In Premiere, each clip is represented by the media file with which it is connected, it functions as a kind of shortcut. By double-clicking on the name of the Project panel, I will display its contents in full screen and open a section containing various media files. If I then select one of them, you will see that it is a clip that is already used in this sequence and there is also additional information related to its duration (Media Start and Media End), number of frames and much more. At first glance, you may think that it is a real media file, but it really isn’t. This table only contains information about the source files that are related to this project, which are completely different things. In other words, the clip exists only within the project, and the media file is located in a completely different location.

I’m going to go back to normal working mode again because I’d like to show you what the sequence I’m currently using (Linking and relinking) looks like. It contains the same clip for which I do not need sound, so I will activate the function to turn it off (Mute). As you can see, it is repeated five times, with a slightly lighter version placed at the beginning, the second with more pronounced colors, the third is rotated and the fourth is a mirror image. No changes were applied to the last segment and it will serve as a reference. This means that there are five instances of the same clip on this sequence, and they are all connected to the same media file. If for any reason I lose my connection to this file, all five clips will disappear from the project and I won’t be able to continue working. If you want to see where this recording is actually located, click on it with the right mouse button and select the option Reveal in finder (or Reveal in Explorer) from the menu. After that, the display of the folder containing the original file will appear on the screen, and I will use the opportunity to change its name. If I then return to Premiere Pro, the program will warn me that an error has occurred and that I need to reconnect to the original file. Since the same file is used in two places in this project, it won’t be difficult for me to click on the item called Replace me and solve this problem that way. If you do not have this option, you can use the Locate option and search for the file that contains the appropriate data yourself. After that, you only need to close this frame with OK and continue working.

The difference between the clips that appear within the project and the media on your disc is very simple but also very significant. In this case, I just changed the name of the file that contains the entire recording, and that’s why it disappeared from the project. In practice, it often happens that the program is no longer able to locate all the clips you are currently using, and in that case it is enough to find only one of them and Premiere Pro will automatically take care of connecting the other contents as well.

You must have noticed that the name of this clip has not changed, regardless of the fact that it is now linked to a different media file. If I click on it with the right mouse button and select the Make Offline option from the menu, a frame will appear on the screen that allows me to simply disconnect the original file and keep it on the disk or delete it. I strongly advise you never to use the second option, because in that case you will be left without the possibility to change your mind and re-establish the previous state. I will close this frame with OK and thus remain without the content that was previously displayed on the timeline. Even without a link to the source file, the clips will retain their basic characteristics and this can be proven by quickly dragging the playback marker. This means that they can still be changed, although it doesn’t really make much sense.

Before I finish this lesson, I will display the files frame again and return the file containing the complete recording to its original name. Premiere Pro will immediately ask me where the media file went, but I’m going to close this frame because I’d like to show you how to use the link function. To this end, I will again select the appropriate clip with the right mouse button and select the Link Media option from the menu. After that, a frame will appear on the screen that allows me to manually locate the appropriate file and link it back to this clip. In fact, Premiere Pro only uses data related to the name of a specific file and its location, which includes the device, the disk and possibly the folder in which it is located. In this way, you will always have the possibility to use current information, because it may happen that some of the clips you use are changed, which you do not need to worry about, because Premiere Pro will automatically download the current contents.