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      How to Organise Your Adobe Files – Tidy File Handling

      Ever been in a situation where you working close to the wire, and you just need that one asset? If only you’d been organised with tidy file handling!

      Production software like Adobe’s After Effects, Premiere Pro, and Cinema 4D are used on a daily basis at Liquona. It can be pain with missing plug-ins, effects, files or textures, if you haven’t set up a rigid filing process.

      While you might think the miscellaneous file will be of no use, you will need them from time to time. Trying to find them in random project folders can be a right head scratcher! 

      Organising your files may take you some time in the beginning, and might seem like a bit of a drag, but it’s vital.

      Liquona’s approach

      Luckily our systems and procedures protect us from chaos here at Liquona. 

      We have template files that we can copy and paste for each new project. We use these both inside and out of each individual software. 

      Here’s some of the folders we have to save us time:

      • Copy and paste master folder
      • Assets folder
      • Render folder
      • Project files. Within this we open an After Effects file and have a default HD (1080p) comp alongside our favourite animation elements. 

      Expressions for After Effects and folders for assets, png sequences, solids and audio files ready to be dropped  into their relevant folders.  

      This workflow allows us to jump back into projects that are months or even years old. We can seamlessly carry on, because we know where every asset is saved.

      Repeat after us: tidy file handling is the best!

      Why do I need tidy file handling as an animator or editor?

      At Liquona, we’ve removed the stress and panic that many us know when we can’t find a particular asset. Working with such a dedicated team of animators and editors with good file handling has changed our work ethic and productivity.

      The operations and file handling importance are set in stone from day one, and re-iterated and refined as the team grows.  It’s been great to experience the production process develop to better to fit our clients needs and fulfil expectations. 

      The team grows with every hire and naturally this means that our workload increases because there are more resources. Therefore, this also means the pressure to perform can also increase. Putting these organisation systems in place early on is one of the key pieces of advice I can give a new starter. To prove it, I can open the project of a new member of staff and know exactly why certain steps were taken.

      Moreover, handling files in an organised and structured way means we can accurately predict how long a piece of client work will take. We no longer have to account for finding assets.

       

      Insights from expert animator, Dan Shufflebotham


      Why don’t you check out these posts Premier Pro Shortcuts, 5 Tips for Editing Videos, and How Editing Can Affect the Storyline.