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Forums Apple Final Cut Pro X Modifying Camera Archive

  • Modifying Camera Archive

  • Gerry Fraiberg

    April 30, 2015 at 7:24 pm

    When I worked with the HDV tape based Sony Z5, I could modify a Camera Archive by right clicking and selecting Show Package Contents. All the clips were then revealed and I could delete whatever I knew would never be used. Now that I’m using file based media (Sony PXW-X70, AVCHD), the clips are no longer visible at this level. Is there a workaround, or any way to move or remove Camera Archive clips at the Finder level? It’s not possible to delete clips from a Camera Archive in the Import window. The reason I want to do this is that I’m covering a three day conference. I created a Camera Archive called Day-1, then kept using the same card for Day-2, adding to the size of the Camera Archive. I suppose I could just delete the first Camera Archive and call this one Days 1-2. Unless someone has a suggestion.

  • Jeff Kirkland

    April 30, 2015 at 10:18 pm

    In this case, it isn’t so much that you can’t modify the camera archive (although I’d never personally do that) as it is you can’t modify AVCHD files in their original format. Your only real choice is to keep the latter archive if you’re going to leave the files in AVCHD format.

    Although I own several cameras that shoot AVCHD, I dislike the format immensely and one of the first things I always do is use an app like EditReady to rewrap the footage so you can just see it in the file system. Ultimately there’s no great advantage to using a camera archive over just copying the card to a folder.

    Anyway, I guess my advice is always get the footage converted from AVCHD as early in the workflow as you can.

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

  • Gerry Fraiberg

    April 30, 2015 at 11:04 pm

    Thanks, Jeff. I’m new to AVCHD after working with HDV for the past five years. I started using camera archives as a backup system to the tape based Z5. The X70 will also record in XAVC-L, which FCP X doesn’t support yet. With XAVC-L, you can record 10 bit, 422 at 50 Mbps. I’ll have to take a look at Edit Ready.

  • Jeff Kirkland

    April 30, 2015 at 11:47 pm

    There is maybe one slight advantage to using camera archives, which is that FCPX seems to be able to do little extra voodoo when it comes to relinking or reimporting footage that originates in one.

    I used to use them a lot but made a decision a while back that, while I don’t feel the need to convert every file to ProRes, I do want everything stored in a format that I don’t have to jump through hoops to preview or find, and that included not storing the footage in an archive package.

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

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