Organizing the Project Bin
A cluttered project bin slows you down. A well-organized bin makes every editing decision faster.
Core Idea
The Project Bin is your editing workspace's "file system." Treat it like a well-structured folder hierarchy — every clip should be findable in under 3 seconds.
Bin Organization Principles
For screencast series (multiple videos), apply these rules:
Rule 1: One project per video
Not one project for your entire YouTube channel
Rule 2: Name clips descriptively
NOT: "vlc-000123.mp4"
YES: "demo-part1-opening.mp4", "demo-part2-config.mp4"
Rule 3: Group by type, not by scene
✅ Recordings / Music / Titles / Assets
❌ Intro / Middle / Outro (that's timeline work, not bin work)
Rule 4: Generate proxies before editing
Generate all proxies at import time, not mid-edit
Creating and Managing Folders
Create folder:
Right-click empty area in bin → Create Folder → name it
Rename folder:
Right-click folder → Rename OR F2
Delete folder:
Right-click folder → Delete
(clips inside move to bin root — they are NOT deleted)
Expand/collapse folder:
Click arrow on folder OR Shift+LMB (expand/collapse all same type)
Naming Conventions for Screencasts
| Type | Convention | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Raw recording | topic-take-N.mp4 | config-demo-take-2.mp4 |
| Audio music | style-bpm.mp3 | ambient-90bpm.mp3 |
| Voiceover | section-vo.wav | intro-vo.wav |
| Title clip | position-label | lower-third-name |
| Image asset | type-name.png | logo-color.png |
Using Sequences
A Sequence is a nested timeline inside your main project. Use sequences to:
- Pre-edit intro/outro clips and reuse across multiple videos
- Create a repeatable "chapter card" template
- Group complex multi-layer segments
Create sequence:
Right-click in Project Bin → Add Sequence
→ Name it (e.g., "intro-template")
→ Double-click to open and edit it
→ Drag the sequence clip from bin to main timeline
Switch between sequences:
Ctrl+Tab → next sequence tab
Ctrl+Shift+Tab → previous sequence tab
Clip Bin Information
The Project Bin shows columns by default:
Name | Duration | Date | ...
To add more columns:
Right-click any column header → select additional columns:
Rating, Description, Audio Channels, Codec, FPS...
For screencasters, useful columns:
- Duration — quickly see which clips are useful length
- FPS — confirm constant frame rate
- Resolution — catch mismatched recordings
Marking Clips with Ratings
Right-click clip → Rating → 1 to 5 stars
Use case:
★★★★★ = keep this take
★★★ = maybe use parts
★ = probably delete
After reviewing raw recordings, sort by rating:
Right-click column header → Sort by Rating
Clip Notes and Descriptions
Right-click clip → Edit Comment
→ Add a note: "Good take, starts at 0:05"
Notes are saved in the project file and visible on hover.
Batch Operations
Select multiple clips:
Ctrl+click → add individual clips to selection
Shift+click → select range
Batch generate proxy:
Select all clips → Right-click → Generate Proxy
Batch rename:
Not built-in — rename source files in file manager before importing
Batch delete:
Select all → Delete (removes from bin, not from disk)
Keyboard Reference
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Rename clip/folder | F2 |
| Expand/collapse all same type | Shift+LMB |
| Add to selection | Ctrl+LMB |
| Range selection | Shift+LMB |
| Open clip properties | Double-click OR Right-click → Properties |
| Close extra bins | Ctrl+W |
| Next sequence tab | Ctrl+Tab |
| Previous sequence tab | Ctrl+Shift+Tab |
Hands-On Practice
1. In your test project, import 3 test clips
2. Create bin folders:
Right-click → "Recordings"
Right-click → "Audio"
Right-click → "Titles"
3. Move clips to the right folders (drag)
4. Rename each clip:
Click clip → F2 → type descriptive name → Enter
5. Right-click a clip → Edit Comment
Add a note about the clip content
6. Right-click bin column header → add "Duration" and "FPS" columns
7. Select all recording clips → Right-click → Generate Proxy