Deleting the organizer

[chris42]

How can i delete the organaizer feature in PRE 7?? I find it useless.

Thanks for the help.

[ATR]

Do you have Photoshop Elements 7 as well as Premiere Elements 7?

ATR

[ATR]

The answer to my question really does not matter, but it would have given another dimension to this often asked lately question about getting rid of the Premiere Elements Organizer. So here goes my conclusion.

Until proven otherwise (and I do not think I will), the answer to your question is NO. This is what I have observed.

If you only have Premiere Elements 7 installed on your computer and never have had Photoshop Elements 7 installed on this computer, you will find TWO folders included in Document & Settings/All Users/Application Data/Adobe, one with Premiere Elements miscellaneous and one named Photoshop Elements. In the Photoshop Elements one, is a folder called Catalogs. There is nothing in that Catalog Folder before you open Premiere Elements for the first time. After the first Get Media/File & Folders in Premiere Elements or just opening and closing the program, this Catalog Folder contains syncdb, catalog.pse7db (the key player in this saga), cache stuff.

Even if you close Premiere Elements and you go into that Photoshop Elements Folder in Application Data/Adobe and delete it, the next time you open Premiere Elements 7 you will find the Photoshop Elements Folder regenerated with its syncdb, catalog.pse7db appearing intact, with maybe the cache different. I have not figured out how to make multiple catalogs for Premiere Elements 7 IF you only have Premiere Elements 7 installed on the computer. Photoshop Elements 7 allows you create catalogs that can be shared and used independently in Premiere Elements 7, but you cannot create a catalog in Premiere Elements 7. At least I cannot.

If interested I could go into all the details of creating multiple catalogs, but I do not think that you would be interested since you want to get rid of the Organizer/Catalogs/database and not add to it.

Bottom line: Adobe seems to have integrated Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements to such as extent that their Organizer bonding elements exist even when you only have Premiere Elements. One approach might be to right click the catalog.pse7db, select Open With, select WordPad, and see if you can modify anything in the document to liquidate the Organizer/Catalog/Database et al. forever.

ATR

[ATR]

Add on....

This is an unknown area of integrated systems and unless you are willing to take the consequences of your actions, do not mess with the system without a safety net.

ATR

[Tomsch]

I am using PE7 and PSE6 (Windows XP Pro).
I find the organizer extremely useful, and don't want to delete or disable it. After all, you don't have to use (or even display) the organizer, if you don't want to.
However, if I'm working on a vacation project, I don't want to wade thru all the Wedding items - and vice versa.
PSE6 allows for creating new catalogs, but PE7 doesn't seem so straight forward. File/Catalog allows you to choose a catalog, but not create a new one.
I have looked at c:\Docs & Settings etc. and found the catalog file(s) with the thought of copying and renaming the file. However, there's a lot of other stuff there that I don't understand. Strangely, the PE7 catalog file is in the PSE settings. Don't know why.
Any help in creating new catalogs would be appreciated.
(I'll get round to doing a separate post about then pesky Photo Downloader!)

Thanks
TomS

[ATR]

TomS

Problems come up when you are not using an integrated set of Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements, the integrated sets being Photoshop Elements 5/Premiere Elements 3, Photoshop Elements 6/Premiere Elements 4, and Photoshop Elements 7/Premiere Elements 7.

Also, the database format is different going from Photoshop Elements 6/Premiere Elements 4 and Photoshop Elements 7/Premiere Elements 7.

Your problems would lessen or disappear if you had Photoshop Element 7/Premiere Elements 7 instead of Photoshop Elements 6/Premiere Elements 7. A remedy might be (if you get a good buy) to upgrade the Photoshop Elements 6 to version 7. But, with new versions due in October/November 2009, you might want to opt to replace what you have with Photoshop Elements 8/Premiere Elements 8.

In a recent thread (that I cannot find right now), there was a discussion of tags from Photoshop Elements 6 not being carried over to Premiere Elements 7. I will see if I can find it.

I will be back later with more comments.

ATR
(even if you do not have Photoshop Elements installed on your computer (ever) and just Premiere Elements 6 or 7, you will end up with the Photoshop Elements database file in the Premiere Elements Program Files catalog folder.)

[Tomsch]

Thanks ATR. But I really can't afford to keep upgrading all my programs.

In the meantime, I really want (need) to create additional catalogs.
It seems these are .pse7db files. I have found a catalog.pse7db in Application Data\Adobe\PE Elements\Catalogs\My Catalog - and another in My Catalog-PRE7. It's all a bit confusing since the file in "My Catalog" has a current date - presumably updated when I last opened the program. The file in "My Catalog-PRE7" is dated (last modified) in May -??!.

Can I simply copy and paste a copy of one of these files in one of these locations (and rename it)? I suspect it may not be so simple. I created a new catalog in PSE6 and the program created an entirely new folder containing a new catalog file and also several .dat files and a thumb.cache file. (Extension for this program is .psedb instead of pse7db - so the two programs do have different catalogs, at least.)

Perhaps I need to create a whole folder and copy the contents of the exisiting folder. Then open that catalog (in the program) and delete the contents to start a new cataloge.

????

[ATR]

TomS

You can experiment if you like, but....

I have Photoshop Elements 6/Premiere Elements 4 as well as Photoshop Elements 7/Premiere Elements 7.

I suspect that the basic issues reside in:
a. two different formats for databases used in Photoshop Elements 6/Premiere Elements 4 vs Photoshop Elements 7/Premiere Elements 7
b. the regenerating of .pse7db if you try to "liquidate" it.
c. the fact that you do not have an integrated set + you cannot create catalogs in Premiere Elements and need to depend on Photoshop Elements for that...and that is a mismatch in your case.

Right now the cheapest way out is upgrading Photoshop Elements 6 to 7, especially since a new version is near and version 7 prices should be lower. The benefits of perks of integration 5/3 or 6/4 or 7/7 become evident in situations such as being described.

Later tonight or tomorrow, I will take another look at the 6/7 combo and databases to see if I overlooked anything that would advance the cause.

To be continued....

ATR
(If you do start experimenting, make sure you have backed up your catalog in the event of any mishaps.)

[Tomsch]

Thanks ATR. I'll look into the cost of PSE7. I also have PSE4, which I actually like better in many ways.

I'm not so concerned about the integration of the two programs. I just want more catalogs in PE7. If I create a slide show in PS, I believe I can import it into Premier Elements.

Before going too crazy, I think I'll spend some time exploring the "albums" and "tags" options. Maybe it's as simple as that. I just don't want have to wade through everything when I'm working on a specific project.

[Tomsch]

After a bit of playing around, I have discovered that each project displays it's own content. You can add items to the project and they won't be there when another one is opened. You can also cut items without fear that they will be missing from the other project(s). And it seems each new project starts with a blank slate...
Don't know why I thought I was getting all the previous items when I opened a new project. Guess I got confused when using the "Save as" function to create a new project...

Sorry to be such a nebbish.

Now, if only the program would display the name of the project that is open.

Thank you for your time and effort.

TomS

[ATR]

TomS

First, about tags...the Photoshop Elements 6 tags are not going to carryover to Premiere Elements 7. Check it out.

Second, Knowing Name of Project

a. Welcome Screen, you have 3 options: Instant Movie, Open Project, and New Project. If you want to open a pre-existing saved project .prel, use the Open Project and select your project by the name you gave it.
and/or
b. Once a project is opened, go to the top left of the interface where you will find a deep purple icon with PRE in black letters. Place your mouse cursor OVER the icon to see the path and the name of the opened project .prel file.
and/or
c. Explore, File Menu/"Open Recent Project" list.

The whole key to this is to make sure that you have given your project a distinctive name in the New Project dialog and that you have an appropriate save location for the file when it comes to close the file.

Please do not hesitate to ask the smallest or largest question. We will try to give you a what works for me answer or from what I have read one.

ATR

[Stubchain]

I do not (or at least I try) use any program organiser feature. I did try it in Photoshop Elements but gave it up as a bad job (in my opinion).

My wife and I spent many hours scanning in years of photos (over 4000), putting them in date order and in logical folders. We still do this now with our digital photos, once everything is in place it is easier to maintain.

The photos are achived onto DVD (multiple copies) and on several hard drives. It is very easy to copy/move/view or load them into any other program.

The problem I have with a lot of orgaiser type programs is that you can get locked into using their proprierty system and sometimes it is not easy to "break away". I'm not saying this is the case with PE though.

Lets face it software developers will do all they can to keep you using their programs, just look at the sneaky way most of them change your file associations during the install process without telling you, specially if you click the "standard install" option.

To me iTunes the worst program that wants to organise your files. It does some crazy stuff to your music, not standard naming and file system etc. If you encode using the default AAC format you are locked into iTunes.

Lastly the other thing about organisers is the default file path (OK you can change this on some programs). Just look at the amount of clicks you have to do just to look at the actual files. A bad example I know, but it does look something like this. C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Application Data\Apple Computer\QuickTime. You files can be buried 6 or 7 layers down. This might not be all the programs fault as this is a Windows issue, but the point is still there, the default settings on many programs is definitely not user friendly.

[ATR]

What can I say. I am not either for or against the use of the Organizer in Photoshop Elements and/or Premiere Elements. I do not rely on it. In my situation, I store to an external hard drive and organize there. Of course, I have other backups.

In my way of working, I want to concentrate on video editing, and I do not want to bother myself with Catalog conversions with newer versions and a lot of miscellaneous nuisances and possible loss of tagging, organizing etc. Maybe I am being lazy, not taking the time to take advantage of the Organizer. Call me set in my ways. For some it is the answer to organization of massive amounts of photographic or video work.

I think that you probably would have had a different outlook on this whole topic if you had started out with integrated set 5/3 or 6/4 or 7/7 instead of 6/7.

Top priority now should be that PAL Widescreen issue. MOD files have caused a lot of problems for use in Premiere Elements, but I do not recall aspect ratio being one of them. There is always a first or maybe it is out there and our paths have not crossed.

Looking forward to your results.

ATR

[Tomsch]

Thanks so much ATR and Stubchain. I've only just discovered that the organizer is not required in order to add content to a project. I followed the user's manual step by step - and the first step there is to get media using the organizer!! I just found out that if I find the correct spot in the edit interface, I can right click and have the option to "get media". (In the "List" display you have to scroll to the bottom of the list to find an empty space to click on. The "Add New Item" button does not add media.)

I agree somewhat about the "standard" installations. After much grief, and much wading through threads on this site (it's a long story involving having to uninstall and reinstall PSE6 and PE7 more than once), I found how to disable the pesky automatic Photo Downloader.

Thanx ATR for the tip on displaying the current project name. If only the name of the open project were displayed constantly - like other programs. Yeah, I know. How can you not know what project you're working on?? Well, while I'm still learning how to use the program, I have several projects that are very similar. So I sometimes lose track!

Thanks again. And keep up the good work at Elements Village. Without this forum, I might have given up way back.

TomS

[ATR]

TomS

Never give up. As I always say, retreat maybe, and then move forward.

I have two Photoshop Elements/Premiere Elements Organizer questions for which I am preparing replies. You might want to check them out when they get posted. One will be on creating additional catalogs and the other is about a problem related to previewing Organizer thumbnail content.

ATR

[ATR]

Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements each come with an Organizer. When the two programs are installed on the same computer as an integrated set (5/3, 6/4, or 7/7), they share a common database. So in this case, if you open Photoshop Elements or Premiere Elements, you can import photos and videos into either Organizer and get the same thumbnail display in the Organizer Window of either program.

A lot of users manage nicely with one catalog. Others prefer to have multiple catalogs in either program, maybe a catalog for photos and one for video. So, how do you create additional catalogs?

Although Premiere Elements can use the new catalogs created in Photoshop Elements, it cannot create new catalogs. (At least I have not found a way to do that and have not seen any reports from those who have.) The model is described for Photoshop Elements 7/Premiere Elements 7.

Photoshop Elements 7 Organizer Phase

1. Open Photoshop Element 7 Organizer.
2. File Menu/Catalog, followed by the opening of the Catalog Manager dialog.
3. In the Catalog Manager dialog
a. Dot the appropriate choice for “Catalog Accessible by All Users”, “Catalog Accessible by the Current User”, or “Custom”.
(I dotted “Catalog Accessible by All Users”)
You will also see: “Version 7 (current)” as the description for the current catalog. Click on the “New” button.
b. When you click on the “New” button, you will see a message
“Your existing catalog is selected for Backup/Synchronization. You will be unable to share photos online or Backup/Synchronize the new catalog unless you select the new catalog in your Backup/Synchronization preferences.”
I did not bother with that for now and just clicked OK.
c. Enter a name for the new catalog (I entered Video Version 7 and clicked OK.)
d. New catalog opens in Organizer.

(At this point, I could have set Photoshop Elements 7 back to its Version 7 catalog if I wanted to, but I continued on.)


Premiere Elements 7 Organizer Phase

1. Open Premiere Elements 7 which opens directly to the Organizer.
2. File Menu/Open Catalog. This will result in the message “Changing current catalog will close and reopen the current project. Proceed?” I clicked OK to this.
3. Next, Open Catalog dialog/Video Version 7 catalog.
4. Next, Open Video Version 7 catalog to reveal
a. syncdb
and
b. catalog pse7db
and open the catalog pse7db
You should be in your new Organizer catalog in Premiere Elements 7.
(I could not get this to work if I created a new Video Version catalog in Photoshop Elements 6 (not 7) and tried to bring it into Premiere Elements 7. Further, if I recall correctly, Photoshop Elements 6 Organizer tags are not transferred to Photoshop Elements 7 Organizer. I still need to dig out that thread. Also the process described above can be repeated for additional catalogs for this example of Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements integrated.)

Please check it all out to double check the details.

ATR