Copying and pasting between Premiere Elements Windows* projects (project.prel files) using the 3rd party ClipMate software has a long history of "it does not work" ranging to "it works". In the days of Premiere Elements 8.0/8.0.1, we tried to define the situation, sorting out the facts from the myths with regard to the ClipMate copy/paste of video, audio, transitions from one Premiere Elements project to another.
Premiere Elements 8.0/8.0.1 and later (9.0/9.0.1 and 10) were found to work with ClipMate in contrast to version 7 which did not. Now what about the current version Premiere Elements 11? This current version appears to be falling into the "it does not work" with regard to the transitions in this copy/paste operation.
First let us define the "it works" and "it does not work" and then go into a detailed how to use ClipMate for copy/paste for what does work in this ClipMate copy/paste between two different Premiere Elements projects.
TESTING PROTOCOL
Besides a narration clip in the Narration Track and a soundtrack in the Soundtrack, there were 4 video clips side by side on Premiere Elements Video 1/Audio 1 with a Curtain video transition between first and second clips (Transition Alignment = Center at Cut).
- First Clip (.mov) represented video linked to its audio
- Second Clip (.wmv) represented video linked to its audio
- Third Clip was same as Second Clip except its audio was deleted and that Audio 1 space replaced with a mp3 music file (represented unlinked video audio in this case)
- Fourth Clip was same as First Clip except its video and audio were unlinked
- Narration Clip was .wav created with the Narration feature of Premiere Elements
- Soundtrack Clip was mp3 music file that came with the Windows 7 64 bit operating system
(It does not work if one is interested in audio and transitions)
- Video 1/Audio 1 content of first project pasted into Video 1/Audio 1 of the second project where all video and audio were found in place but unlinked regardless of how they were in the original project.
- Transition did not appear in the second project.
- Narration went to Audio 2, and Soundtrack went to Audio 3.
- At this point, all audio could be heard; whereas, once the second project was saved/closed/reopened, there was no sound, and audio displayed without wave form in the Timeline.
(It works)
- Video 1/Audio 1 content of first project pasted into Video 1/Audio1 of the second project where all video and audio were found in place, but linked regardless of how they were in the original project.
- Transition appeared in the second project.
- Narration went to Audio 2 and Soundtrack went to Audio 3.
- All audio could be heard at this point as well as after the save/close/reopen of this second project.
(It does not work if one is interested in transitions.)
- Video 1/Audio 1 content of first project pasted into Video 1/Audio 1 of the second project where all video and audio were found in place, but linked regardless of how they were in the original project.
- Transition did not appear in second project.
- Narration went to Audio 2 and Soundtrack went to Audio 3.
- All audio could be heard at this point as well as after the save/close/reopen of this second project.
- The ClipMate/Premiere Elements 7 problems cited did not seem to exist when a ClipMate copy/paste was done within a single Premiere Elements project in contrast to the ClipMate copy/paste between two Projects.
- Only difference between ClipMate/Premiere Elements 11 and ClipMate/other versions looked at was version 11 used "PPro AE Exchange" after Capture Special choice; whereas all the rest used "Premiere Elements.OS.Clipboard Format" AND "Premiere AE Exchange"***.
- Preliminary studies suggested that this copy/paste insert operation can support multi tracks as well as going between projects with different project settings.Special consideration needed to be given to copy/paste insert between projects where narration and soundtrack content were involved since their destination for these files in the second project was upper audio track locations, not the Narration Track or Soundtrack.
HOW TO
Download and install the ClipMate tryout from http://www.thornsoft.com/
(Version 7.5 as of this posting. Version 7.5 seemed to be giving the same results as those from the prior looked at 7.3 version. How to appeared to be same whether ClipMate version 7.3 or 7.5 was used in this study)
1. Open ClipMate from the Desktop icon.
Keep in mind that if the program interface disappears from view, one can click on its icon in the Taskbar when needed for entry into the ClipMate program for the copy/paste procedure.
(a) It is critical that one checks out the ClipMate interface's column to the left where it shows a main category of "My Clips". Expand that category to reveal its subcategories:
Inbox
Safe
Overflow
Saples
Virtual
Trash Can
Search Results
Make sure that the Inbox is selected.
2. Open a Premiere Elements project...select your clips to be copied, then Edit Menu/Copy (if you have your computer speakers on, you should hear a ClipMate noise to indicate that the copy process occurred).
3. Bring up ClipMate, using the Taskbar icon if necessary...you just want it on screen long enough to tell it what to do...
(a) In ClipMate, Edit Menu/Capture Special
(b) For Premiere Elements 8.0/8.0.1, 9.0/9.0.1, or 10, put check mark next to
"Premiere Elements.OS.Clipboard Format" AND "Premiere AE Exchange". And, click OK.
For Premiere Elements 11, instead put a check mark next to "PPro AE Exchange"***. And, click OK.
(c) Focus on your entry at the top of the ClipMate interface. Ignore anything you see in the large message area at the bottom of the interface. Select the top entry to highlight it and go back to Premiere Elements project where your copy was made. (Keep in mind that the entry in ClipMate should be at the top and have the day's date and time for your action in the program. Make sure you have the correct entry.)
(d) In Premiere Elements project (source of copy), save the original Premiere Elements project, close out of that, and open the other Premiere Elements project destined for the paste insert.
(e) The paste insert in the second project will go to wherever you have the Timeline Indicator positioned, so for now make sure the Timeline Indicator is in a location without media. You can move the media in place later.
(f) Now the critical details of the paste insert in the second project. With this second Premiere Elements project window and the ClipMate window visible at the same time on the computer monitor screen (cascaded windows), make sure that the ClipMate entry for this copy/paste insert is highlighted, and then, in that second Premiere Elements project, Edit Menu/Paste Insert. Give the procedure a few seconds to complete. Most of the time those straight forward steps do not work. What consistently seems to work is
- make sure correct ClipMate entry is highlighted in the ClipMate interface.
- click once on a blank area in the second project's Video 1 track
- then Edit Menu/Paste Insert, giving Edit Menu opening, the Paste Insert availability, and Paste Insert action a few seconds to be active.
________________________________________________________________________________
*ClipMate is not available on Mac.
** UPDATE. Premiere Elements 11 and 12 Windows details and results are the same. See September 24, 2013 blog post Premiere Elements 12 Daily Discoveries item 0015 titled "ClipMate with Premiere Elements 12 to Copy/Paste Insert Between Projects".
UPDATE. Premiere Elements 13 Windows details and results are the same as for 11 and 12. See September 24, 2014 blog post Premiere Elements 13 Daily Discoveries item 0015 titled "ClipMate with Premiere Elements 13 to Copy/Paste Insert Between Projects"
UPDATE. Premiere Elements 14 results are same as for 11, 12/12.1, and 13/13.1 with the following important exceptions: transitions appear in the second project and ClipMate's Edit Menu/Capture Special step uses check mark for "PPro/MZ/Cookie" and "PProAE/Exchange/TrackItem". See September 21, 2015 blog post Premiere Elements 14 Daily Discoveries item 022 titled "ClipMate Works With Premiere Elements 14 For The Copy/Paste Insert Between 14 Projects".
UPDATE. For update regarding Premiere Elements 15 (latest version) in conjunction with ClipMate, see
PE: Copy Paste Opportunities Overview
***The January 5, 2015 ClipMate tryout listed ProProAE/Exchange/Track Item instead of just ProPro AE Exchange as seen in May 23, 2013 ClipMate tryout.
ATR
