Based on a client server architecture, individual editors have their own Postflux user logins, Postflux scans and analyses disorganised source project files and resolves all associated media. It then moves the project and media to a specified location, thus creating a new fully self-contained and organised Premiere Pro project. This makes exchanging Premiere projects simple and easy, plus allows the user to write to the most appropriate and pre-determined storage locations, whether on high-performance storage, removable storage or cloud.
Marquis Broadcast’s Managing Director, Paul Glasgow, explains, “Postflux simplifies and transforms the reliability of extended Adobe Premiere Pro project-based workflows. Missing media can be a nightmare for companies, so Postflux not only checks for this but also ensures project integrity from the point of origination through to archiving, helping transform production efficiency.”
During the source project scanning and analysis process, Postflux identifies any missing or offline media and automatically notifies the user of the missing media and the last location in which it was seen – perhaps on an ejected removable drive. This simple step enables users to rectify any missing media at source before an incomplete project enters an extended workflow. Postflux contains an automated notification service so users can track processing and transfer status of key tasks, with all system activity logged at user and system level for diagnostics.
Postflux has two additional and important modes of exchanging projects. This can be as a single project archive – which also contains the complete, project version history and media – or as an archive set. An archive set contains multiple projects, complete with individual version histories and common media associated with all of these versions. This enables users to non-destructively collaborate on projects, sharing and versioning complex productions without duplicating any media. The archive set contains a complete and easy-to-navigate version history of the project, ideal for distributed collaborative production or perhaps for archiving a TV series with all its versions.
The Postflux system has a good understanding of the system’s storage locations, which could be on local storage for an individual user or on pre-determined shared or workgroup specific network locations. The platform also includes a substantial storage plug-in library, including cloud storage.
Permissions for these are set by the Postflux system admin, which also enables specific source and delivery workflows to be enforced. The system flexibly supports manual operations, task chaining and automated scheduling. Automated scheduling is ideal for automated overnight backups of all work-in-progress for operational protection and disaster recovery.
“The concept of the Postflux versionable archive set becomes particularly valuable when combined with cloud workflows,” adds Paul. “In the case of AWS S3, security and encryption keys can be used such that workflows can easily use the cloud as a secure integrated workflow step. This ensures an effective, efficient production process.”