Proxy workflow in 10.1.2

So 10.1.2 introduced the ability to have a little more granularity over your media storage and your libraries. I was really happy about this move, but it doesn’t quite behave the way you always might think (or like).

For instance: I created a new Library at the office, and had a folder of my original media on my RAID. I then generated proxy media, and copied just that proxy media and the library file to an external HDD so I could work on my laptop/on the go/at home.

However when I booted up the library FCP threw up errors that the media was missing. True, my original media wasn’t there, but the proxy media was so why couldn’t it connect to that?

So I’ve now had to go back to a slightly janky work around: create the library as “externally managed”. Once all my media is in, switch to manage the media within the library, create proxies, and now my library file, while large, can be moved onto an external drive and I can edit on the go with just the proxies. Once I get back to the office I can copy over project files and have full res just fine.

It’s a bit of a pain, since I need to have both libraries around to copy between them. What would be nice is to be able to just pass that library file back and forth, even emailing it, and it be able to see the proxy folder and get going.

Any thoughts on why this might be? I'm just curious as to why you'd be able to store your proxies outside the library if FCP can't reference them should they be moved/copied to a new location.

Also, in case you're wondering why I don't just copy all the original media to my portable drive; it clocks in around 1.5 TB. Proxy files are a fraction of the size at just over 100 GB.

Quick question: did you switch to proxy in the viewer settings for the computer that just had the proxy media?

Sure did.

I also tried reconnecting media, and it did manage to reconnect to the proxy media, but as "original media". ie. if I had the switcher set to proxy it was still missing, but "original/optimised" would show the newly reconnected proxy media.

I decided against this as I was worried that it might cause problems down the road, and with the sheer number of files I would have to try to reconnect it simply wasn't worth the risk.

First, the application is not designed to do what you want it to do. That said there is a convoluted way around it, but it starts with the premise that you're not using managed media in the original library, only external media.

Start in the original library and consolidate your media so it's external and create the proxy files. The original and proxies are now in a folder we'll call MediaX.

In FCP make a new library and copy the event with the project and media you want to work with to the new library. Both libraries are now pointing at MediaX. Quit FCP.

Everything in both libraries are symlinks. Find the Proxy folder in MediaX. Open the new library bundle and find the proxy folder. Copy the proxy files from MediaX into that folder replacing the symlinks.

If you're only working with video files you're done. Problem is if you have audio and stills and graphics. FCP doesn't make proxies for them. Now you have to go into the MediaX Original Media folder and find them and copy them into the Original Media folder in the new library, replacing the symlinks that are there. Of course with the new folder structure with separate folders for each date, this can a major pain and very time consuming, but it can be done.

Disconnect the drive with the new library. Launch FCP and open the new library and switch to proxy playback. All the proxies will be in the right place and the original media that's still needed will be in the right place.

This can be a major amount of work for a large project, but it's the only way that it can be done properly, until FCP develops a workflow that allows true proxy production. Ideally there would be a way to duplicate a library with only proxies and other ancillary material.

Tom Wolsky wrote: This can be a major amount of work for a large project, but it's the only way that it can be done properly, until FCP develops a workflow that allows true proxy production. Ideally there would be a way to duplicate a library with only proxies and other ancillary material.

Well this is exactly it, isn't it. My old workflow, and what I've reverted to where I have external "original" media but proxies stored in the library seems to be the easiest method, even if a little convoluted.

I just find it odd that Apple would create the ability to store Proxy media externally but then not actually allow you to reference it.

Hopefully we can get them to take note and allow a workflow similar to what I'm after (which, ultimately is a return to a workflow similar to FCP 7).

Don't get me wrong, I love managed libraries (I had been wanting them for years) but when you're trying to work from multiple locations with massive file sizes you want to find some easier way to move stuff around.

The purpose of proxies in FCP is currently solely to facilitate playback and editing efficient. It is not designed for remote editing with limited storage space.

Tom Wolsky wrote: The purpose of proxies in FCP is currently solely to facilitate playback and editing efficient. It is not designed for remote editing with limited storage space.

And it's my hope in future versions that will change...

One of our editors at our company who works off-site a lot actually does this and it seems to work fine. By default, we always use externally managed media because we have centralized shared storage here. So he will have an identical copy of the folder structure where we keep all the media for the project (we use Poste Haste to quickly standardize our folder structure). He keeps this on an external drive, and this is a mirror of that folder structure on our SAN. All he has to do is point the library to where the media subfolder is on the external drive, and it will also create proxies there. After that, he can just delete all the original media from the external drive, and he's able to work off the proxies on the external drive. The library continues to be very small because it doesn't contain the proxies or cache (which also now point to the external folder structure).

It's really not very different from the old way of having the proxies in the library, except that it's more flexible because you can tell the library where to keep the proxies now. This has been a HUGE boon to people like us who have shared storage and media.

Does this method allow him to jump back and forth between the two? I'd be curious as to what his workflow is like when he goes from station to station (or does he just stick with one until he's at the finishing stage?)

The one major difference between this workflow and mine is the creation of proxies on the external rather than creating them first, and then copying them minus the original material to the external drive.