Workflow Tips

Thought I'd try and start a thread for quick workflow tips that we might share to speed things up? If people feel it's a good idea please join in (or tell me if this is the wrong section of the forum). No rants please...tips!

My tip to start things off:

NOTE: ALWAYS BACK UP FIRST (SEE BELOW)

Often I leave something encoding and exporting in the office and then want to send to the client at home later from my laptop. I have frame.io but if something fails such as a dropped connection, I'm in trouble. I've also found that exporting directly to dropbox folder doesn't work properly. Recently I noticed the relatively new feature under my iCloud settings to share the documents and desktop folders between my macs (if they're both on the same iCloud account). With this switched on I can export to the desktop from my iMac and then see any files exported on my laptop desktop at home when it's completed - and I can easily upload or dropbox from there. I'd like Apple to allow to share either documents OR desktop rather than both (which seems a strange choice to me ) so I could just share my docs folder and have an exports folder inside that which will be synced between macs. The feature seems to work pretty solidly (I keep a clean desktop, as one should) - and I've found it more reliable than Back to my Mac, for example which seems to work intermittently and always has a lag.

CAVEAT: Apparently some people on message boards are reporting issues with syncing documents and desktop so make sure you time machine back up before setting it up. Also remember that what you delete on one desktop or documents folder goes on BOTH machines (it's effectively a remote drive). Here's something to read first if you're interested in using this method: click here

Hi Robert
Not sure if you want this thread to be a generalized discussion about all things workflow or just how to transfer files??
I would be extremely cautious using the "Documents and Desktop" files in iCloud. Been lots of issues and lost files. Look on Apple forums and other sites. YMMV
If you have both computers iMac and laptop together, why not use either Airdrop or a wired connection? I find Airdrop to be very fast and secure moving files and no chance of loosing files.
Of course an external drive is always a good and easy method.
Then there is Mail Drop an extension of Mail that allows you to send up to 5GB via Apple servers either directly to another Mac or will be held on Apple servers for 30 days with a link for PC users to download. Seems to get around ISP data size limits. Of course does require fast internet.
Don't use Frame IO but didn't they just update with some new features and improvements?
Are you trying to share with clients in real time?

Hope this helps, Greg

Was thinking of the thread being for general workflow tips - export, fcpx organisation, working with fx, anything.

Regarding your points, having laptop and Mac together wasn't the issue really - I was pointing out a way of remotely having access to exported files easily, files which are still exporting - and not have to physically be in the same place.

Personally, I haven't seen any issues with lost files using desktop and docs iCloud syncing but I will check the boards. I always use a time machine drive (and other drives backed up) and I'd recommend anyone else to do so first (I'll amend first post).

Frame.io updates are there but my point was that often internet connections can drop out uploading so you generally won't want to risk leaving the office until you've uploaded to be sure. The desktop sync gets around that (for me). I generally found FCPX exporting to both Frame.io and Vimeo to hang endlessly in the past. When I've looked into that frame.io and Vimeo seem to blame apple and vice versa so I find that frustrating. I DID manage to upload directly from FCPX to frame.io a couple of days ago after the update for the first time - when I made sure I selected 'web hosting' as the format rather than 'Video and Audio' in the settings so maybe that's been the issue..