Apple Final Cut Pro X (10.0.9) - Manual (Page 402)

Chapter 15 Manage media files 402
Manage your events and project files
Before you move or copy events and projects
If you want to edit a project on a different computer, or back up a project or events to an
external storage device, you can either move or copy it. Before you move or copy a project, it’s a
good idea to consolidate its media and back it up.
By default, media files that are imported into Final Cut Pro are not moved from their original
location. When you import media into Final Cut Pro, you have the option to select the “Copy files
to Final Cut Events folder” checkbox, which duplicates the source media files on your hard disk.
Creating these copies (to be exclusively used by Final Cut Pro) can prevent you or others from
accidentally moving files and making them unavailable to Final Cut Pro.
If a file that Final Cut Pro uses is moved, Final Cut Pro will mark the clip with a Missing File icon. If
you think there’s a chance that media files will be moved or deleted, it’s a good idea to create a
copy of the media.
Note: If you import files with the “Copy files to Final Cut Events folder” checkbox deselected,
Final Cut Pro creates reference files (file aliases) that simply point to the source media files
without copying them. When you back up or copy events and projects that use these files,
Final Cut Pro copies the reference files only (not the source media files). If, after you back up your
project or event, you want to replace the reference files with the actual source media files, select
the events and choose File > Organize Event Files.
Consolidate a project’s media files
In the course of creating a project in Final Cut Pro, you might use media from a variety of
locations, including your local computer and external storage devices. If the media used in the
project is located on multiple hard disks, you can consolidate all the media used in the project
on the same hard disk as the project.
Collect a project’s clips in one location
1 Locate the project you want to consolidate in the Project Library.
2 Control-click the project to select it, and choose Consolidate Project Media from the
shortcut menu.
If a window appears stating that there is nothing to consolidate, all of your media files are
already consolidated and located on one disk.
3 Select an option to specify how the consolidation will occur:
•
Copy Referenced Events: Duplicates the referenced events (and all the clips in those events) to
the location of your project. You may want to select this option if you use the same media in
multiple projects, or if you haven’t finished adding clips from the event to your project.
•
Move Referenced Events: Moves all the referenced events to the location of your project. If there
are other projects that use the clips in the event you’re consolidating, those projects will not
have access to the event. You may want to select this option if the clips in the event are only
used in the project you’re consolidating.
•
Copy Used Clips Only: Duplicates only those media files used in the project. This option gives
you only the media used in the project (and not all the clips in the events referenced by the
project). This is a good option to use if you want to conserve disk space.