Final Cut X and hard disk space

Exactly. And to add to the thread, High Quality and Better Performance only effect playback, not the quality of the actual renders, video, or output.

User Proxy and User Optimized actually will effect renders and output, thus use proxy during edits, switch to Optimized before quality checking and exporting.

For what it's worth. I generally make proxies for my projects that way I can stack effects without a problem. Then I export my rough cuts to the client (typically a private youtube video) using the 540p setting which is perfect for the proxy media. I do color correction, titles and all. The exports and uploads are insanely fast, often 2x real time.

Once the rough cut stage is over, then I switch over to optimized media for final color correction, pass, and then final export.

You do color correction with Proxy media? :ohmy:

Yes. Yes I do.

Proxy is 1/4 res ProRes files (half the vertical lines). There would be no color shifts between it and full res media.

I don't really see much of a difference in file sizes between 7 and X. Let us know what your shooting on and your import settings.

Having said that when you can buy a 1 TB drive for about $100 these days why not just add that to the price of the contract and then you have one drive for each event?

You could tell your clients it's like an insurance policy for their priceless event. Which it is.

Personally I'd never color correct proxy media, I don't have enough color data there to do it properly, IMHO. I'd take it out to Color or Resolve, or at least switch to Optimized media first. Color grading doesn't need smooth playback, nor long periods of playback. Skimming is good enough.

That was my point, stay away from Proxy when color grading do to the lack color information.

To clarify, I wasn't suggesting doing final color correction on proxy media. Just the rough cut. See my original note.

Here in Brazil, an HD costs more, about 3 x.

The duty of our beloved government is approximately 100%, moreover, states and cities levy tax upon tax. Some discounts are given from time to time, but here a basic iMac costs $ 2400.

A Firewire 500 gb HD costs around $ 500 ( www.laciestore.com.br/ecommerce_site/pro...00-400--USB-20-500GB )


Here my dear, alligator swimming shore

Oh that's terrible. Sorry to hear that.

Here's the way I would work to minimise space.
Copy the cards to a drive. (This will be your back up drive)
When importing you can check "Create Optimised Media" but don't copy media to the event. When your job is finished throw away all the transcoded media, render files etc. This should leave the event very small and still pointing to your back up drive if you need to work on it again at a later date.

Wow, this is a great thread (covers a lot of issues). I have been using optimized media transcoding on import, using High Quality on playback and toggling between copying events and referencing them. So when I am creating complex compound clips with 5 to 10 stacks, effects, etc. (along with having multiple projects open - which I don't do anymore), and with background render on, I have noticed that periodically I just need to leave the computer, have a cup of coffee and let FCPX catch up. Sometimes several minutes, sometimes a half hour. I will reconfigure things per all the suggestions tonight. I may be my worst enemy !

Proxy media is old hat for us Final Cut Server users/trainers. But it's a fantastic way to work, really. Even PPro and Avid and other NLE's reach a ceiling eventually. FCP gives us a reasonable way to deal with it very easily.

Remember that once the project is approved and locked down, you can delete all of those proxy files. Only keep the optimized or originals.

BTW, I always figure a cheap drive into my project prices, and let the client know up front I don't archive anything, they get all the original media (not the events or projects or anything) on a drive they own. If they want me to archive for them, there's an archive price. That works all over the world.

Not here, in our "Scotland" here, we live in the highlands, we do a great spirit, (the best cachaça in the world, as a Scotch) is a people hard bread and miserly, Scrooge McDuck.
But that's not the case, if one day you come here, maybe during the Soccer World Cup in 2014, do not forget to try cheese (cheese is the best in the country) and cachaça!

I finished my second full work in X.
I am also concerned about getting the amount of times, when you close the program, I lose a part of the work.
Does anyone know how it is done saving the file, as in how many minutes?