File naming on import

[Mark Slocombe]

Hi Brett / others – did you get a solution to rename AVCHD files at Finder level on FCP X import?

I tried using Prelude which imports, renames and encodes but the resulting mpeg2 file won’t import to FCP X!

I need unique filenames that are the same in Finder as in FCP X so that when we encode compressed preview mp4s for clients to advise edit choices, the filenames are consistent.

Mark Slocombe
https://www.creationvideo.com
London, England

[Brett Sherman]

I have not found a solution. Just going along with the way FCP X does it at the moment and hope I don’t get bit in the future with a difficult relink.

Are you transcoding in Prelude? Or is it the camera native format? And what camera?

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Mark Slocombe] “Hi Brett / others – did you get a solution to rename AVCHD files at Finder level on FCP X import? “

FCPX/Quicktime/OSX can open MTS and M2TS files natively. I should say, it will open most files, you have to be careful of the audio format which may be why FCPX isn’t importing your Preluded files.

If you want to rename files on the Finder level, you will have to reach in to the AVCHD package, drag the mts files out of it, rename them, and then import to FCPX.

At this point, they are stand alone files. You can then use FCPX to optimize (or not).

This destroys the AVCHD file structure, so be sure that this is what you want to do. And test with a duplicate set of media at first.

Jeremy

[Mark Slocombe]

Cheers Jeremy – I’ll try that.

Mark Slocombe
https://www.creationvideo.com
London, England

[Mark Slocombe]

I have an updated fairly easy workflow solution – any thoughts? :

1. FCP X import Canon files from card > file names are Clip #1 etc
2. Go to imported files in FCP X library > Original Media
3. Use Better Rename to rename them ( and lose the hashtag if you want to process copies through eg Episode with BITC)
4. Back in FCP X, Trash the imported files in the FCP X event just created
5. Drag the newly renamed files into the event

Now file shave sensible descriptive names and clients using the BITC viewing copies (mp4s) will advise edit points using files with the same names as those in FCP X – just as before.

Mark Slocombe
https://www.creationvideo.com
London, England

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Mark Slocombe] “I have an updated fairly easy workflow solution – any thoughts? :

1. FCP X import Canon files from card > file names are Clip #1 etc
2. Go to imported files in FCP X library > Original Media
3. Use Better Rename to rename them ( and lose the hashtag if you want to process copies through eg Episode with BITC)
4. Back in FCP X, Trash the imported files in the FCP X event just created
5. Drag the newly renamed files into the event

Now file shave sensible descriptive names and clients using the BITC viewing copies (mp4s) will advise edit points using files with the same names as those in FCP X – just as before.”

That sounds sensible. It really depends on what you need to do, and this method seems like it will work. Thinking further to disaster recovery, let’s say you lose all of your re-imported and re-named clips. You would have to do all of this over again, and be able to get your Library back to where it was pre-disaster.

Would you be able to recreate your Library from scratch this way?

Jeremy

[Mark Slocombe]

Good point re disaster- all our media and FCP x libraries are on mirrored Raid drives with a daily backup to Drobos and also to Amazon Glacier storage … So I’m hoping we could recover fully using one or all of those 3 options.

Mark Slocombe
https://www.creationvideo.com
London, England

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Mark Slocombe] “Good point re disaster- all our media and FCP x libraries are on mirrored Raid drives with a daily backup to Drobos and also to Amazon Glacier storage … So I’m hoping we could recover fully using one or all of those 3 options.”

But you have to walk the workflow back to reimporting, renaming, and relinking.

I would test the workflow to make sure that you follow it all the way through.

Import the AVCHD, rename the AVCHD, reimport the AVCHD, now delete the renamed media and see if you can restore the Library back to what it was.

Jeremy