Collections

Similar to project bins, collections are virtual folders. However, collections are not created automatically (there are two exceptions). This means that you have full flexibility to create and delete them for any purpose. From the Library’s point of view, a Collection is just an arbitrary grouping of assets – a set of Library items with no organizing principle. You may well have a good reason for gathering certain files into a particular collection, but the Library doesn’t have to know what it is.

One special Collection, with the name Latest import, is automatically updated after each import operation to display the media added. Immediately after importing, you can turn to this Collection and start working with the new material.

Another automatically-generated Collection is Latest Smart Creation, which stores the media you selected for your most recent SmartMovie production.

Hierarchically-organized Collections are also supported. The top-level Collections in the hierarchy are used as subsections of the Collections branch.

To create a new collection

1 Click the icon in the header line of the Collections branch and enter a name in the provided text field.

2 Complete the process by pressing Enter.

Tip: Alternatively, choose Add to collection > Create new collection from any asset’s context menu.

To manage collections

1 Right-click a collection and choose a command for renaming or deleting the collection, or for creating a subcollection that has the current Collection as its parent ‘folder’.

To organize a collection

• Drag and drop a collection in the Navigator with the mouse. A dragged Collection becomes a subcollection when dropped upon another.

Displaying collected assets

Clicking the name of a Collection causes it to be displayed in the Browser. As your mouse pointer passes over any listed asset, the Collections to which the asset belongs ‘light up’ in the Navigator.

Operations on collected assets

These operations can be performed from the context menu of any Collection item. To act on a group of items, first select them with the mouse (using Ctrl-click and Shift-click for multiple selections as needed) or by dragging out a frame around the items. Then right- click within the selection to access the context menu.

To add to a collection

• Choose a target Collection on the Add to collection submenu to add the selected item or items.

Tip: Alternatively, drag the selection onto the target Collection.

To remove items from a collection

• Click the Remove command to remove the item (or items) from the Collection. As usual with the Library, the underlying media items involved are not affected, so removing a video or other item from a Collection in the Library does not delete it from other Library locations.