Super basic question: can I make different folders within an event for different projects?

[Noah Kadner]

I use Smart Collections for this. You can refine them with some wise naming too. I.e. Project01A, Project01B, etc and then a smart collection for all files with Type Project and Text Project01- then you’ll get just those, etc.

Noah

FCPWORKS – FCPX Workflow
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[John Rofrano]

[Noam Osband] “I have an event that has footage for several different occasions.”

Then I suggest that you really have several Events because one way to organize yourself in FCP X is to make an “event” an “occasion”. Of course there are no hard rules about this but the reason they are called “events” is to encourage you to make a new one every time there is a new physical event like a birthday or holiday, etc. Of course if you are shooting a documentary the events may be different locations or different days of shooting etc. When I do on-line training, my Library is my Client and each Event is an episode of training. Then all of the media and project files for that episode are all together under that event.

If you follow this approach, you will have an event for each occasion and the related project files and media all together under one occasion/event. My point is to get your organization correct at the event level and you won’t feel the need to make folders. BTW, and Event is actually a Folder in Library. It’s not too late to do. Feel free to make an event for each occasion and drag your footage and projects into these new events.

Definitely take advantage of Smart Collections as Noah has suggested. Also don’t underestimate the power of Keyword Collections as well. Tagging with Keywords is a big part of getting organized in FCP X. Folders are an incredibly restrictive because they can only represent a single rooted hierarchy and classifying media is really a matrix of relationships. Keyword Collections allow media to classify themselves into smart “folders” (called collections) simply by tagging them with keywords like “wide shot”, “medium shot”, “close up”, “b-roll”. “audience reactions”, etc. Then if you need to find close ups of audience reactions you can make a new keyword collection for that. This would be impossible to with folders without duplication!

Metadata is the secret to getting organized and being efficient in FCP X. Folders are so 2010. 😉

~jr

http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com