Apple Final Cut Pro X 10.1.2 User Guide

							 Chapter 14    Manage media, libraries, and ar chives 4 31
 2 To view the tasks that are running in each section, click a disclosure triangle.
Pause or resume a task in the Background Tasks window
 mClick the Pause button  or Resume button .
Cancel a task in the Background Tasks window
 mClick the Cancel button .
Manage libraries
Managing libraries overview
Final Cut Pro allows you to work with multiple libraries. You can easily copy events and projects 
between libraries, which makes it simple and quick to move media, metadata, and creative work 
to another system so that you can edit on a portable computer, collaborate with other editors, or 
archive your projects and media. You can open and close libraries as needed so that you never 
have too many libraries open at once.
Select an event 
in the Libraries list. The Browser displays clips and 
projects in the selected event.
Click the disclosure triangle for a library to 
show or hide its events.
You can also manage storage locations for media files, cache files, and library database backups 
on a per-library basis. For more information, see Manage storage locations
 on page 434.
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Create a new library
You can create new (empty) libraries, or you can create libraries from existing events. For 
example, you can select multiple events and copy them all to a single new library by choosing 
File > Copy Events to Library > New Library.
Create a library
 1 If you don’t see the Libraries list, click the button at the bottom-left corner of the Browser.
 2 Do one of the following:
 •To create an empty library: Choose File > New > Library, and navigate to a location on your hard 
disk where you want to save the library.
 •To create a library from existing events: Select one or more events in an existing library, and 
choose File > Copy Events to Library. 
The new library appears in the Libraries list.
Open and close libraries
You can open and close libraries in the Libraries list as needed, so that you never have too many 
libraries open at once. 
The Close Library command is particularly important if you want to disconnect an external hard 
disk containing an open library.
Tip:  To open specific libraries open when you open Final Cut Pro, option-click the Final Cut Pro 
application icon in the Dock, then select one or more libraries in the list and click Choose. To 
select more than one library: Command-click the libraries in the list.
To open or close libraries in the Libraries list
 1 If you don’t see the Libraries list, click the button at the bottom-left corner of the Browser.
 2 Do any of the following:
 •To open an existing library: Choose File > Open Library and choose a library from the submenu, 
or double-click a library file in the Finder.
 •To close a library: Select the library  in the Libraries list and choose File > Close Library.
Copy or move items between libraries and hard disks
You can copy or move clips, projects, or entire events between libraries on the same hard disk or 
on different hard disks. When you copy  an item from one library to another, the corresponding 
files are duplicated on the disk that contains the receiving library. When you move  an item from 
one library to another, the corresponding files are moved from one library file to the other 
on disk.
For information about copying and moving items between events in the same library, see  Copy 
or move clips and projects between events in the same library
 on page 64 .
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Here are some ways to use this feature to enhance your workflow:
 •Use multiple libraries on the same hard disk to organize a large number of active projects and 
media assets.
 •Work on your project and media files on a different Mac that has Final Cut Pro installed.
 •Back up your project and its media files to a hard disk, a network volume, or other 
storage media.
 •Allow multiple users to access your media in an external folder on shared storage.
 •Free up space on your computer’s hard disk.
Note:  If you have customized any Final Cut Pro effects, transitions, titles, generators, or themes, 
you must manually back up and move the Motion Templates folder located in your Movies 
folder. Similarly, you must manually track and move any third-party effects, because they are not 
managed within the Final Cut Pro library.
Copy clips, projects, or events between libraries
 1 In the Libraries list, select the event you want to copy, or select the event that contains the clips 
or projects you want to copy.
 2 If you’re copying clips or projects, select them in the Browser.
Note:  You cannot select clips and projects at the same time.
 3 Do one of the following:
 •If the library you want to copy to is present in the Libraries list: Drag the items to the library. If 
you’re copying an event, drag it to the library icon 
. If you’re copying clips and projects, drag 
them to a specific event icon.
 •If the library you want to copy to is not present in the Libraries list: Do any of the following:
 •Choose File > Open Library to open it from the submenu, and follow the instructions above.
 •Choose File > Copy [item] to Library and choose the library from the submenu, or choose 
New Library to create a new library and choose a location for it.
If your selection contains optimized or proxy media, a window appears with more options. Select 
the checkboxes you want for copying optimized or proxy media, and click OK.
Move clips, projects, or events between libraries
 1 In the Libraries list, select the event you want to move, or select the event that contains the clips 
or projects you want to move.
 2 If you’re moving clips or projects, select them in the Browser.
Note:  You cannot select clips and projects at the same time.
 3 Do one of the following:
 •If the library you want to move the items to is present in the Libraries list:  Command-drag the 
items to the library by first starting to drag and then holding down the Command key as 
you drag. If you’re copying an event, drag it to the library icon 
. If you’re copying clips and 
projects, drag them to a specific event icon.
 •If the library you want to move the items to is not present in the Libraries list:  Do any of the following:
 •Choose File > Open Library to open it from the submenu, and follow the instructions above.
 •Choose File > Move [item] to Library and choose the library from the submenu, or choose 
New Library to create a new library and choose a location for it.
If your selection contains optimized or proxy media, a window appears with more options. Select 
the checkboxes you want for copying optimized or proxy media and click OK.
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Important:  When you import media into Final Cut Pro, you can select the “Leave files in place” 
option to link to the files in their current location rather than copy them into the library. In that 
case, Final Cut Pro creates symbolic links (also known as symlinks), which are special files that 
point to the media files. When you copy or move clips between events, Final Cut Pro copies or 
moves the symbolic links only (not the source media files). To replace the symbolic links with the 
actual source media files, select the events and choose File > Consolidate Event Files. For more 
information about files and clips, see Media files and clips
 on page 22.
Manage storage locations
You can set storage locations for each of your libraries. You view and define storage locations for 
media, cache files, and library backup files using the Library Properties inspector. You can store 
these files within the library or in external folders of your choosing. You can also collect all files 
as managed media inside the library for easy transport or archiving. See  What are libraries?
 on 
page 18 for more information about managed and external media.
View and set library storage locations
 1 Select a library in the Libraries list.
 2 To open the Library Properties inspector, do one of the following:
 •Choose File > Library Properties (or press Control-Command-J).
 •Click the Inspector button in the toolbar (shown below).
The inspector shows the storage location settings for the selected library. The Media Locations 
section shows a list of storage devices for the selected library, including the total amount of 
original, optimized, and proxy media stored on each device. ( This is media that was previously 
imported or generated for the selected library.)
 3 To view or change storage location settings, click Modify Settings.
A window appears with three pop-up menus that you can use to set storage locations. By 
default, media and cache files are stored within the library, and backups of the library database 
are stored in your Movies folder.
 4 To change a storage location, choose “Choose” from the appropriate pop-up menu, navigate to a 
folder for the new storage location, and click Choose.
 •Media: Set the location for imported files, proxy and optimized files, and consolidated files.
 •Cache: Set the location for render files, analysis files, thumbnail images, and audio 
waveform files.
 •Backups: Set the location for backups of the library database.
If you don’t want Final Cut Pro to back up your library, choose Do Not Save from the Backups 
pop-up menu.
Note:  By default, Final Cut Pro makes automatic library backups at 15-minute intervals. 
Backups include the database portion of libraries only, not the media files. Backups are saved 
with the time and date in the filename. To open a backup from a specific time and date and 
add it to the current Libraries list in Final Cut Pro, choose File > Open Library > From Backup. 
For more information, see Restore a library from automatic backups on page 76.
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 5 When you’re finished setting storage locations, click OK.
Final Cut Pro uses your new storage locations for future source media file imports, cache files, 
and backups.
Important:  Existing source media and backup files remain in their original locations. If you 
changed the cache storage location, Final Cut Pro offers to move your existing active render files 
and other cache files (such as thumbnail images and audio waveform files) to the new location.
Consolidate media files for a library
 1 Select a library in the Libraries list.
 2 To open the Library Properties inspector, do one of the following:
 •Choose File > Library Properties (or press Control-Command-J).
 •Click the Inspector button in the toolbar (shown below).
 3 In the Library Properties inspector, click Consolidate.
 4 If you want to include optimized and proxy media, select the checkboxes in the window that 
appears, and click OK.
Final Cut Pro copies the media into the selected library file, or to the external storage location. To 
view or change library storage locations, see the instructions above.
For more information about consolidating media files, see Consolidate projects, events, and 
libraries
 on page 424.
Create and manage camera archives
You can make a camera archive (backup copy) of the contents of your camera or camcorder. 
(Note that you cannot make an archive from a live video signal, such as the signal produced by 
an iSight camera.) To protect your media, it is recommended that you save your archive to a disk 
or partition different from the one where you store the media files used with Final Cut Pro.
Because you can import media into Final Cut Pro from an archive, archiving the media on your 
device can be useful if you want to:
 •Quickly empty the contents of your camera or camcorder so that you can record more media 
right away, rather than wait for it to import into Final Cut Pro, which can take time.
 •Import the archived media on multiple computers without having to keep it on the camcorder
 •Keep a browsable, “near-line” archive of media from a camera without having to import the 
media into Final Cut Pro
See Access media on an archive or disk image on page 41 for information on how to import 
media into Final Cut Pro from a camera archive.
Archive the media on your file-based camera or camcorder
 1 If you want to save the archive to an external storage device, connect it to your computer.
 2 Connect the camera or camcorder to your computer using the cable that came with it, and turn 
it on.
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If you’re using a camcorder, set it to PC Connect mode. The name of this transfer mode may be 
different on your device. Your camcorder may automatically go into “connect” mode if you turn 
it on in playback mode while it’s connected to your computer. For more information, see the 
documentation that came with your camcorder.
Note:  Connecting a DVD camcorder to your Mac can cause the DVD Player application to open. If 
that happens, simply close DVD Player.
 3 In Final Cut P ro, click the Import Media button on the left end of the toolbar (or press 
Command-I).
 4 In the Media Import window that appears, select the device whose content you want to archive 
from the list of cameras on the left.
Change the way clips appear 
using these controls.The media on the 
device appears here.
Playback controls
 5 Click the Create Archive button at the bottom-left corner of the window.
 6 In the “Create Camera Archive as” field, type a name for the archive.
 7 Choose a location to save the archive from the Destination pop-up menu, and click OK.
Note:  It is recommended that you save your archive to a disk or partition different from the one 
where you store the media files used with Final Cut Pro.
The camera archive is stored on your hard disk. You can mount the archive as if it were a file-
based camcorder and browse the archive’s contents, or import the media on the camera archive 
into Final Cut Pro. For more information, see Access media on an archive or disk image on 
page 41 .
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Archive the media on your tape-based camera or camcorder
 1 If you want to save the archive to an external storage device, connect it to your computer.
 2 Connect the camera or camcorder to your computer using the cable that came with it, and turn 
it on.
If you’re using a camcorder, set it to PC Connect mode. The name of this transfer mode may be 
different on your device. Your camcorder may automatically go into “connect” mode if you turn 
it on in playback mode while it’s connected to your computer. For more information, see the 
documentation that came with your camcorder.
 3 In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following:
 •Choose File > Import > Media (or press Command-I).
 •Click the Import Media button on the left end of the toolbar.
 4 In the Media Import window that appears, select the device whose content you want to archive 
from the list of cameras on the left.
 5 Click the Create Archive button at the bottom-left corner of the window.
 6 In the “Create Camera Archive as” field, type a name for the archive.
 7 Choose a location to save the archive from the Destination pop-up menu, and click OK.
Note:  To protect your media, it is recommended that you save your archive to a disk or partition 
different from the one where you store the media files used with Final Cut Pro.
Final Cut Pro begins archiving from the current location on the tape. It will continue to archive 
until one of the following occurs:
 •It reaches the end of the tape.
 •You manually stop the archiving process by clicking Stop Import or Close (to close the Media 
Import window).
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The camera archive is stored on your hard disk. You can mount the archive as if it were a file-
based camcorder and browse the archive’s contents, or import the media on the camera archive 
into Final Cut Pro. For more information, see Access media on an archive or disk image on 
page 41.
Move or copy a camera archive
 1 In the Finder, select the camera archive that you want to move or copy.
 2 Do one of the following: 
 •To move the camera archive on your local disk: Drag the camera archive to a new location.
 •To copy the camera archive on your local disk: Hold down the Option key and drag the camera 
archive to a new location on your local disk.
 •To copy the camera archive to an external storage device: Drag the camera archive to a location 
on the external storage device.
Delete a camera archive
Camera archives are very small relative to other media files, and often don’t warrant being 
deleted. However, you can delete a camera archive at any time.
 1 In the Finder, select the camera archive.
 2 Hold down the Control key and choose Move to Trash from the shortcut menu that appears.
 3 Control-click or click and hold the Trash icon in your Dock, and choose Empty Trash from the 
shortcut menu.
Important:  Emptying the Trash permanently deletes the camera archive.
Solutions to common media management issues
Alert icons
When you see red frames and a yellow alert triangle in the Timeline or an event, Final Cut Pro 
is alerting you that part of your project or event is missing. There are many reasons that clips, 
events, media files, and effects can be missing: moving projects, events, and files between 
computers and actively managing your media using the Finder are two common reasons.
Final Cut Pro events and clips
Icon AlertDescription
Missing EventThe event media is not available.
You may see this alert if you 
moved an event to the Trash, 
moved an event to another 
location, moved a project to 
another location, or moved 
another project’s media.
Missing ClipA clip used in a Final Cut Pro 
project or in an event is not 
available.
You may see this alert if you 
moved the clip to the Trash, 
moved a clip (or event), moved a 
project to a different location, or 
consolidated a different project’s 
media.
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Icon AlertDescription
Missing CameraA camera that contains files used 
in Final Cut Pro is not connected to 
your system.
To avoid getting this alert, create 
a copy of the media when you 
import it. See Organize files while 
importing
 on page 42.
Media files
IconAlertDescription
Missing FileA file is not available in the Finder.
You may see this alert if you 
moved or renamed a file in 
the Finder, moved an event or 
project to a different location, or 
consolidated a different project’s 
media.
Modified FileA media file has been changed 
by an application other than 
Final Cut Pro.
Missing Proxy FileA proxy file created by 
Final Cut Pro is not in its expected 
location in the Finder.
See Manage optimized and proxy 
media files
 on page 425.
Final Cut Pro effects
Icon AlertDescription
Missing EffectAn effect in Final Cut Pro is 
missing.
Missing GeneratorA generator in Final Cut Pro is 
missing.
Missing TitleA title in Final Cut Pro is missing.
Missing TransitionA transition in Final Cut Pro is 
missing.
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Common media management issues
This section describes common media management issues and solutions. 
If you import a file directly from a hard disk and change the name in the Finder
You may see a missing file alert if you move or rename a file in the Finder.
If you renamed the file, do either of the following:
 mIn the Finder, change the filename back to the filename used in the Browser.
 mQuit and reopen Final Cut Pro. The file will be relinked to the clip when Final Cut Pro opens.
If you canceled an import
If you canceled an import and didn’t import an entire clip, the clip will have a Camera icon on its 
bottom-left corner.
Camera icon
 mFollow the instructions in “Reimport a clip” in Import from file-based cameras on page 24.
If your DSLR camera isn’t recognized by Final Cut Pro
 m Follow the instructions in Import from a digital still camera on page 32.
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