Importing weirdness

So I imported my media into FCPX via the standard import menu, preferences set to "copy files to Library" just like I always do. Edited things up and it went fine. Quit FCPX and ejected the card. Later opened FCPX again and all media was missing. It says "Missing Camera". Inserted the card and it showed back up. Tried to re-import but FCPX would not let me, it just went to 100% right away with no files copied. There are no files or sym-links in the Original Media folder at all. FCPX would not let me transcode file without re-importing which it would not let me do. Manually copied all of the files to the Original Media folder in the Library and still no good. There's no "locate media" option like there is in Final Cut Pro 7. Why not?

Bottom line: I absolutely MUST have the card inserted on this project. How is this fixed. What happened to mess this stuff up s badly?

Try using the reimport from camera/archive function.

I wonder if you should eject the card before you exit FCPX. The app might be looking for the camera since it didn't register the card being ejected when it was closed.

Well that worked for re-importing and now I have Original and Transcoded media, but it destroyed my project. Even relinking files does not work. Now my footage is gone! Everything says MISSING FOOTAGE despite it being there.

I'll probably have to re-edit the entire thing now.

FCPX will not let me eject a card when it's open. I tried initially.

OK it copied the files into a different event for some reason (even though I made triple sure the correct event was selected before import). It would not let me import to the event I wanted it to. I moved them all via the Finder to the correct event and then relinked files and that worked.

I have never had FCPX act this wonky before. What could have possibly caused this? I have done this hundreds of times before the exact same ay and this is the first time I had any issues.

Hi Joe,
Sounds weird on many fronts. So for what it is worth…
Is it possible that you started to edit during import process and FCPX never got to finish the file transfer? This would make sense as far as needing the "camera card". If you are editing while importing, editing takes precedence and import can take a long time. Could also have been a corrupted file on the card that caused FCPX to get hung during import. As a precaution, you might want to reformat or toss that card.
I can eject a card anytime after import is finished. Indeed this is SOP at end of shooting day to get all cards transferred and back to camera.
Since you found your files in a different event, is the event linked to a different Library and fcp package? If so, was it on a different drive? You should be able to open any event that is contained in the same library. Sounds like you are using "Self contained/consolidated" libraries.
Perhaps if my speculation is correct about not finishing the import process, you then opened a different library/event and while "finishing" the import, it placed the files there. Were you working on a different event, or opened an event to find files while importing?
You might want to try "Consolidate" and move the files around that way. Could simply be a glitch that Consolidating would correct. If you move the Consolidate files to a different drive, it is a copy process, not just a link.
FCPX can find the files to re-link, so long as it knows what drive they are located on, and you don't change the name.
Finally, trash the preferences.
Hope this helps, Greg

I always wait until it's 100% and green before I start messing with the timeline NOTHING was copied into the event's Original Media folder except a couple of sound files that I dragged in from the Finder. So the transfer actually never begun, apparently... at least not to that event. The other event is in the same Library. I would have been OK with that if FCPX didn't forget where the files were when I ejected the card... I probably wouldn't have even noticed. I don't think it;s a card issue, I think it's a FCPX being weird issue.

I can't recall doing anything different at all because I'd at least like to be able to replicate it so that I can report it.