Dependencies
The Preload button from the Import Footage Panel is used to choose whether the video footage on which you wish to work is to be read directly from the computer storage support or if it is to be included in your current Project.
This option is important for the following reasons:
- Let's say your Project has Layers created from of non-preloaded video footage. When loading the same Project again, TVPaint Animation will look for the external video files used as a source for those Layers' creation. This feature is interesting as it allows you to save some space when saving your Project, since it does not contain the images from the video files being used.
If the video file which your Project refers to is deleted, modified or renamed, this will have an incidence the next time your Project is loaded (the Layers and Images using this dependency will not be found…).
- To avoid having a Project depend on external videos, you may, when video footage is imported for the first time, Preload it immediately by checking the aforementioned option. Your Project will then be more voluminous when saved, but at least there will be no risk of loosing any data when the imported files are modified, since those sources are now embedded into your Project.
If you forget to do this, it is possible to Preload the files later via the main menu Project > Dependencies > Load all option. This menu also displays the path and name of files which your Project depends on.
In addition of images and videos, sound tracks can be embedded to your Project as well, as we have seen in the dedicated chapter.