How to delete unwanted footage?

Question

Level 3

610 points

How to delete unwanted footage?

I'm new to Final Cut, so excuse my ignorance, I'm still learning it.

I shoot in the mini-DV format and then import clips from the DV tape through the camera. Up to now I've been reviewing each tape and carefully importing only specific clips off them, avoiding the marginal footage, not wanting to use up hard drive space with it. But I wonder if it's possible to save time by importing entire tapes, the bad footage along with the good, then use only the good parts in a project, and afterward deleting the unwanted footage from the hard drive?

In other words, at the end of a project, can Final Cut delete from your hard drive the footage that you did not use?

Tom

G4 Quicksilver 1 GHz DP, Mac OS X (10.4.9), 1.5 GB of RAM

Posted on Dec 1, 2008 6:39 PM

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Answer 1

Dec 1, 2008 6:47 PM in response to Tom Baker1

You can do it either way, but you won't really be saving much time. Either way, you still have to take the time to choose the shots you want to use.

If you decide to capture the whole tape as one clip, once you've finished your edit in the Timeline, you can use Media Manager in FCP to delete the unused footage.

-DH

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Answer 2

Dec 1, 2008 6:50 PM in response to Tom Baker1

You can use the much dreaded MEDIA MANAGER under the File menu.

But DO read up on it in the manual. It is very confusing.

What I sometimes do is after I complete my edit I'll move all the edited bits into another project by using media manager and removing the actual capture files.

But again... READ UP ON IT. You can use Media Manager to just move your selected bits to a new project without really copying the files. You want to make sure you actually COPY the files.

Good luck

CaptM

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Answer 3

Dec 1, 2008 6:50 PM in response to Tom Baker1

Best way would be to continue to log n capture, but including the marginal material...then you can quickly delete those clips, when you know they're not needed.

You can also capture entire (long) tapes/clips, then use Media Manager, to get rid of unnecessary material.

Search this forum for proper use of Media Manager and make sure you fully understand it's implementation befor using it.

K

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Answer 4

Wherrito

Level 2

185 points

Dec 1, 2008 6:55 PM in response to Tom Baker1

File>Media Manager
In the first pull down in the "Media" field click "Use current" then check the box that says "Delete unused media from selected items.
Be sure to give yourself some decent handles.

Please read up on it first.

Message was edited by: meatntaters

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Answer 5

Tom Baker1 Author

Level 3

610 points

Dec 2, 2008 7:52 PM in response to Wherrito

Thanks everybody. Media Manager. OK, I'll read up on it and see if I can learn to use it right, and use it dump the unused footage off the hard drive that way. And I'll try using it as you described it, meatntaters--and thanks for reminding me about the handles on clips. But since I don't plan to dump any unused footage until I'm all through with the editing, I should have all the transitions and things that need handles taken care of by then.

Thanks again all. You've been very helpful.

Tom

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