Media Processing and Proxies
What Solar Sailer prepares after an import, when to wait for it, and how to recover media that no longer works as expected.
Know when to wait
After an import, Solar Sailer prepares playback audio and cached images for each source. You can arrange and trim clips while that work runs.
Wait for audio preparation before judging playback or using a tool that analyzes the audio, such as Delete Silence. Audio may be unavailable until the conform file is ready. Missing thumbnails and waveforms do not block editing or AI tools.
Footage on a network drive or in a cloud folder can take much longer to prepare, especially when another app must download the file first. Leave Solar Sailer open and keep the source drive connected. Audio conform and waveform work retry automatically after a temporary failure. Other failed work can be tried again when you reopen the project.
Cancelling a background asset task stops all preparation still running or waiting for that source file. Finished cache files remain, but unfinished files are discarded. Reopen the project to rebuild missing playback audio and visual assets. A cancelled proxy must be generated again by hand.
Generate and use a proxy
A proxy is a smaller, compatible copy of a video. Solar Sailer creates a 720p proxy, so it is easier to decode than a high-resolution original but looks softer in the Preview.
Generate a proxy when Solar Sailer says a source cannot play directly, or when a large source plays poorly:
- In the Media panel, right-click the video.
- Choose Generate Proxy.
- Keep Solar Sailer open and the source drive connected until generation finishes.
A video that cannot play directly stays blank in the Preview until its proxy is ready. You can still arrange the clip on the timeline. The missing proxy does not block AI tools, which use the original source when no proxy exists.
For videos that can play directly, use PXY below the Preview to choose what you watch. Turn it off for the full-resolution original. Turn it on for the 720p proxy when one exists. Videos that require a proxy use it regardless of this setting.
Find Characters can use an existing proxy to process heavy footage faster. Tools that need original detail continue to use the source.
To remove a proxy, right-click the video and choose Delete Proxy. Solar Sailer returns to the original for preview playback when the original is compatible. A file that requires a proxy stops playing until you generate another one. Proxy generation does not retry by itself after a failure or cancellation, so choose Generate Proxy again.
Playback audio and proxies can use substantial disk space, especially for long recordings. Solar Sailer stores them in the cache, not beside your source files. See The Cache Folder to change its location or clear it safely.
Recover missing or changed media
Solar Sailer keeps a link to each source file. Moving, renaming, or deleting that file takes it offline. Timeline changes that do not read the file still work, but playback, export, and AI tools that need the source cannot finish until you reconnect it.
- In the Media panel, right-click the offline item and choose Relink….
- In Relink Media, click Browse….
- Select the source file in its new location.
Relinking works one file at a time. Choose the correct source, since Solar Sailer accepts the file you select as the replacement.
When you open a project, Solar Sailer checks its generated playback audio and visual assets. Missing files are rebuilt. If a source changed since the last session, Solar Sailer treats the old generated files as stale and prepares new ones. Generate the proxy again if the source changed or its proxy was cleared.