Wrong tool for the job?

After years of FCP and honing my skills to the point where my job was nearly automatic with keyboard shortcuts and batch processing. I decided to move onto FCPX. I didn't get Compressor. A mistake easily corrected.

Today though, my problem is this. I have a 30 minute long television show consisting of real estate for sale. Each property is showcased for 1:00. Basically my project timeline consists of 30 motion templates with voice over attached and a music bed under that. Works fine.

Here is the problem.
I need to individually post the 30 templates to the company's YouTube channel. I thought I'd be able to do this by clicking on the template and the voice over (not the music bed) and making a new compound clip... then opening that compound clip and sharing. The problem is that i keep getting a error that "Publishing movies longer than 15 minutes may fail." My only option is to cancel out of the dialogue box... the "next" is greyed out. I can't even get it to attempt to upload. If I scub across the thumbnail at the top, it plays the whole 30 minute program, not the one template. So even though I've opened a new compound clip and it is showing in the project timeline, the dialogue box is referring to the main project for uploading to youtube.

Any suggestions?
Thanks
Kevin

In order to export sections of timeline individually, you have to copy and paste them into a new project. THEN export. You can't export selections in a timeline. At least not yet.

That is such a clunky way to handle this. So basically if I have 130 individual parts that make up the project, I will have to create 130 other projects and export them one by one? Does Compressor (which I havent' bought yet) allow for batch exporting of multiple projects? I can't even select multiple projects in the project library to see if export to Compressor is an option.

This program shouldn't be called Final Cut Pro... it comes up short in so many ways. Final Cut Express from 5 years ago was more user friendly. (venting... sorry)

What about creating a compound clip for each one, then assigning a separate role for each one, then you can just export by each individual role?

Compressor should allow for batching of projects (at least the previous version did!)

Exporting Stems (Roles) exports .mov files that are the whole length of the original Timeilne.

Ah, that's a shame, was just trying to think of ways round it! seems like the functionaility is almost there with open in timeline command and/or roles but needs a bit of tweaking to actually work in the way we want. Maybe if we feedback to Apple enough then they'll implement it! (or it'll be in 10.0.6!)

Just had a a thought. Can't you use ClipExporter clipexporter.mindtransplant.com/ to render out just specific roles to quicktime reference files without rendering the whole project timeline?

Hi Kevin,

No need to create a gazallion projects! There are a number of ways to get this easily, and it is not quite a batch export, but close.

You've got the right idea with the compound clip but you need to do it backwards. When you export a timeline it will always export the "base" not what you have drilled down to. Therefore, you can try this:

1. Dupe your 30 minute timeline make a compound clip of the entire timeline

2. open it and disable your music track with v

3. back in the project when viewing your compound clips, put markers at the beginning of each of your 30 segments. You can do this with by adding timecode if they really are exactly 1 minute by make your first marker and then hitting +1.00 to move the playhead and then M again to set your marker. Otherwise you can skim and set your markers that way.

4. Open your timeline index.

5. Now set the range for each by
A-either clicking on the first marker in the timeline index, then hit I, now the next marker and hit O. Then hit command-2 to change focus to the timeline.
or
B- With the range tool selected, R, and snapping on, N, manually select each range.

6. With the range selected hit option \ (above the return key) that will trim the clip to the selected range.

7. Now I would previously set your "export using compressing settings" to something like command-S (yes that is available). So do whatever export command you like that supports background rendering. YouTube, Apple Devices, etc. Pretty much anything but "Share > Export Media. Anyway you export using background, name it accordingly, etc.

8. Now hit Command-Z to undo the trim and set your next range.

9. Rince and repeat.

10. Check the share monitor for progress and then upload as a batch to YouTube if you didn't use Share > YouTube option.

Not quite as easy as a batch export, but won't take much extra time. However this is another great feedback request for Apple to make your workflow more efficient.

BTW. This does bring up one amazing ability of FCP X, it keeps a journal of all your edits and when you export in the background FCP takes a "snapshot" of that edit in time and exports it. You can actually quit FCP X while the export and Share Monitor will still keep exporting! Apple must have some pretty cool tricks up their sleeves for the future to take advantage of it.

Nice workaround!

So basically in a nutshell, put the whole timeline in a compound clip, trim it to length that you want to export and then share it using background rendering.

Indeed! Nice tip, tpayton. Definitely a nice workaround.