Opening Archived Project & Media?

Hi:

I've started backing up my project files & media for projects on blu ray disc.

My question is this: when I try to test the method, how do I import/open the project file in FCPX from my saved material? I know I can't use the Finder to place the project file into my FCP Project folder on a hard drive, as you have to open it from within FCPX. So, if you can't put the project file into FCPX using that method, how DO you access what you've saved?

If you open a new project file, that defeats the purpose. Same for the Event file, how can you get FCPX to read what's saved on the disc?

I'm assuming you would move it from disc to a drive, but then how do you get FCPX to read from the drive without first getting it into a Project or Event folder since this is how FCPX operates?

Hi Sean,

You move the Project and Event folders from the disc to a hard drive, then you launch FCPX with the drive connected to your system. Your drive will show in the Event and Project Browser and under the drive name you will see all Events and Projects that are on the drive. Just click on any Event or Project to open it.

- Ronny

Thanks, Ronny.

What I've saved is the Project file and Event file, then all the original media. I don't necessarily have the Event folder from the original event I edited. I believe I'd have to re-import all the media... or if I can see the event in FCPX once I've moved it onto a hard drive, would it automatically re-connect the event's clips to the media? My fear is that the metadata wouldn't match with the original .mov files.

Sean,

I had some doubts, so I just did a test.

I have copied a "Project X" Project file and an "Event Y" Event file from one drive "A" to another drive "B".

Then on drive B I created a "Final Cut Projects" folder and a "Project X "folder. I put the "Project X" Project file inside the "Project X" folder and the "Project X" folder inside the "Final Cut Projects" folder.

On drive B I also created a "Final Cut Events" folder and an "Event Y" folder. Then I put the "Event Y" Event file inside the "Event Y" folder and the "Event Y "folder inside the "Final Cut Events" folder.

Then I took the media from the Original Media folder of "Event Y" on drive A and copied them over to a folder I named "Media" on drive B. Finally I disabled drive A and launched FCPX.

When FCPX opened it immediately recognized Project X and Event Y on drive B. So far, so good. But of course all media files showed "Missing".

So I selected Event Y in the Event Library and chose File > Relink Files. In the relink Files window I pressed Locate All. This opened the Finder window and there I went to the "Media" folder I had created on drive B and I selected the name of the first missing clip. FCPX automatically relinked all my Event Y files and my Project X.

So to my surprise this does seem to work flawlessly

Most important if you want to backup like this is that on your backup disc your Project file must reside in a folder with the name of the Project, your Event file must reside in a folder with the name of the Event, and your Project and Event folders must respectively be placed inside a Final Cut Projects and a Final Cut Events folder. Otherwise FCPX will not recognize them. Finally of course you have to make sure that all the original media for your Events are copied over to the backup disc as well.

Although I think backing up the complete Event and Project folders is an easier workflow I can confirm your method works as well and everything gets perfectly relinked from the backup drive.

- Ronny

Just to add to what Ronny said. The simplest thing to do when you're backing up is to strip out the unnecessary stuff like render files and proxies and thumbnails and waveforms and whatever from the event and project folders and then back up the folders with the files. They have no overhead so you may as well.

Tom Wolsky wrote: The simplest thing to do when you're backing up is to strip out the unnecessary stuff like render files and proxies and thumbnails and waveforms and whatever from the event and project folders and then back up the folders with the files.

Absolutely. Tom says it much better than I