# Using digital media masters

Digitally stored media master files
are often relatively large,
and are more likely used as-is than edited.

We use git-annex to track such files.

As an addon to git,
some of the interaction is done through git commands,
while some is done using git-annex-specific commands.

## Status

To check status of metadata, use git:

```shell
git status
```

To check status of file content storage, use git-annex:

```shell
git annex info
```


## Save

To "take a snapshot" of one of more files
for git-annex archival,
first mark which files are involved
and then archive their (changes to) content:

```shell
git annex add foo bar
git annex add baz
git commit -m "Update foo bar, and add baz."
```

(final `git commit` is implied by [`git annex sync` or `git annex move`](#sync))


## Sync

To align a git-annex repository with subscribed annex(es),
request a syncronization:

```shell
git annex sync --content --all
```

Alternatively (e.g. on slow/expensive network),
syncronize only metadata and only with nearest clones:

```shell
git annex sync
```

Alternatively (e.g. on small host),
push the content to only be remote without keeping a local copy:

```shell
git annex move .
```


## Access

While main purpose of git-annex is to store large media elsewhere,
you obviously want to sometime work with the content locally.

To fetch content of current folder and all subfolders:

```shell
git annex get .
```

To afterwards relieve local storage of git-annex tracked content
in current folder and all subfolders:

```shell
git annex move .
```

To fetch or relieve a single file or another directory,
replace the dot with the path to the file or directory.


## Split

Splitting media files is format-specific.

Many audio formats can be split
with the package shntool and appropriate helper tools,
e.g. like this for a FLAC file with CUE file for splicing hints:

```shell
shnsplit -o flac -f CUE_FILE.cue FLAC_FILE.flac
```

For many other formats, including video content,
splitting can be done using the [copy] parameter to FFMpeg,
e.g. like this:

```shell
ffmpeg -i INFILE -ss 15 -t 60 -acodec copy -vcodec copy OUTFILE
```

[copy]: https://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg.html#Stream-copy
  "FFMpeg copy parameter"


## References

* [Source of this document][media-master]

[media-master]: https://source.redpill.dk/media-master
  "Digital media master material"