Importing clips from a media folder. Cant See subfolders.

[Vincent Simoneau]

Sorry about that, I should have mentioned.

I’m using a Firewire800 external hard drive format for Mac. On the hard drive, I have a three folders which include the two FCPX Project and Event folders and my footage folder called Video Production. In the Video Production folder, I have more subfolders for each project.

I manage to see the External HD when in the import screen, but when I try getting into the Video product folder, i see nothing. I have some MOV files and they don’t even show up.

On friday, when I read this thread, I changed the Video Production folder to PRIVATE, and that worked. I added new footage in the folder and it did the same thing. I changed the folder name again to PRIVATE Folder, and all files and folders appeared. I added new footage yesterday and all disappeared again.

What am I doing that could be causing this?

[Colin Ryan]

can you take some screenshots “Command+shift+3”

let your fingers do the walking

[Jeremy Garchow]

There should be nothing named PRIVATE on a directory that you expect to browse in FCPX.

Only a folder with the appropriate camera original footage from your camera should have a PRIVATE folder in it. For example, you might want a folder named ‘Footage’ then the first card you shoot should be in a folder called CARD_01 and in there is the camera directory with the PRIVATE folder.

Footage > Card_01 > “camera media”
Footage > Card_02 > “camera media”

Make sense?

Jeremy

[Vincent Simoneau]

That makes sense. I guess that’s what I currently have:

Video_Production > Beauty Commercial > “Camera Media”
Video_Production > Wind Turbines Doc > “Camera Media”

When I try to go into the Video_Production folder, I see no subfolders (Beauty Commercial etc…)

Colin: I will try and take a snapshot for you this afternoon to illustrate this. It looks exactly like the images from the original posters.

[Vincent Simoneau]

The first image is the import screen.

When I click on the arrow next to Video Production, I only see one file and no folders whatsoever.

As you can see, I have many more folders on my hard drive and FCPX doesn’t show them…?

[Jeremy Garchow]

It’s the DCIM folder.

Move it or rename it.

Jeremy

[Vincent Simoneau]

You nailed it on the money Jeremy. Thanks a bunch. I’m going to start better organizing my footage like all of you were saying earlier. I think that’s the best idea, and good work practice.

Thanks everyone

Vince

[Jeremy Garchow]

Glad it’s working for you.

Fcpx is very ‘strange’ in how it handles some camera formats.

DCIM is typically a media folder for canon DSLR and some other cameras.

PRIVATE is another trigger, I know it’s used in avchd encodings and probably some MXF structures.

Fcpx is probably looking for these trigger folders to recognize when a media card is attached so it can make a “camera archive” if you so choose.

When there’s other media in the encompassing folder (the folder that is holding the DCIM or PRIVATE folder) it ignores it.

All camera media should be organized in a folder per card shot. It keeps things easy to track and keeps all needed directories in place, at least that’s the way I like to work.

Jeremy

[Patrick Watson]

Hey guys,

Know this is an old thread but the same thing just happened to me. If my AVCHD content is in the same parent folder as other folders with media that I want to use, FCX totally ignores the directory structure and just feeds me a huge list of every piece of media in the parent directory….not just video, but stills and .pds as well.

The “fix” was to take the AVCHD files/directories OUT of the same parent directory where I have other content for this project, restart FCX and bing! Directory structure is back.