When you save a project, it saves unused material

[SoCu]

Hi, I have a project with two slides. I tried adding a transition, and then added another one at the end.

But when I save the project or export it, I see that the file is much larger, and I noticed it creates a folder with the video files containing the transition I tested.

Maybe I’m doing something wrong, but this also happens in version 11.

When the project is saved, shouldn’t it only save the footage actually used in the project?

Thanks.
 

[AleAle5025]

Create a new slide without duplicates. Copy the slide that you want to edit. Open a new project in the program. Paste the copied slide. Edit the slide. Now you will have a new slide without duplicates.

[Igor]

Re-open this project (or restart PTE AV Studio), and the program will remove unused resources associated with this project.

This works this way, because user can undo changes (Ctrl+Z) and return some transition with video resources to the project. Therefore, clearing unused resources always occurs when closing the program or closing the project (re-opening the project).

[SoCu]

Hi, thanks to both of you for responding. To prevent that from happening, do I need to create a project, and once it’s finished, create a new one to paste the slides into? It must be because something isn’t working right.

I understand that this material is needed so the user can undo changes (Ctrl+Z), and when the program closes, it should delete them, but that’s not the case—when the program reopens, the transition folders with the video files are still there.
I passed the project on to another user, and when they opened it on their computer, they were still there.

This doesn’t just happen with projects; I’ve also noticed it when I’ve exported transitions or styles to send to another user. I saw that the file was much larger, and it was because it contained material that didn’t correspond to what was used in the styles or transitions.

As I said, it can take me a while to finish a project, and I close it many times and reopen it, and the folders with unused material are still there. It doesn’t happen all the time, but now that I’ve been working on a project, I’ve seen it again, and I’ve mentioned it.

Igor, regarding the project I sent you, I don’t know if the transitions folder was deleted when you opened it, but I still have it.
 

[AleAle5025]

I had issues with duplicates. Here's how to work with an old slide to make changes or extract content from it without creating duplicates or breaking the original slide:

 

1. Open the old slide in the program and copy the entire slide from start to finish onto the timeline. Once you've copied it...
2. Click on the word "File" in the panel, then select "New Project."
3. In the new project that opens, paste the copied old slide on the timeline.  
4. Give the new project a name and confirm.
5. Save the new project and continue working with it.

 

Now you won't have any duplicates. This is the correct way to work with old slides and transitions to avoid duplication issues.

[Igor]

6 hours ago, SoCu said:

Igor, regarding the project I sent you, I don’t know if the transitions folder was deleted when you opened it, but I still have it.

I downloaded and checked your project Proyecto 2_Mar22-2026_9-30-44.zip (62 MB).

This project includes one heavy custom transition (10 variants, 62 MB, 20 video files). It's included as Embedded transition (local project storage). It means that it's included in the project (not in the global storage). For this reason, the program doesn't clean up its resources, even if no slide uses it. This is because the transition is stored in a single, unique instance - in the project's resources.

If the transition is in the program's global storage, the program (PTE AV Studio) automatically cleans up the project's resources as soon as all slides stop using it (when the project or PTE AV Studio is closed).

To resolve this particular case, simply remove the transition in the list of transitions in Project Options / Slide Options and close the project.
Be careful - re-check that you have a copy of this transition before deleting it.

If you didn't specifically create this transition in the project's local project storage, this situation could have occurred for the following reason:
1. You created or imported a new transition into the program's global storage.
2. You used this transition in a project.
3. Then you shared a ZIP copy of the project with another user (or moved the project to a second PC).
4. PTE AV Studio always saves a local copy of the transition in the project, so you can correctly open this project on another computer where the transition isn't yet in the global storage and it won't be automatically added there.
5. Thus, the transition becomes a local transition (embedded transition). If you now stop using this transition, resource cleanup will not occur automatically.

[SoCu]

Sorry, Igor, but I can't find that menu option to remove transitions locally.

I understand that it's under Project Menu > Project Options (Ctrl+P), in the “Transitions” section, but nothing appears in the “Embedded Transitions” list.