The way to save – Project Workflow

[Ben Oliver]

i usually “save as” new everyday before i start to work, with the date embedded in the file, and keep them all in a folder (or two on different drives just incase)

if you hit save, it’ll just save over where you are.

[Bryce Whiteside]

You could just pop out of FCP and in Finder highlight your project file and press Command(Apple)+D and duplicate it.

1. Start with your project file MyProject.fcp
2. Highlight it and press Command(Apple)+D to duplicate it
3. Highlight the duplicated file and rename it MyProject060201A.fcp for February 01, 2006 A. It could also, for convenience, look like Machead filenames like “MyProject.fcp 060201A” by simply highlighting the “Copy” part of “MyProject.fcp Copy“–My history is DOS, Windows, IRIX, UNIX so those kind of filenames make me crazy.
4. Subsequent project duplication on a particular day would be MyProject060201B.fcp, MyProject060201C.fcp, etc.
5. If your main MyProject.fcp project file gets corrupted just copy your last duplication to step on the corrupt MyProject.fcp file.

My 2

[Debe]

I keep my FCP projects folder in my dock for easy access. I open it up, right-click on the project file and select copy, flip over to where I want it saved, right-click again and paste it in my FCP Backups folder. Then I rename it with the date and time, like Bryce suggests, only mine look more like “MyProject_2_1_1730.fcp”. Date and military time keeps them in order. Of course, so does the time/date on the file, so you could just name it something simple, like “MyProjectA.fcp”, ahd the next one will be “MyProjectB.fcp”, and so on. The project can even be open when you do this. It takes about 5 seconds to do once you get a rhythym that works for you.

Save Project As gets you more folders in your capture scratch, and that’s a royal pain. I don’t use Save Project As for backing up. It also closes the project you’re working on and you continue on working in the Save As project. Recipe for all sorts of confusion down the road.

debe

[Matt Gorney]

Ok, that definitely clears things up. I guess that goes along with the Achems Razor theory!

Sorry to say I didn’t think of that before. In the future I will do that and also pass that along to the other editors here.

For now, it seems that my project is on my FW drive for the most part and then there are some other files in my documents folder. I guess that FCP changed my target folder at some point and then I had to change it back. I found out about this when I selescted the “show source” column in the project bin. I must have goofed somewhere, but I quickly moved and reconnected the media with no problem.

I wonder how I can double check the target when I’m logging/capturing.

Thanks for the help!
-Matt

[Debe]

That happens every once and awhile to almost everyone. If you make it part of your workflow to check the scratch disk when you open up Log and Capture, you’ll lessen the chances. There will always be that one time that you forget…but that’s Murphy’s Law!! It’s in the Capture Settings tab in the Log & Capture window, in case you thought you could only get to it from the File menu.

Achem vs. Murphy…GO!!

Actually, Apple wouldn’t probably include a “Backup” feature like QuickBooks or other apps has, because they’d just say “why don’t you use Auto-Save”, but if someone came up with an applet like FCP Rescue, only call it FCP Backup, where it would take all open projects and make a copy with a time/date stamp and put it somewhere safe, that would be super-swell!! One could even select the file name format convention, like date and time or sequential numbers or letters and select the save location as well.

Dunno, just a thought. Haven’t made it through my first cup of coffee today yet, so I can’t tell that it might not be a good idea!! I haven’t trusted Auto-Save since FCP 2 oh-so-slowly fried a project file and I had four hours of unopenable Auto-Saves.

debe

[Matt Gorney]

>>”I haven’t trusted Auto-Save since FCP 2 oh-so-slowly fried a project file and I had four hours of unopenable Auto-Saves.”<< Murphy is not your friend - but is always ready for a pint! Yeah, I think there was always something like that happening to me in either Premiere Pro, Avid MC 1000, FAST Silver or FCP. Thank God I didn't own any of these systems. It's nice to play on these systems and be an editor/employee, but I sure missed out on the profits! I wonder if the automator app in my Mac could copy the .fcp file like you mentioned? -Matt

[Debe]

Hmm, I’ve not delved into Automator, that would be a VERY nice way to go, if it works!

Keep us posted if you get something to work!

debe