Archive libraries

[Bret Williams]

Here’s how I’d do it. If there’s a simpler method I’m all ears. But it’s pretty darn simple.

CREATE A NEW LIBRARY
Open the library you wish to archive. Then, in FCP X go to File>New>Library. Choose an appropriate name and save it to a location with enough space to accommodate the media that is about to be copied in the next steps. It will create an event in the library.

COPY THE PROJECT TO NEW LIBRARY EVENT
Now drag the project you wish to archive from it’s event to this new event. A dialog box will ask if you wish to copy proxies and optimized. These can be recreated later, so that’s up to you. If you’re looking to create the minimum size archive possible, leave these unchecked.

CONSOLIDATE EXTERNALLY MANAGED FILES TO THE NEW LIBRARY
Any media that you previously imported and copied to the event will be duplicated to this new project & library. Any media that was externally managed, will still be linked. So, to bring it all into a single self contained package, highlight the new library and right click and choose “consolidate library files.” You’ll get a pulldown asking where to consolidate them to. If you wish to make a nice self contained library choose the new library itself from the pulldown. If you wish to create an external folder (that you’ll have to keep paired with the library for backup/archiving) choose “choose” to choose or create a folder. I suggest choosing the new library itself to keep everything self contained for an archive. You can watch the progress in the background tasks window. When it’s done you should have a single library with a project and just the media necessary. Applicable keyword collections come across as well.

[Jordan Mena]

Does this feature trim media or uses the whole file?

Jordan Mena | Editor | Colorist | Producer
Los Angeles, CA
jordanmena.com

[Bret Williams]

Whole file. We still have so true media manager.

[Frank Valtellina]

Thank you Bret, hoping Apple will give us a simple command to do it. 😉

[Jeremy Garchow]

What Bret says, but a different way to go about it, and some of this redundant to what Bret says:

If your clips were already managed in to the Library, then all you have to do is choose

File > Copy Project to Library > New Library

and save a new Library.

If your media is external then choose:

File > Copy Project to Library > New Library

Name and save the Library to a unique location (like a new folder).

You will get the pop up that asks if you want to include optimized and proxies.

This will create a new Library with a new Event with externally linked clips (if your clips were linked).

You then choose the Project in the new Library and choose:

File > Consolidate Project Files.

You can then choose to consolidate them in to the Library or to the same unique location.

Basically, you can Consolidate Project files without having to Consolidate all the clips in the Library. The same goes for Events.

Jeremy

[Helge Tjelta]

Hi Frank, I’ve made a tool for cleaning up a project before archiving. It is very useful if you have a lot of libraries, and projects (now called fcpevents).

It will give you info about how many files and GB to delete and one button to do it all.

Check it out:

https://tiny.cc/1wr47w

Helge

[James Ewart]

Why not “move” instead of “copy” I wonder?

[James Ewart]

Having finished my tidy up when I look inside package contents of the Library which contained the Events I have now given their own Libraries to, I have found a large trash folder. Do you think I should empty it?

I used the “move” tool as opposed to “copy” which suggests to me that “move” copies and then deletes as opposed to actually copying.

[Jeremy Garchow]

You could use move as well, absolutely.

Move is more “destructive” in that it will move things out of your original library so be sure that you are moving what you want.

[Jeremy Garchow]

The trash isn’t cleared if you quit and relaunch fcpx?