Desperate for help

I am having very serious issues with Final Cut X. Please respond with clear, concise feedback, without assuming I know more then I know and your time is very much appreciated. I would classify myself as an intermediate beginner with FCP but its also been awhile since Ive needed to edit. I'm an amateur dramatic narrative filmmaker that has made two short films, one in 2006 and another in 2009. Both were cut on previous versions of FCP. In the past, I was always told to use a workflow that kept the files on an external hard drive with FCP running on my 2009 "17 MBP, the one wherein I can switch to a better video card.

I needed to re-edit my 2006 and bought FCP X to do that. My edits are somewhat layered with my sound design far less layered. But its not a vanilla edit. The editing process went fine, rare crashes until I got past my lock cut. When I started compounding clips, the crashes became more and more. And I barely could use such features as the hum and background noise reduction options, scoping, any of that without tons of crashes and my computer working at a snails pace. But I stuck with it and got the short film ready. I had already "shared" into a Master File, 2.3 GB, no problem. But now, everything is shut down. I cannot not share my final into a Master File or anything else.

This project is very time sensitive, its really stressing me out. I have no idea how FCP X handled all my somewhat complex editing fine but then when finishing, it gets worse and worse. The problems to be solved include:

How to resolve the freeze/crashing to create a Master File and other forms of sharing (web)?

How to get back to a workflow that pulls from an external hard drive?

How to get this project working from an external vs from all the files being pulled from my laptop?

Hi Robert,

Just a little more information so we can nail down your issues:

Are you on FCP10.0.6?

Are your Events and Projects as well as your original media on an external drive? If so, is it FireWire?

How much RAM do you have in your MBP?

What exactly is the issue? Can you open the Project and play the timeline?

Hello Ronny

Yes, 10.0.6

As I noted in my overview, no, my media is not pulling off of an external. I knew how to adjust those setting in previous versions, but I do not understand how to (a) set up a project pulling external media un FCP X nor do I (b) know how to change my current set-up to make that happen now (being the event/projects are already up and running.

My MBP has 8 GB of RAM

There is a core issue and several sub issues, as I noted in my historical below. My core issue is that FCP is suddenly operating at a snails pace, locking up and crashing constantly and unable to export (share) into a Master File or anything else.

The sub issues relate to trying to understand why editing performance would degrade as I started compounding clips, degrading even more when I tried to do such things as reduce hum, reduce background noise and scope for lumina (IE: making the film broadcast safe) to the point of FCP becoming almost unusable.

Again, the oddity for me is the fact that, for example, my montage sequences (before all this started) were five layers high on video and three layers deep on sound, not insanely complex but also not vanilla. Its a very stylized piece, which FCP X handled just fine, until, as noted, I got into post "lock cut" (my 40-50 files compounded to a single file)

Okay your first problem is that you are editing from the boot drive of your laptop. How much GB have you left on this drive?

Its a huge and new drive, I have like 350 GB left of free space

Is there a simple walkthrough on set up /preferences on pulling my media from an external? Because for the life of me, I cant figure that out as compared to FCP 6. And I'll need to push out my current work to an external.

Yes there is. Stay with me and we will walk you through this step by step.

1. Compound clips

You have mentioned that your problems have started when you turned your entire edit into one compound clip. Large compound clips can be troublesome in FCP10, even when you have created them in 10.0.6. So I would advise you to first get rid of that large compound clip.

First Duplicate your project in case something goes wrong.

Then open your project, double-click the compound clip to open it in it's own timeline. Then copy the entire contents of the compound clip's timeline, switch back to the main project timeline and replace the compound clip by its original clips. Close FCP10 and open it again. That will make your project file size a lot smaller and it should make your project more manageable.

If you have created the general compound clip in order to apply some global filters (such as broadcast safe) on your entire edit: don't worry, you don't need compound clips for this, you are much better off with putting an adjustment layer over your entire edit and applying the global filters to this adjustment layer.

2. Move an existing Project and all its referenced media to an external drive.

You can move your entire Project along with its referenced Event(s) to an external drive. To do this just select the Project in the Project Library and choose File > Move Project.

In the window that appears, choose your external storage device from the Location pop-up menu.

Select “Move Project and Referenced Events.” Selecting this option moves the project file and any events (and all the clips in the event) referenced by the project file to the disk you chose in the Location pop-up menu.

Click OK.

The project icon and events disappear from their current location in the Project Library and Event Library and appear under the storage device icon (indicating that they have been moved).

3. Create new Events and Projects on an external drive.

When you want to create a new Event on an external drive: Open FCP10 and FIRST select the external drive in your Events Browser, then create the Event and import media into it. All your Event files will now be on the external. Do the same when creating new Projects: FIRST select the external drive in your Project Library, then create the new Project and all the Project media will be stored on the external drive.

I hope this helps you with this and future projects. I have to go now, it's getting late over here in Belgium. But if you have further questions do not hesitate to post back.

A great world we live where I can get mentoring from Belgium, here in Austin, TX. Im duplicating my files and then will proceed. I have an event to go to myself, but hope to have worked my way through this enough to post follow up. Many thanks for the detailed info, I'll circle back.

Cheers!
Bob

Did you begin the project in FCPX 10.0.5 or before and then update to FCPX 10.0.6. I have a 25 minute project that I begin in FCPX 10.05 and have a lot compound clips then I update to FCPX 10.0.6 and the problem begin, to open the project it could take 10 to 20 min. I read at a forum that there is a big difference in compound clips between 10.0.5 and 10.0.6 and that could be the problem. My fix, took all my compound clip and break them apart and recreate compound clip in FCPX 10.0.6, now the project open very fast and without any problem.

Hope this can help,
Ricky Dominguez
Luna Films
Puerto Rico

Then open your project, double-click the compound clip to open it in it's own timeline. Then copy the entire contents of the compound clip's timeline, switch back to the main project timeline and replace the compound clip by its original clips. Close FCP10 and open it again. That will make your project file size a lot smaller and it should make your project more manageable.


Why not just use the "break apart clip items" command to "un-compound" those clips.

Hi Nick,

use the "break apart clip items" command to "un-compound" those clips.

Yes, of course. How stupid of me

Not stupid at all, you're helping! Where would I find this command?

Found it

My external is not showing up in any of the browsers?

LOL - never mind, I keep posting then finding the solution

My Lacie External shows up to the upper left then disappears within FCP after a few mins