Sorting a drive full of clips in Windows Explorer means opening file after file to see what is in it. And once you have moved things, every tool that pointed at the old location has lost track of them. Fast Video Cataloger has a video file organizer built in — a folder and file browser that sits next to your video catalog. You see what is in a folder while you sort it, and the catalog follows every file you move, rename or delete.
Whether you call it a video organizer, a video organiser or a clip organizer, the job is the same: get footage into the right folders quickly, and still be able to find it afterwards.
See what is in a folder before you move it
Pick a folder in the File Organizer and press Search. The Video Catalog window then shows every cataloged video in that folder and the folders below it, with the thumbnails Fast Video Cataloger captured through each video. You recognise the shoot at a glance instead of playing files one by one. Tick Filter catalog on folder in Preferences and this happens every time you click a folder.
It works the other way too. Select a video in the file list and it is selected in the catalog. Turn on Autosync to videofolder and selecting a video in the catalog opens its folder in the File Organizer.
Move and rename files — the catalog keeps up
Drag videos from the Video Catalog window onto a folder in the File Organizer, or drag files between folders inside the File Organizer itself. The files are moved on disk and their catalog entries are updated to the new location. Because it is the same catalog entry, everything you have added stays attached: keywords, scene tags, actors, transcripts and notes.
Move several videos at once and a dialog lists each file with where it came from, where it is going, and how it went. A file that moved but whose catalog entry could not be updated is reported as failed, not passed off as done.
- Rename a video from the right-click menu and the file and its catalog entry are renamed together.
- Delete a video or companion image and it goes to the Recycle Bin and leaves the catalog.
- Drag a whole folder and it moves with its subfolders. Folders the move leaves completely empty are removed for you. The folder you dragged things out of is always kept, and a folder that still holds a file is never removed.
Sort an incoming folder until it is empty
Every video you move gets the Move autotag keyword (it is “Organized” unless you change it). Turn on Hide videos with autotag and each video disappears from the Video Catalog window as soon as you have filed it. Search for your unsorted footage, drag the clips to their folders, and the list shrinks as you go. When it is empty, you are done. Untick the option to see everything again.
Take the companion files along
Turn on Move companion files and a video’s companion images move with it, with their catalog entries updated too. Files in the video’s folder that match your Move companion filter — for example *.txt notes or *.srt subtitles — go along as well. With Create folder ticked, a video that has companion files gets a folder of its own, named after the video, so it all stays together.
Show only what you are working with
The file list can show folders, video files and image files, in any combination, as a list, as icons or as thumbnails. A file that is not in your catalog yet gets an Add Video button, and Add folder queues every new video in a folder tree for indexing.
How to organize video files with the File Organizer
- Click the View Files layout button to show the Video Catalog and the File Organizer together.
- In Preferences > File Organizer, set a Move autotag, tick Hide videos with autotag, and choose whether companion files go along.
- Search your catalog for the footage you want to sort.
- Drag videos from the Video Catalog onto the target folder in the File Organizer.
- Keep going until the list is empty, then untick Hide videos with autotag.
Every setting is described in the File Organizer preferences, and the buttons in the File Organizer window reference. Planning the folder structure itself? Start with our guide on how to organize video files.
Frequently asked questions
Do I keep my keywords and transcripts when I move a video?
Yes. The move updates the location of the existing catalog entry, so everything attached to it stays.
What if I already moved files with Windows Explorer?
The catalog does not see moves made outside the program. The Repair tool finds the videos at their new location and fixes the paths.
Will it delete my folders?
Only folders that were part of a drag and that the move left completely empty. A folder that still holds anything is never removed.
Is the File Organizer a separate program?
No, it is part of Fast Video Cataloger and included in the free 30-day trial.
What about footage I rarely use?
Use Archive to move finished projects to another drive. The catalog stays searchable when that drive is disconnected, including with AI video search.
Try it on your own folders
Download the free 30-day trial, add a folder of footage, and sort it with the File Organizer.