CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTED 27Saving project settings as a templateAfter you have customized your video project, you can save your project settingsas a template by clicking the File: Save Project Template command. In thedialog box that opens, give the template a name as well as a description. Presetsand previously created templates are also displayed in the Existing templates listbox. If you wish to replace one of these templates with the properties of thecurrent video project, select it and then click OK.Enabling Smart ProxyProxy files are lower resolution working copies of video files. They are reduced inresolution or compression bit rate for only one reason - to speed up editing of HDVand other large video source files. Proxy files are source-dependent rather thanproject-dependent. In other words, proxy files can be shared among differentprojects.When you edit and preview your project in Instant Play mode, proxy files will beused as substitutes for their large video source counterparts. Whereas when youpreview your project in high-quality playback mode or when you render a videofile, the original video source files will be used. (See “Previewing your work” onpage 88 to know more on playback modes).To enable the creation of proxy files, click in the Timeline Toolbar, or go to File:Preferences - Smart Proxy, then select the Enable video proxy option. In theSmart Proxy tab of the Preferences dialog box, you can set the condition whenproxy files need to be generated and choose a proxy file format. For more detailson the settings, see “Preferences” on page 40.Once video proxy is enabled, proxy files will automatically be created and used inyour project whenever you insert video files into the Timeline.Saving a video projectWhen you save a video project, it is saved as a DVP (Digital Video Project) file.This is a small file that contains all of the information about your project, like whichclips to include, their position on the Timeline, and any transitions that you haveused. This file is not a movie and can only be opened in Video Editor. To save yourcurrent project, select File: Save.You can customize Video Editor to save backups of your project automatically byselecting the Automatically save every option in the General tab of thePreferences dialog box. Set a desired time interval between saves and themaximum number of backups to keep.
