Configuring the file scanner
The file scanner reads the contents of a source card and identifies the assets it contains. Scanning is triggered automatically when opening the workflow configuration window via the Offload or Add Clips buttons. Once complete, the results are presented in the Register in Library step, where you can review and adjust the results before confirming registration and further processing.
The scanner recognizes three asset types:
- Video clips — played back in Silverstack; video and camera metadata is extracted
- Audio clips — available for audio sync; audio metadata is extracted
- Documents — file parameters are extracted, but the asset has no functional role in Silverstack (no playback)
Two layers of settings influence how the scanner processes source content and how results are presented: application settings, which apply globally across all workflows, and workflow settings, which are evaluated per workflow after scanning completes.
Application settings#
Application settings are configured in Silverstack > Settings… and apply to all workflows and projects.
Ignore patterns#
Ignore patterns exclude specific files or folders from scanning entirely. Files matching a pattern are not scanned, do not appear in the scanning result or statistics, and are not processed — including backup. Use this to prevent system files, hidden files, or other unwanted content from entering your library and offload destinations.
A set of default patterns is pre-configured, covering common system files created by macOS and other software and hardware (for example, “*.DS_Store”).
Patterns are evaluated relative to the scanning root folder. An asterisk (“*”) acts as a wildcard; a slash (“/”) denotes a folder boundary.
Image and document sequences#
Some camera formats store each frame as a separate numbered file with a shared base name — common examples include .arx and .dng sequences. Silverstack groups these into a single asset automatically, which keeps the library clean and ensures consistent processing across all frames.
Silverstack can apply the same grouping logic to JPEG, TIFF, and DPX files if they follow a sequential naming scheme. To disable clip detection for any of these file types, deselect them in the Generic Image Sequence section of the settings.
Sequencing can also be applied to document assets. Use Document Sequence Patterns to define which document file types should be grouped when they follow a sequential naming scheme.
Workflow settings: Register in Library#
The Register in Library step is the first step in any workflow. It displays the scanning result — the list of detected assets and their classifications — before registration and further processing begin.
Automatic Document Patterns#
Document patterns let you reclassify specific folders or file types from clips to documents at the workflow level. This is useful when a camera card contains both original clips and proxy or derivative files that should be backed up but kept out of your working library — for example, a proxy subfolder recorded alongside RAW originals.
Assets matching a document pattern are backed up like any other file, but are registered as documents rather than functional clip assets: they are not available for playback or metadata enrichment. In the library, documents can be shown or hidden using the Show Clips and Documents / Show Clips Only view options.
In the scanning result list, assets classified as documents by a pattern are marked in blue. You can override the classification for individual assets directly in the list — promoting a document to a clip or demoting a clip to a document — before confirming registration.
Document patterns are configured per workflow. Different workflows can apply different patterns to the same source content. The patterns can be configured in the Scanning Result section (File List > Clips as Documents > Automatic Document Patterns…).
For further reference, see Workflow configuration window and Settings.