If you’ve ever lost a file, you know how frustrating it is when something disappears! When you’re working with Vellum, more recent files are simple but you may not always know how to find older files. So first, watch this Vellum software tutorial with 4 ways to set up a project, then at the end I’ll show you what to do if you can’t find a Vellum file.
Contents
Quick notes first:
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You’ll find the transcript for this Vellum software tutorial below the video. Thanks for watching!
Vellum software tutorial transcript: creating, saving, and rescuing files (with basic time stamps)
Note: subheadings in the following transcript are are provided for ease of navigation and are not spoken in the video.
Hi there! This is Jody Skinner with Skinner Self-Publishing Services [now called Skinner Book Services]. Today I’m going to demonstrate the four ways to create a new Vellum project, and I’ll also talk about saving files. While these aren’t directly connected, I think you’ll see in a moment why I’m putting these together.
4 ways to begin new Vellum projects
So first, four ways to start a Vellum project. (0:20) The most obvious way to open a new Vellum project is to use the Import Word File button when you open Vellum. From here you can navigate to the .docx file you wish to import. You’ll notice that any individual files that are not in the .docx format are not available to import, so click on the one you want and choose Import.
Option number two is the same command, which you can find when you have opened Vellum. Just look at the Menu Bar under File and then Import Word File.
The third option is also in the Menu Bar, where you can simply choose File and then New, or press Command – N if the Menu Bar displays that you’re working in Vellum. This will open up a blank document.
From here you can open the Finder—the icon with the face in the Dock along the bottom—then choose the desired .docx file and drag and drop it into the Navigator of the blank project. This is also a good way to add small items like an author bio segment, acknowledgments, etc.
(1:30) For the fourth option, I’ll quit Vellum completely so I can show you possibly the fastest option of all. Without opening Vellum, open the Finder, choose the file you want, then click and drag it over the Vellum icon. When you see the word “Vellum” pop up, release the mouse button, and a new project will open itself.
Vellum isn’t a file save location—so how should you save projects?
(2:00) Now, let’s look at a couple details.
I’ll point out right away in this new project that the top of this window, as long as I’m not in full screen mode, shows me two things. One, that the default name for a new project is “untitled.” And two, that this version is not saved [as it reads “edited”]. If I close out, I will be prompted to save or delete, which is helpful—but let me go back to the beginning before we go any farther.
When we first open Vellum, the latest projects opened are listed along the right side of the pop-up window, and there may be more under File, Open Recent. But these are simply a courtesy access point, as Vellum itself does not save files. At some point, with an operating system upgrade or other software change, I can almost promise you that these will be gone, or somehow you won’t find the file you want.
(3:00) I’ve been there too, so don’t panic — but how DO you find files when they don’t show up as a recent project?
That’s a great question! Let’s look a little closer at files. Again, I am going to create a new Sherlock Holmes project, and I am coming back to the top of the project window.
So first, I am going to click where it says Untitled. I want this to be the ebook-only version of my Sherlock Holmes project, and I’ll do something different later with the print version, so I am going to call it “Sherlock – ebook.” This portion on the left at the top of the Navigator, [clicking My Books] under title info, is where I need to be sure my title is exact, but for the working filename that shows at the top of the window, the priority is that I can quickly identify the file on my system. Putting a date in different versions of the same file can be extremely helpful.
(3:50) Now that I’ve named it, I need to tell Vellum where I want to find this file later. To keep this quick, I am going to choose Desktop. You’ll see that it has now popped up on my desktop as an available file.
When I hit the Return key on my keyboard, now I can see that my project’s name is “Sherlock – ebook,” and if I make any edits, now I can see that it has been updated [because it adds “edited”]. When I try to close it it will give me the option to save the most up-to-date copy, or if I didn’t want to make changes or just want to start from the previous place, I can revert back to the previously saved version of this project.
Folders on your Mac
(4:30) But now I don’t want this on my nice clean desktop. To keep projects organized well, folders are our friends.
I’m coming back to the Finder and choosing Dropbox, where I already have the folder set up for every one of my Vellum exports to go in. Every print file, every EPUB or Mobi output from Vellum ends up in this folder. I may move them out of this folder later, but they come here first. We’ll talk generating in another video.
Since I like to have things collected by author and then by project, and I don’t have a folder for Sir Arthur yet, here in the Finder, in Dropbox, I’ll go to File, choose New Folder, and name it. You can click on Documents or even on your Desktop and do the same thing.
Now Sir Arthur’s folder can house the Vellum files, both this one and the one I’ll make for print, and I can keep the original .docx file, the cover image, basically anything that I will need for this client.
When I open Vellum again, the project will still show as a recent file option, but now I will have a better idea of where to look for the project six months down the road.
Finding lost Vellum files
(5:45) And, if you’re stuck and you can’t find a project, one fairly dependable way to find all Vellum files that your Mac has access to is to come to the Finder and type “Vellum” in the search bar. Because all Vellum projects have the file type of “.vellum,” this is fairly dependable for bringing things from the recesses of where they may have landed by default. Depending on various factors like operating system bugs or Vellum version issues, this isn’t a complete fail safe, but it works often enough to be a good trick to have. But once you start thinking about your files and choosing where to put them, you won’t need this trick nearly as often.
As always, thanks to Erica, Heidi, and Steph, my fellow admins in the “Vellum Users” Facebook group, where we help each other with common Vellum issues, and for the helpful members inside the group who frequently contribute to more efficient ways to work with Vellum. I’m glad to be part of such a helpful place on the Internet. Come join us!
Comments? Suggestions? What Vellum software tutorial would you like to see?
Emails are welcome: he***@**********ks.com