Using Snapshots

Hi
I understand how to make snapshots. I understand how they freeze. I understand that they use only data so are small.

So if after more editing I decide to go back to the snapshot to grab a hunk or even start over using that what do I do, copy and paste the hunk or total snapshot into a current/new project?

If it's just a data copy, when put into a project it suddenly starts acting like regular clips in a regular project?

If snapshots are so small but you can still see the video and edit it, why not always use the snapshot to edit your project?

best,
elmer

Snapshots are just a type of project. As soon as you start to work with one it will swell up with thumbnails, waveforms, render files and more data.

Thanks, Tom!

And I love them. I was working for a marketing company for a little bit and I was able to show off several versions of a promo film for them with just a couple of clicks. They were loving it.

elmerlang wrote: Hi
I understand how to make snapshots. I understand how they freeze. I understand that they use only data so are small.

For the sake of others reading this, the difference between duplicating a project and duplicate as a snapshot is a snapshot will "freeze" reference clips in the project, i.e. compound clip sand multicam clips so they are not updated in the timeline when the reference files are updated. BTW, if you open a compound clip or multi cam clip that is in a snapshot, a new version of that parent clip will be created in your event, but only if you actually open them.

Therefore most of the time when creating versions of projects, you really want to just duplicate. When you want to freeze something so that it won't be modified by modifying references, then duplicate as a snapshot.

elmerlang wrote: So if after more editing I decide to go back to the snapshot to grab a hunk or even start over using that what do I do, copy and paste the hunk or total snapshot into a current/new project?

If it's just a data copy, when put into a project it suddenly starts acting like regular clips in a regular project?

Snapshots are just project timelines with "frozen" references to compound and multicam clips, so you can copy and paste just as you normally would.

elmerlang wrote: If snapshots are so small but you can still see the video and edit it, why not always use the snapshot to edit your project?

Like I said above, Snapshots are just project timelines. However, if you start using snapshots as your versioning AND you are using compound clips and multi cam clips then you are going to be in a world of hurt. For versioning generally you want to use duplicate and not duplicate as snapshot.

We make many different versions of a project using duplicate which will automatically increment the version number of your project timeline. e.g.

Promo Edit 1
Promo Edit 2
Promo Edit 3

Then we make a snapshots AFTER we send a timeline for "output" i.e. a commercial to a station, a corporate web site launch, etc. in order to "freeze" that edit in time, e.g.

Promo Edit 3 Snapshot May 15, 2014, 5:42:08 PM

Now if the client calls and wants more changes, we don't open up our snapshot, but rather duplicate Promo Edit 3. So end the end we will have something like this:

Promo Edit 1
Promo Edit 2
Promo Edit 3
Promo Edit 3 Snapshot May 15, 2014, 5:42:08 PM
Promo Edit 4
Promo Edit 5
Promo Edit 5 Snapshot May 16, 2014, 3:42:08 PM

So at our shop Snapshot are like frozen backups. Once we make them we only touch them if we absolutely must.

Had to recover a section of an edit from a snapshot and while it worked perfectly it annoyingly created a whole bunch of new clips in my event. Clips that were already there but as far as FCP X was concerned they were different to what was there before. Madnng.

The media management in FCP X still needs a bit of work in my view.

Snapshots are a difficult concept because of reference clips. Here is the what the FCPX help says:

Duplicate projects as snapshots
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.

Thanks to all for the posts, great seeing it!