. If the file is not locked then it will simply move the file." Bob: I agree, this is an annoyance, and I bet that a majority of nanoFlash owners are Mac users. (Anyone for a poll?) I spent a year with a Focus Enhancements FireStore, which was a good experience. Their files are NOT locked. Jeff