terence1957

Q: How do I import archived old version FCPX libraries?

In earlier versions of FCPX, as you updated to some of the newer versions it would ask if you wanted to archive your library of projects and events before it converted them to the new "bundle" format. I'm glad a I did this. I'm now on version 10.2.3 and recently had to update an education video from a couple of years ago - i.e., just change a couple of references and re-export the movie. The library opened and event opened okay, but the particular project I wanted just crashes the whole FCPX app when I try to open it! Somewhere along the series of version updates an incompatibility has arisen. Then I remembered that I have the original archived "replica" of the library that FCPX saved in the old format of events and project folders. So I figured I just need to re-import this into the latest version from scratch - surely the very reason for making this archive in the first place. I have searched around but can't find instructions of how to do this. Help please anyone!

 

Thanks,

Terence

MacBook Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6)

Posted on Aug 23, 2016 11:00 PM

Close

Q: How do I import archived old version FCPX libraries?

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

Page 1 Next
  • by Russ H,

    Russ H Russ H Aug 24, 2016 4:37 AM in response to terence1957
    Level 7 (21,770 points)
    Quicktime
    Aug 24, 2016 4:37 AM in response to terence1957

    Actually the old project and events files would need to be updated to the post 10.0.9 library structure.

     

    But too early to give up on opening the project from the current library. Suggest quitting FCP and clearing out your preference files. Hold down the option and command keys when you launch the app and when prompted, delete the preferences. Then navigate to your library and see if the project now opens.

     

    Good luck.

     

    Russ

  • by terence1957,

    terence1957 terence1957 Aug 24, 2016 9:28 AM in response to Russ H
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Audio
    Aug 24, 2016 9:28 AM in response to Russ H

    No, that's exactly what I am asking how to do - convert the old library to the new structure (and in the process maybe fix the problem). You just managed to say in one sentence what I took a whole paragraph to describe. I was assuming there would be some kind of "import" scenarui to do that. Checking out the link you provided, the gist of it appears to be: Choose File > Update Projects and Events. Hopefully I can save this as a separately named library from the problematic version (which works apart from this one project) for security.

     

    Thanks!

  • by Russ H,

    Russ H Russ H Aug 24, 2016 9:36 AM in response to terence1957
    Level 7 (21,770 points)
    Quicktime
    Aug 24, 2016 9:36 AM in response to terence1957

    terence1957 wrote:

     

    Checking out the link you provided, the gist of it appears to be: Choose File > Update Projects and Events.

    Correct. You can also update selectively if the project and related event are the only ones that the app sees. (It looks for those files in a Final Cut Projects folder and in a Final Cut Events folder, which can either be located in the Movies folder of the user or at the door level of the non start-up disk.

     

    Russ

  • by terence1957,

    terence1957 terence1957 Aug 24, 2016 10:45 AM in response to Russ H
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Audio
    Aug 24, 2016 10:45 AM in response to Russ H

    Thanks, Russ. In the process of updating, I have immediately encountered a difficulty. Going: Update Projects and Events > Locate... ,  when I navigate to the wanted archive folder on my external drive it is greyed out. Perhaps there is something wrong with the name: "Teaching Media Old Final Cut Projects and Events"...

  • by terence1957,

    terence1957 terence1957 Aug 24, 2016 10:47 AM in response to terence1957
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Audio
    Aug 24, 2016 10:47 AM in response to terence1957

    The dialogue window also asks for a SAN location or folder...?

  • by Tom Wolsky,

    Tom Wolsky Tom Wolsky Aug 24, 2016 10:53 AM in response to terence1957
    Level 10 (118,086 points)
    Apple TV
    Aug 24, 2016 10:53 AM in response to terence1957

    You don't update projects and events, you update volumes. You select a volume to update and FCP updates the projects and events that are in that volume in the correct location in the correct folder. The projects have to be inside a folder called Final Cut Projects. Nothing else. The events have to be inside a folder called Final Cut Events. The folder have to be in the correct location.

     

    http://www.fcpxbook.com/updates/101/101libraries.html

  • by terence1957,

    terence1957 terence1957 Aug 24, 2016 10:59 AM in response to Tom Wolsky
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Audio
    Aug 24, 2016 10:59 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

    Forgive me if I'm misunderstanding something, but I think that's what I'm trying to do, Tom: I guess the volume is the top folder, in this case called called "Teaching Media Old Final Cut Projects and Events" and inside that are the project and event folders, exactly as FCP left them when I archived it. However, the top folder is greyed and I'm being asked to use a SAN location, which I have no idea about.

  • by Tom Wolsky,Helpful

    Tom Wolsky Tom Wolsky Aug 24, 2016 12:04 PM in response to terence1957
    Level 10 (118,086 points)
    Apple TV
    Aug 24, 2016 12:04 PM in response to terence1957

    No, a volume is a hard drive or SAN. If the projects and events are on an external drive the appropriate folders have to be at the root level of the drive. If they are in the system drive they need to be at the top level of the Movies folder. Did you read through the link I sent?

  • by terence1957,

    terence1957 terence1957 Aug 24, 2016 11:09 AM in response to Tom Wolsky
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Audio
    Aug 24, 2016 11:09 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

    It's an external drive. So if I take the project and event folders out of that top level folder and up to the the root level, that should do it? Does it matter there are other unrelated folders at this root level in order to do the update?

  • by Tom Wolsky,Helpful

    Tom Wolsky Tom Wolsky Aug 24, 2016 12:03 PM in response to terence1957
    Level 10 (118,086 points)
    Apple TV
    Aug 24, 2016 12:03 PM in response to terence1957

    Please read the link I sent. You need to make sure the events and projects are in the correct folders at the root level. No, it doesn't matter if there are other folders or files there. The application is only looking for very specific items.

  • by terence1957,

    terence1957 terence1957 Aug 24, 2016 11:20 AM in response to terence1957
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Audio
    Aug 24, 2016 11:20 AM in response to terence1957

    Well, I moved the project end event folders to the root, selected the drive itself to update, and it seems to be working having scanned and found the folders. I was hoping I could have selected only particular events and projects within, but it just launched ahead with the whole thing. Thankfully it renamed the bundle so as not to overwrite the current one. This is progress! I'll let it do its thing and see what comes out of the oven at the end.

  • by terence1957,

    terence1957 terence1957 Aug 24, 2016 11:38 AM in response to terence1957
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Audio
    Aug 24, 2016 11:38 AM in response to terence1957

    So, everything worked as far as updating the archived volume to a new bundle. Thanks, Russ, Tom, in helping me to do that. Opening it, everything looks great and as it was, frozen in time from two years ago. However, when I try to open that one project FCP still immediately crashes. I have no concept of the actual cause. Bummer, as there was at least a couple of weeks work in that. I guess if I could get hold of a 10.0.9 version of FCPX and open the archived volume in that, I should still be able to work on that one rogue project

  • by terence1957,

    terence1957 terence1957 Aug 24, 2016 11:49 AM in response to terence1957
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Audio
    Aug 24, 2016 11:49 AM in response to terence1957

    Hmm...on second thoughts, FCPX 10.0.9, even if I could find a copy, probably doesn't work with El Capitan OS. I think I'm screwed.

  • by Russ H,

    Russ H Russ H Aug 24, 2016 2:07 PM in response to terence1957
    Level 7 (21,770 points)
    Quicktime
    Aug 24, 2016 2:07 PM in response to terence1957

    Correct about the El Capitan incompatibility. If your MBP is not new and can run Mavericks – and if you have a way to roll back the OS, you might install Mavericks on a partition or a separate drive and install FCP X 10.0.9 on it and try to open the project.

     

    However, my guess is that the project or some media got corrupted somehow and that if you found a system with 10.0.9 installed, it probably wouldn't work with it either. Look in the archived project folder. Is there a folder named Final Cut Backups?

     

    Russ

Page 1 Next