consolidate

[Jeff Kirkland]

Consolidate copies the media to the new library storage location and leaves the originals in place. Apple erring on the side of caution. Once you are aware of that, it’s not too hard to go back and manually delete the extra copy but it would be nice if maybe FCPX had an option to move rather than copy.

If you let FCPX handle the import, each new library defaults to the last storage location you manually set. So if you create a library and set the storage to “my location”, then every library you create after that will store footage in the same folder until you change it.

It’s not how I’d personally like it to work but It’s fine as long as I remember to set the library storage location avery time I create a new one. At the end of the day it has to default to something although maybe this is another case where FCPX should ask for a storage location when a new library is created, or at least default to storing it inside the library rather than the last specified location.

Anyway, I tend to create my own media folders for each project and set up the footage in the finder (using something like EditReady to convert where needed). Then I import with the “leave in place” option and it saves me forgetting to point FCPX’s importer to a new folder.

Jeff Kirkland | Video Producer | Southern Creative Media | Melbourne Australia
http://www.southerncreative.com.au | G+: https://gplus.to/jeffkirkland | Twitter: @jeffkirkland

[Craig Alan]

Thanks Jeff. I work very much as you describe. Even have the three labeled empty folders (FC BACK UPS, MEDIA, RENDER) in a folder on my desk top ready to copy into a new project’s folder. (It would be great if FC gave you the option to set this up automatically – Apple I guess assumes that their library system does do this). So I was surprised to find all my media and render files in one project’s folder in the finder. What I did not know is that consolidate leaves behind a copy rather than moves it. I actually would not mind that at all except in this case I now have to manually open each clip up and figure out which project it belonged to before trashing it. Either I was getting really brain dead when all these were set up or one of the FCP X updates messed with my organization. I really already have a back up cause I always save copies of the media cards (again in the same folder as the library and other folders associated with a particular project). With copies of the original media and FC backups having a history of the project’s edits, I should be able to reproduce where i left off if a library got corrupted. Just like legacy.

I don’t like the idea of everything being in the library, though it would make for a cleanly organized media raid. But libraries can become corrupted just like any other complex container – be it a drive or a sparse bundle or anything with a wrapper or directory of one kind or another. I feel like it doubles your chance of having a project become unreadable. I’ve never had an ordinary folder go
bad. Drives yes. Sparse bundles yes. Files yes. Libraries yes. Folders – not that I can recall.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Jeff Kirkland]

Yeah, it’s one of those things that can catch you out but once you know, it’s not too hard to work around. I’d guess there’s probably some useful comparison utility on the app store that could isolate the duplicate clips in the old folder but I’ve never gone looking.

I use Post Haste from Digital Rebellion to create new projects. it creates and names my folder structure, and copies in an empty FCPX library that has been set up the way I prefer. It’s brilliant for keeping everything consistent from job to job.

Jeff Kirkland | Video Producer | Southern Creative Media | Melbourne Australia
http://www.southerncreative.com.au | G+: https://gplus.to/jeffkirkland | Twitter: @jeffkirkland