FCPX Not Using High Quality Media Upon Export

I have a multicam project that I've been working on. Prior to this week, I had successfullly exported the project with the higher quality media without any issue. Now, it's choosing to only use the optimized/ proxy media when I export. Higher quality media is selected under Playback in the FCPX preferences. When I swap between the two, I can see the difference in the clips in the timeline. However when it chooses to export, it's only using the optimized/ proxy media. If I load another project, toggling between the two upon export works. I'm not sure why this is affecting this project only. Does anyone know what the issue could be?

Not sure what you mean by higher quality media. Only three types of media, proxy, original, or optimized.

High Quality/Better Performance only has to do with playback and not the media itself or exporting. Proxy is a different matter. If you ate using proxy to edit, you have to switch back to original/optimized before exporting.

When I'm exporting, I'm choosing to use the "Original media." However, FCPX won't use the original media when it is exported. It is using the optimized/lower quality media it created upon export.

Regardless of semantics, I'm switching back to the original media when I'm exporting. I have been working on this project for several weeks exporting using the original media correctly. I had done a completed edit that I handed off to the client. I decided later on to come back and change a few things about the edit. Most of it was just switching to a different clip in the multicam. Now when swapping back to the original media upon export, it's using the optimized media. Again, this only happens with this one project. Other projects do not experience the same issue.

Obviously, it's 10.0.3 by the way.

There's no such thing as optImized/lower quality. Are you talking about proxy media? That's not optimized media. Optimized is ProRes 422. That's not lower quality. If you are talking about proxy media you have to switch to original/optimized before you export.

Tom Wolsky wrote: Not sure what you mean by higher quality media.

Tom,
I think he is referring to the folder created in the fcpx directory along with original media called "High Quality Media". I have seen this folder created before and I believe it will contain the optimized media if the original imported media is transcoded to prores 422.

I'm not sure I understand if there's a problem or a misunderstanding of what FCPX does, hopefully this will help if the latter.

Importing without transcoding creates aliases to the source footage in the "Original Media" folder, unless selecting "Copy Files to Final Cut Events Folder" where it creates copies in that folder. Either way FCPX will always reference that folder when looking for the media.

Unless importing with transcoding which creates the ProRes 422 files in the "High Quality Media" folder inside the "Transcoded Media" folder and/or ProRes Proxy files in the "Proxy Media" folder within the "Transcoded Media" folder.

As Tom mentioned earlier, the "Use Proxy Media" and "Use original or Optimized Media" are playback options. If you select "Use original or Optimized Media" FCPX will look to, and use, the optimised media created and found in the "High Quality Media" folder if it's available, and the original media if it's not available.

It will only use the proxy media if chosen and available.

For export, and also as mentioned by Tom, make sure the "Use original or Optimized Media" playback option is selected. FCPX will export from the optimised media if available, or the original media if not.

It should only export from the lower quality proxy media if the "Use Proxy Media" playback option is left selected.

Great description and summary, NocoDave

Thanks Dan, I should probably add it works different if the footage being imported is already ProRes.

If it's ProRes 442, 442HQ or 4444 and "Create optimised media" is selected it gets ignored and aliases are created in the "Original Media" folder, unless "Copy files to Final Cut Events folder" is selected and the files are copied to the "Original Media" folder.

The "Transcoded Media" folder never comes into play as no transcoding is being done.

Unless creating proxy's of course.

Actually, any all I-Frame codec does not get transcoded if Optimize is selected. DVCPRO-HD will not be transcoded to ProRes. Only Long-GOP codecs get transcoded to ProRes when Optimize is checked.

That's good to know. I've not had to use any yet, but it could come in useful working with Avid DNxHD.