Video transcoder that works with FCPX's relinking?

Hi,

I'm looking to go back through my old FCPX libraries, heavily compress all the large video files and delete the originals, and be able to relink/reimport the compressed files.

Handbrake transcodes well (I just have to change the file extension to .mov before trying to relink) but FCPX will usually only recognize and relink about half of the new files. I'm guessing there's some kind of change to the video files' metadata that prevents relinking. From what I've read, FCPX is very picky about matching file metadata when it relinks. I tried setting Handbrake to do an audio passthrough, but that didn't improve my relink %.

Is there any transcoder that consistently works with FCPX's relinking, or maybe a media manager that can "force relink" by editing FCPXML? I have to compress ~10 TB of video files across 70 libraries, so something reliable would be nice.

oliver.mackenzie wrote: ...I'm looking to go back through my old FCPX libraries, heavily compress all the large video files and delete the originals, and be able to relink/reimport the compressed files....

FCPX is very picky about relinking. I don't know a transcoder that will do this. Even if you *thought* you had one, unless you tested and verified each file (all 10TB worth) by relinking them all and inspecting each one on a timeline -- you wouldn't know for sure. In the quest for saving space you could be inadvertently damaging your ability to restore a timeline from a backup.

In general I'd suggest keeping the originals, not heavily compressing them. You can get an 8TB external drive for $189: a.co/aumv9P2

Most video files are already compressed to some degree, so the ability to re-compress them at the same resolution is normally somewhat limited. If these are ProRes or raw, then more compression is possible.

If you intended to not just heavily compress but also re-size them, I would definitely not do that. You obviously envision some possible future need for the material, else you wouldn't be backing it up. When that day comes, wouldn't you want the best quality, not some degraded version?

What some people do is only save the used material. This is typically a small % of the total shot material. That can be done in FCPX by filtering on used media and copying that to a separate library for backup. However my documentary team always saves everything (not just used media), and in the original format. The material is very costly to shoot and the backup cost is insignificant next to that.

Hi,

I really appreciate the response. Sorry for replying so late.

Most of the material I shoot are stationary interviews that lend themselves well to compression. I've personally found that most of the footage I shoot can be compressed to 1/6-1/8 the original size with only a minimal quality loss when using time-intensive Handbrake presets. Plus, the company I'm currently working with is web-based, so there's less need for high quality material.

I already save master files of all my finished projects, so that's not the issue. I'd just like to keep degraded copies of all the footage I've shot, and for that footage to be able to be relinked to my existing projects for ease of use in the future. I don't anticipate needing to use my old footage often, but I don't want to delete my existing media.

At this point, my FCPX libraries are too large to reasonably keep everything around. Right now, I have 22TB of drive space with about ~10TB of media mirrored. I also have 6TB of media stored on a friend's HDD array. If I keep storing originals, storing everything is going to become cost prohibitive (especially considering drive failures). Doing an online backup would already cost hundreds of dollars per month.

Again, all of this is moot if I can't find a transcoder that will work with FCPX's relinker, or another relinking solution. I appreciate the reply anyways.

Just to take a step back, have you deleted the generated files in each library and the transcoded files (the pro res ones) to see what effect that has on Library size? You'd still have your original footage (which, if it was recorded in AVCHD is relatively tiny compared to ProRes) but much smaller library.

File -> Delete Generated Library Files and select Deleted Rendered Files, Delete Optimised Media, Delete Proxy Media.

This will delete exactly what it says. All of those can be re-created at any time in FCPX without loss, but you get to keep your project file and your original media (which, as I said above, may be quite small to start with). If you haven't done this step, I'd suggest trying it to see if will suit your needs.

Note: all the media will have to be inside the library before you can delete it, so make sure it is, or consolidate it first.

I have, yeah. My libraries don't have any proxy files or optimized media.

And the render files? (Just checking for the sake of completeness). Gotta love how FCP X makes a render file if you do absolutely anything to a clip: resize, title, move it a smidgin...

It doesn't if you switch off background rendering.

True, Tom. But I know that it's just itching to do it. Waiting ... biding its time...

martinX wrote: And the render files? (Just checking for the sake of completeness). Gotta love how FCP X makes a render file if you do absolutely anything to a clip: resize, title, move it a smidgin...

And all the render files, yeah. I use the "delete generated library files" command before I archive projects (though I usually work with original media and with background rendering turned off, so there's not much to delete).

I believe the answer to your original question would be that there is not any method that guarantees complete reliable relinking in FCPX, with the most effective method being to keep your original footage untouched and unmodified. If you choose to compress the originals and move them, I don't believe any method of relinking would have a high probability of success and you will likely run into problems across that large range of footage. Aside from the relinking issue, even though your interviews hold up well when compressed, if you ever intend to regrade or modify them with new effects, you'll be better off with original footage.

Your question helped me.

What about having FCPX generate Proxy files?