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destructive edits?
From
https://www.dv.com/article/108830(The best short overview/review I have read from the POV of someone who is not yet ready to try until more features are added.)
“It’s important to realize that when you are working in the Event Browser in FCP X, you are actively working with the actual media and not merely clips that reference media. Therefore, changes you make can be destructive, like moving a clip to the trash.”
Other than trashing a clip, what other changes would alter the master clip? What workflow would avoid any changes to the original clip?
The article says:
“There is no simple Reconnect Media process. Often an off-line media file can be removed from the browser and re-imported, but relinking has become harder than in the past, as part of Apple’s effort to make FCP X media management rock-solid.”
If I have kept copies of master clips on my media drive and deleted or altered the imported clip in some destructive way, how is it harder to relink?
OSX 10.5.8; MacBookPro4,1 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz
; Camcorders: Sony Z7U, Canon HV30/40, Sony vx2000/PD170; FCP certified; write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A. -
12 Replies
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“Other than trashing a clip, what other changes would alter the master clip?”
None that I know of.
“how is it harder to relink?”
It’s impossible. The clip is effectively lost and has to be reimported.
All the best,
Tom
Class on Demand DVDs “Complete Training for FCP7,” “Basic Training for FCS” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy”
Coming in 2011 “Complete Training for FCPX”
and “Final Cut Pro X for iMovie and Final Cut Express Users” from Focal Press -
Relinking is done through the Events and not individual media clips. That probably can create logistical problems in some cases depending on how you’re become accustomed to working.
At one point Apple had a KBase note that using the Open in Timeline command could be destructive but that was since pulled.
I haven’t noted anything destructive though as in altering source media clips.
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Ok Thanks Tom and Craig. I guess it isn’t the best over/re view of X. Oh well.
OSX 10.5.8; MacBookPro4,1 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz
; Camcorders: Sony Z7U, Canon HV30/40, Sony vx2000/PD170; FCP certified; write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A. -
Moving any file to the trash can be destructive if you empty the trash. This has been in the Mac OS since the beginning. If you don’t want to see a clip in the event library mark it as rejected and choose “hide rejected” (control H). No destruction necessary.
The loss of a link means the referenced media has been moved or altered in some way. That would typically be something you did purposely. Otherwise you can search the clip name and re-import. I suggest using FCP X’s file and folder structure. If you do you shouldn’t have any problems.
NT
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Hi Craig,
I wrote that overview. Here’s a slightly longer version:
https://digitalfilms.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/apple-final-cut-pro-x/
When you delete a file in the Event browser within FCP X, it is equivalent to FCP 7’s “make offline” command. In FCP 7, simply deleting a clip in the browser removes the FCP master clip but doesn’t affect the media itself.
There are certain things you can do outside of FCP X that will alter the media. For example, if you import a file and then subsequently open that same media file in an Adobe application, it writes a bit of its own metadata into the file. Now FCP X sees it as a different clip, since it no longer perfectly corresponds to the FCP X database. In this case the clip will go offline. Since there is no “reconnect media” command, you can’t easily force it to relink the clip to the media. Apple did this on purpose, because users frequently mess up relinking. Sometimes deleting the offline clip in the FCP X Event browser and then re-importing it will allow the clip in the timeline to relink. Essentially what Apple has done is copied the way Avid deals with media using a database and a folder for media files. In the Avid world, those are generally closed to the outside, but not in Apple’s approach. So proceed with caution.
As far as the “open in timeline” issue, this was never an actual problem, but rather an error in wording. That’s why Apple pulled the doc. In FCP 7 you have the ability to do source-side effects, like add a filter to a master clip. Since there is no longer a “source side” in FCP X, the “open in timeline” command can be used to open a clip as a mini-timeline. You can then add effects, change scale/position, color correct, etc. By doing this you will actually alter the clip in the Event browser, because you have added effects to it. This was originally worded by Apple as “altering the original media”, which isn’t actually correct.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
Thanks Oliver,
I liked the presentation of your article. It’s very difficult when you know/have experienced something to put your self in the shoes of someone who has not. The illustrations coupled with your words helped clarify some things I read before but didn’t quite get about FCP X.
My withdrawal of the best ever over-view was because Tom writes incredibly clear and accurate instructional books and posts. So I trust his judgment. If I were Apple, I would have chosen him for the official certification books. The ones they use are very good too but some of the language takes a little getting used to.
I also find the official books so specific to getting the exact frame-by-frame results of the practice exercises that some of it feels like an exercise in following directions rather than learning the concepts. That said, I took the course and enjoyed it very much.
What direction we all need to go is making my head spin. FCP X is designed (according to everyone except Apple) for my level of work (education, instructional videos, events, short form projects, burning simple DVDs and/or posting on-line, not broadcast) and yet its limitations run counter to my needs. For starters, I want to build on what I know, not start from scratch. Second, I need to open up old FCP projects. Third, I finally got a broadcast monitor and was really looking forward (to FCS 4’s COLOR) and seeing an accurate TV image (important for DVD’s as well as broadcast). Forth, as an educator you want to teach beginners with the assumption that some of them will take it to a higher level. It was easy before. FCP (3-7) was a clear winner. Good for all levels. Granted, a bit tricky for beginners. It would be one thing if FCP X could be stepped up to a more professional program (like the original Imovie and certainly FC Express to FCP). But to teach a program that uses a different vocabulary and workflow than everything else on the market (and in history) is confusing to say the least.
The modular nature of it could prove problematic as well. Every time there is an update you need to update all these different plug-ins and extra programs? The educational price for FCS was an incredible deal. And an easy sell. I want to teach professional practices. That means FCP or Avid. Avid is more expensive and mostly used on the high end. FCP is used high, low, and in between. FCP only works on a Mac which I am much more comfortable configuring and troubleshooting. And far less likely to get viruses (a very big deal in schools by the way, flash drives spread them like crazy). FCP has wonderful tutorials all over the Internet.
Now what? I’ve got Media Composer 5.5 installed. They are offering free updates per educational license (for 4 years, I think). They are an established industry standard and now it seems in a head-to-head competition with Premiere (and FCP X???) to replace FCS as the NLE for the rest of us.
OSX 10.5.8; MacBookPro4,1 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz
; Camcorders: Sony Z7U, Canon HV30/40, Sony vx2000/PD170; FCP certified; write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A. -
Thanks very much Craig for the kind words. Very much appreciated.
All the best,
Tom
Class on Demand DVDs “Complete Training for FCP7,” “Basic Training for FCS” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy”
Coming in 2011 “Complete Training for FCPX”
and “Final Cut Pro X for iMovie and Final Cut Express Users” from Focal Press -
Thanks Oliver,
So the changes will be in the event browser’s imported copy of the clip, but on your media drive you should now have the original untouched media file and, in FCP X’s event’s folder, the changed media browser clip?
From your article, I gather that if you leave a media file in its original format and do not transcode it, then in the event’s folder the file is represented by an alias.
Just the same, if you make changes to it in FCP X, only the alias’s version of it is effected?
But if you were to import the original clip into another program, the event browser would no longer recognize the link? And if you were to delete the file in the browser and re-imported the clip, would you loose all edits to it?
If I’m not completely misunderstanding, then best practices if you were to be using media files in different programs would be to make copies of a media file so as to use one with X and one with others or at least make the changes to the original file in other programs before importing into X?
Either way, it seems X does not like to share and you need even larger media drives to handle all these copies.
OSX 10.5.8; MacBookPro4,1 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5 GHz
; Camcorders: Sony Z7U, Canon HV30/40, Sony vx2000/PD170; FCP certified; write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A. -
[Craig Alan] “So the changes will be in the event browser’s imported copy of the clip, but on your media drive you should now have the original untouched media file and, in FCP X’s event’s folder, the changed media browser clip?”
No, I believe they are effectively one in the same. When you import a file, you either import and copy/transcode the media OR you make an alias. Either the copy or the alias is in your Events folder, which is the file that is displayed in the Events browser. If the media copy or the alias is altered, you’ve changed the relationship to the clip in the browser and the underlying database.
[Craig Alan] ” I gather that if you leave a media file in its original format and do not transcode it, then in the event’s folder the file is represented by an alias.”
Correct.
[Craig Alan] “But if you were to import the original clip into another program, the event browser would no longer recognize the link?”
Only if that other application alters the file’s metadata, including open/modified dates. For instance, opening the file in QT Player wouldn’t change it, AFAIK.
[Craig Alan] ” And if you were to delete the file in the browser and re-imported the clip, would you loose all edits to it?”
I don’t believe so.
[Craig Alan] ” then best practices if you were to be using media files in different programs would be to make copies of a media file so as to use one with X and one with others or at least make the changes to the original file in other programs before importing into X”
Yes, this is safest. That’s why Apple recommends making a camera archive from camera-based file formats and then importing from the camera archive – essentially like Log & Transfer in FCP 7.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
[Craig Alan] “My withdrawal of the best ever over-view was because Tom writes incredibly clear and accurate instructional books and posts. So I trust his judgment.”
LOL. No offense taken. I totally respect Tom’s opinions as well.
[Craig Alan] “The ones they use are very good too but some of the language takes a little getting used to.”
I’m actually quite surprised at the lack of resources Apple made available on this roll-out. There were far more Apple-sponsored resources with the 2009 Final Cut Studio release. Maybe they think FCP X is so intuitive that no training is needed.
[Craig Alan] “What direction we all need to go is making my head spin.”
Actually, look at the positives. By killing a dominant player (FCP 7), they’ve done everyone a favor by opening the field to innovation. Before there were innovative ideas that probably hit the “why bother” point because you weren’t going to beat Apple. That element is gone, so expect to see more innovation, not just Avid, but also Lightworks, Media 100, Storm, etc.
[Craig Alan] ” as an educator you want to teach beginners with the assumption that some of them will take it to a higher level. It was easy before.”
If you teach film – Avid or maybe Lightworks.
If you teach digital media – Adobe.
If you teach journalism or advertising – maybe FCP X.
If you teach broadcast production / news production – Avid or GV Edius.
If you teach something involving color correction – DaVinci Resolve.
If you teach something with advanced finishing – Autodesk Smoke.– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com
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