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Trashy Question
Short version: How do you assure yourself that “emptying the trash” is safe, when you are juggling lots of different projects — and FCP uses media from the Trash without telling you?
Long version: A couple years ago, in my first foray into FCP-land, I discovered that FCP can access media in the Trash. I was using a laptop without a cardbus, requiring me to:
– capture to the system drive,
– detach the camera,
– attach the external FW drive,
– move the media to the FW drive,
– trash the capture from the system drive.I then discovered that FCP was accessing media from the Trash, because I hadn’t emptied it. When I “emptied the trash” FCP found the media in the external drive. That incident is Ancient History. (I got a cardbus for the laptop, and for location editing I now keep both camera and hard drive plugged in; all is well.)
Except that I just tested this again. I captured, exited FCP, moved the captured file to the Trash, reopened FCP, and there was my “trashed” file, with no clue that it was sitting in the Trash.
So I now am a little leery of “emptying the Trash.” Is there a way to be dead certain that it is safe to get rid of items permanently?
Bob C
MacPro 2 x 3GHz dualcore; 2 GB 667MHz
Kona LHe
Sony HDV Z1
Sony HDV M25U
Betacam UVW1800
DVCPro AJ-D650 -
9 Replies
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Bob,
I would think if you put your media in your external drive in the first place, and can see it there, you should have no worries about emptying the trash.
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Not really. My little historical anecdote was just to tell how I learned about this — I think it may have distracted you from my point.
Today, I captured a file to my RAID, put it in the trash, reopened FCP, and there it was, just as if it were still on the drive (which it is, of course). My point is that you can think it’s safe to “Empty the Trash” (because you just trashed a lot of media, and your project is still working), and actually FCP has been using the Trash to access the media, without telling you.
MacPro 2 x 3GHz dualcore; 2 GB 667MHz
Kona LHe
Sony HDV Z1
Sony HDV M25U
Betacam UVW1800
DVCPro AJ-D650 -
Dunno,
I’ve never seen that behavior, but MY point was, as long as you have your media where it belongs, why worry about emptying the trash?
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Bob,
I know what you mean about the media being referred to in the Trash. If I get confused about what I put in the trash or not, I try to empty the trash with FCP open. If it is referring to what’s in the Trash, it won’t let you empty it and it will tell you what files it is referring to.
Then you can look in the Trash to see what is in there or not.
Also I find that by naming things really well when I digitize or bring in from a P2 card helps to juggle projects,. I don’t name things Cam 1 tape 1, I name them “Red Ball Cam 1 Tape 1.” That way if stuff gets weird, like employees who don’t listen to the rule “ALWAYS SET YOUR CAPTURE SCRATCH EVERYTIME YOU OPEN FCP” then it is easier to do a search and find stuff.
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You could always rename the media you think FCP is referencing by adding an extra character to the file.
For example:“clip1” would become “clip1x”
This would break the possible link to FCP and you could be sure you are referencing the correct files without emptying your trash.
-Nicholas Bierzonski
Editor/DVD Author/Java Boy
http://www.finalfocusvideo.com -
[Chris Poisson] “s long as you have your media where it belongs, why worry about emptying the trash?”
I appreciate your response even though I am having a hard time understanding it. Are you saying I should just get my act together better? I agree! I have Shane’s “Organizing” DVD and try to put everything in the right place, but I know I can make mistakes as much as or more than anybody. I have lots of projects in various stages of completion, so it gets confusing.
I’m emptying the Trash because I need the space.
I’m merely observing that FCP can give you the illusion that emptying the Trash is okay, when it isn’t.
re: emptying the Trash while FCP is open. I just tried that. I “hid” FCP, emptied the trash, and when I went back to FCP the file was gone.
MacPro 2 x 3GHz dualcore; 2 GB 667MHz
Kona LHe
Sony HDV Z1
Sony HDV M25U
Betacam UVW1800
DVCPro AJ-D650 -
Hmmm,
That’s good warning about what FCP can do with trash, not something I’ve ever had to deal with. I pretty much empty the trash whenever I put anything in it. I just hit shift/option/command and the delete key, GONE!
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[Bob Cole] “My point is that you can think it’s safe to “Empty the Trash” (because you just trashed a lot of media, and your project is still working), and actually FCP has been using the Trash to access the media, without telling you.”
Bob,
If you forget to take out the trash at home your wife smacks you — if you forget to take out the trash in FCP the same thing happens, but you can’t blame your wife.
Anyway, if you learn to manage jobs properly and learn to use Media Manager to move entire jobs and all media assets to a single location you won’t get smacked any more, unless your wife does the smacking that is…
Your pal,
DavidDavid Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los AngelesPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY
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[David Roth Weiss] “unless your wife does the smacking that is…”
Dang! Did I leave the webcam on again???
MacPro 2 x 3GHz dualcore; 2 GB 667MHz
Kona LHe
Sony HDV Z1
Sony HDV M25U
Betacam UVW1800
DVCPro AJ-D650
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