The movies and discs that you create in Pinnacle Studio are distilled from the projects that you build on the timeline.

To manage projects, Studio must keep track of everything that goes onto your timeline, and all the editing decisions you make with regard to trimming, adding effects, and much more. Much of this information is stored in the project file, which is in axp (Studio Movie) format. For Stop Motion, projects are saved in the axps format.

In order to conserve hard drive space when dealing with files that can be very large, the project file does not include the media items in your movie. For these, only their location is stored.

The axp project file is the default file format for the File > Open, File > Save and File > Save As menu commands. It may be the only one you need.

Sometimes, however, it is convenient to have all the resources recruited for a project gathered into a single, manageable unit for hassle-free archiving, file transfer or upload. This is the purpose of an alternative file format, the axx (Studio Project Package), which contains in a single file all the materials your project uses, including media items. Of necessity, files in this format are considerably larger than standard project files.

Although it is not possible to directly edit a project in the package format, Pinnacle Studio lets you open a project package with File > Open by selecting axx in the file extension box. Studio seamlessly unpacks the project, creates a new Library entry for the unpacked version, and opens it for editing.

If you create a multi-camera project in the Multi-Camera Editor, the project is saved as a mcam file. When you add an mcam file to the timeline, it is added as a nested project by default. You can expand it by double-clicking the file in the timeline and editing it in the corresponding timeline tab. All edits are saved to the main project.

You can keep track of project details, tasks, and reviewer notes by using Project Notes. The notes are structured as a check list, making it easy to mark off items that you have completed or reviewed. The project notes can be accessed from your open project at any time. You can also choose to save your project notes as a TXT file in the same location as your project file.