The Project Tag Manager

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‌The Project Tag Manager

The Project Tag Manager is a single panel in SynthEyes where you define and manage all file-location “tags.” These tags—such as <PROJECT> or @—act like shortcuts for file paths. By setting them up once, you can keep your files automatically organized without typing long, absolute paths for every shot or exporter.

Opening the Project Tag Manager.

 Launch SynthEyes.

 In the top menu, click File.

 Choose Project Tag Manager…

Quick Intro to Tags.

 <PROJECT> . A full human-readable project name (“Surfing Fiji on a Budget”); it can be used in folder name, but usually you’ll use ..

 <PROJ> . A shorter project name for use in paths, often with no spaces (“SurfingFiji”). If you don’t set one up, the longer <PROJECT> name will be used.

 <PROJECTS> . A folder that will contain the folder for each project, something like D:\Projects or /Volumes/MYBIGDISK/Projects.

 % . An abbreviation in the Project Tag Manager that means

<PROJECTS>/<PROJ>. You'll typically put the files for a given project in here, for example

“D:\Projects\SurfingFiji”.

 <SHOTNAME>. The filename portion (excluding all the folder parts and the extension) for the first shot/camera in a SynthEyes scene (in some contexts where it makes sense, the filename of the relevant shot may be used. It is common to use <SHOTNAME> as the next subfolder within a project, so that all the files for a given shot within a project are in the same subfolder.

 Put it together: I want After Effects and Maya exports in an Exports folder, and since multiple files can result from each, I want them in separate subfolders, with the actual file still named after the shot. The tags for the Maya export would be this:

<PROJECTS>/<PROJ>/<SHOTNAME>/Exports/Maya/<SHOTNAME>

It will appear as %/<SHOTNAME>/Exports/Maya/<SHOTNAME> in the Project Tag Manager.

 SynthEyes will create these folders as they are needed, you don’t have to.

 The <PROJECT> and <PROJ> names are set up using the Project Selector .

 The actual organization you want is up to you. The tags help you get it, they don’t require anything.

 @ is an abbreviation for <USERDATA>, the “user data folder,” eg C:/Users/<YourName>/AppData/Roaming/BorisFX/SynthEyes on Windows or

/Users/<YourName>/Library/Application Support/BorisFX/SynthEyes on macOS. This location can be used for things that aren’t project-specific, such as the Batch Input and Output queues (there can only be one), or if you want that kind of file centralized in one place, for example all your Preview movies in one folder.

 You can use tagging without using projects at all, <PROJECTS> is just a placeholder for whatever directory you want, if you want to centralize some things. You don’t have to use it either, you can use whatever locations you want for any of the tags... and you can keep the tag fields empty and SynthEyes won’t direct you to any specific folders at all.

Folder Examples. In the Project Tag Manager window, you’ll see fields such as Scenes, Images, Exports, Batch In, Batch Out, etc. Below are some examples—what to type and where files might go.

Adding Exporter-Specific Folders. If you often export to After Effects or Nuke, you can add a dedicated folder for each. Use Add Exporter Setting, pick the exporter, and enter something like <PROJECTS>/<PROJ>/Exports/AfterEffects. Whenever you export for After Effects, those files automatically appear in that folder.

Copy Tag to Clipboard. If you want to insert a tag (like <SHOTNAME>) into multiple fields, pick it from Copy Tag to Clipboard near the top of the Tag Manager. Then paste it wherever you need

<PROJECT>/MyFilm/Exports/AfterEffects/<SHOTNAME> would create a unique subfolder for each shot.

Adjusting or Removing Settings. Use Reset to Default if you want to revert a single field (for example, “Scenes”) to the factory default. If you added an exporter path you no longer need, choose Remove Exporter Setting and pick that exporter from the dropdown.

How This Helps. Instead of editing multiple preference panels or typing absolute paths, you have a single location where Scenes, Exports, and other folders are defined. Everything stays consistent and is easier to move or rename if your directory structure changes.

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