Duplicate or Snapshot- which one?

Hi all.

I am trying to under stand the duplicate and snapshot of projects.

My goal is simply this: In FCP 7, I would use the Duplicate a sequence command when I would get to a point where I would just want to have a copy of that sequence in it's current state I could go back to from the dupe in case things got to wigged out.

Something like a version 1, 2, 3 and so on. I have not used compound clips, multi cam stuff yet so that does not really matter to me at this point.

So would I use the Duplicate command in X or Snapshot?

Thanks.

Jonathan

Snapshot.

I just do one of each and organize them with keyword collections. They are really small files and I like the option of having one project that keeps compound and multicam clips the same and one that changes with other projects. But I'm still figuring out how I want my new 10.1 workflow to be. Space just isn't an issue so why not both?

I'm loving Snapshot.

I create an Event for edits and in there amongst other things I create smart keyword collections.
One called "Edits" which looks for projects but not with the word "Snapshot"
The other called "Snapshots" which looks for the text "Snapshot"

So at every crucial junction in an edit I just perform a Snapshot and keep editing with the same project. Brilliant.

If you're not using Compound Clips or Multicam I recommend using Duplicate.

A Snapshot freezes your Compound Clips and Multicam in time, so if you change those in another Timeline they don't get updated in the Snapshot. I use a lot of Compound Clips so I generally make a Snapshot, but those can take up considerably more space than a Duplicate project.

That's the point of a snapshot, so it's frozen and changes subsequently made to compounds don't ripple through and damage the snapshot version. This point is that when you discover all your compounds are a mess and the project is going in the wrong direction, that you can go back.

Today I worked with creating a snap shot, and that does do what I need, however I found one thing that threw me off initially or maybe I'm doing something different and you all know this:

If you create a snapshot, I found that you have to actually activate (double click the snapshot icon) and then resume your edit if doing different versions. I change the first snapshot name to version 2. If you just create a snapshot and continue editing it edits your original timeline.

As I think about this, the snap shot becomes the timeline where you left off, in my case version 1, which was sort of counter-intuitive for me. I may have to re-think this.

Strange. I just create the snapshot and continue editing with the original cut. No renaming or loading different projects. I assume the snapshot is like the auto save vault or the attic. A snapshot in time that should only be accessed if you need to.

Jonathan,

Seamus is correct. Snapshots are manual backups of your timeline that allow you to save the current state of your edit and go back to it whenever you feel that your progressing edit is going the wrong way. So the idea behind Snapshots is that you continue to edit on the original timeline and you access a Snapshot if you want to go back to a previous state of it. Indeed similar to the auto-save function in FCP.

- Ronny

OK. Maybe I'm having a senior moment(s) here but this is making me nuts. Please try this simple test and let me know what you find. Let's start with just SNAP shot project:

1) Open a project with just a single clip in the timeline. In the media browser name that project "TEST".

2) Before doing anything, select "TEST" project and then Edit>Duplicate as snapshot. Change the name of that snapshot to "TEST 1" and then double click that so it is an active timeline Test 1. Now blade the clip and use position tool to separate the two cuts slightly.

3) Go back up to browser, select (don't double click) the "TEST 1" project and then go to Edit>Duplicate project as Snapshot again. Rename the snapshot "TEST 2"and then double click that project so it is active in timeline "TEST 2". Blade the clip again and reposition so there is space between two cuts. So there should now be three pieces of the clip in your timeline.

4) Go back to the browser on more time and repeat step 3, but name your Snapshot "TEST 3". Blade again so you now should have four pieces of clip.

So if you activate the "TEST" project, you should see just one clip, Activate "TEST 2" and you see two cuts, "Test 3" three cuts and so on. I'll always know that test 3 is the most current version. and test is the initial project.

I should say, this is the method that seems to work for me. Am I missing something?

I guess I find it confusing the way Snapshots are made unless you rename them. Try the above experiment without renaming using default name.

I did notice that if you use the regular DUPLICATE command, it does rename the project numerically i.e. Jon project, jon project 2, jon project 3, and so on. But still confused about DUPLICATE overall.

"But still confused about DUPLICATE overall."

Duplicate does what it has always done. If you have Compound Clips and/or Multicam clips in your duplicate, changing these (without referencing a new parent clip) will ripple through to all instances in any project.

Snapshot duplicates the project and freezes the state of CC's and Multicam clips. If you go back and edit the CC's/MCC's in the snapshot it will not affect other instances.

FWIW, like others, my workflow is... start project. Make snapshots at critical junctures along the way in case I want to go back to that state. I am always cutting the original project. When done, it becomes version 1.

Send to client, client has changes.

*Duplicate* Version 1 and make revisions to the duplicate with snapshots along the way. When done, submit V.2.

Repeat 'til done. So.. snapshots are for works in progress, Duplicates are to preserve the "locked" cut and make revisions for the next "official" version. Make sense?

Chris Fenwick made this really handy video:

chrisfenwick.com/home/2013/12/22/tutoria...ect-as-snapshot.html

Thanks guys.

The Snapshot is your archive. Like taking a snapshot with a camera at an event. The photo you took is the frozen in time archive. Use the original to continue working on. Notice your Project Snapshots are also time/date stamped.

Hi guys, I'm having trouble with the "duplicate project as a snapshot" feature. Anytime I duplicate it as a snapshot and edit the snapshot version, my original project is also edited. Any ideas on what is going on?

Also, please help me understand why "duplicating" a project would be useful (at all) if it affects the original, too???

Jessi

Are you sure you have the correct project open? They don't open automatically.

I figured it out I hadn't been double-clicking on the project (only single-clicked on it), so it was showing me the same project each time I would toggle back and forth on the snapshot and original. Thanks.

Most basically, use Snapshot if you don't want Compound Clips or Multicam Clips to change within the project. If you are not using Compound Clips or Multicam Clips at all then I'm not sure if you really need to do a Snapshot.

From the FCPX manual: “The Duplicate as Snapshot command creates a self-contained copy of a project containing compound clips or multicam clips. Specifically, duplicating a project as a snapshot makes copies of the compound or multicam “parent” clips and embeds them in the project so that any changes to other instances of the clips do not affect the snapshot.”

Excerpt From: Apple Inc. “Final Cut Pro X User Guide.” iBooks. itun.es/us/rrsm6.l