Moved FCP library to external drive - Media no longer appears in library

Question

Level 1

4 points

Moved FCP library to external drive - Media no longer appears in library

I moved a FCP library and consolidated all media files on an external hard drive. The timeline looks the same as when the library was on the computer hard drive but it is now all black. The names of the media files still appear in the timeline, and the start, end and duration info for the files is all correct in the side menu.

The missing media does not appear red. They are just empty black spaces.

When I click on an individual file in the timeline, the side menu 'Reveal In Finder' button does nothing.

I tried 'Relink Files' but nothing appears in either Original or Proxy.

How do I get the Library to find these files?

Thanks!

P.S. This is my first time using FCP.

Posted on Mar 20, 2023 7:31 AM

Reply

Answer 1

kwekusemi Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 20, 2023 1:10 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

The library is no longer on the system drive.

I copied the latest backup to the external drive and all of the media files now appear in the browser, but there is no timeline.

The media is in folders on the external drive.

Reply

Answer 2

kwekusemi Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 20, 2023 1:35 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

I have dragged the project (Brion22) to the backup library that has the media files. I'm being asked to choose between Media or Project without Media. Which one do I select? There is no media in the Brion22 library, so Project without media?

Reply

Answer 3

kwekusemi Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 20, 2023 8:07 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Thanks. I tried but no files appear under "missing" or "all." It's as if FCP doesn't realise the files are missing.

When I right click on individual media files in the timeline, and then click on "Reveal in Browser," I get "Failed to reveal clip. The original file could not be found or reconstructed."

I also imported one of the missing files into the library. The file numbers match in the library and in the timeline but it still does not appear.

Reply

Answer 4

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,995 points

Mar 20, 2023 8:48 AM in response to kwekusemi

It looks like there are no files in the browsers. Why are there two events, one with an error warning. Twirl open the events so we can what's in there when the events are selected. Where is the project Brion_2023? Select that in the browser and run the relink function again.

Reply

Answer 5

kwekusemi Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 20, 2023 12:31 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

The browser is empty. I deleted the other event that was also empty. I tried the relink function on Brion_2023 project in the browser but there is nothing. The consolidate function worked when I moved the library from my computer to the external hard drive. All of the media files are on the external hard drive but they haven't reappeared automatically in the browser. I hope I just forgot to do something. I did the move because the drive on my computer was full. This is my first time working with FCP and I still have a lot to learn...

Reply

Answer 6

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,995 points

Mar 20, 2023 12:37 PM in response to kwekusemi

You moved the library bundle, so puts no longer on the system drive. Is that correct?

When the library was on the system drive where there clips in the browser or did you import by dragging and dropping to the timeline?

Please confirm whether or not the project plays with video in the timeline.

If you select a clip in the project with the playhead over it and press Shift-F what happens?

Reply

Answer 7

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,995 points

Mar 20, 2023 12:45 PM in response to kwekusemi

What did you have selected when you used Copy to library? That function is used to copy items in one library to another library, like files or events or projects. Where did you see Consolidate when you did this? The Consolidate function is in the Inspector library properties.

Reply

Answer 8

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,995 points

Mar 20, 2023 12:56 PM in response to kwekusemi

And the library no longer exists on the system drive?

On the system drive in your Movies folder there should be folder called Final Cut Backups. Find the latest backup for your library and copy it to the external drive.

Where is the media that you’re using stored on the external drive? In a folder? In some other kind of bundle? Post screenshots.

Open the backup library. What do you see? Missing files icons? Is the browser empty? Were there ever clips in the browser?

Reply

Answer 9

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,995 points

Mar 20, 2023 1:18 PM in response to kwekusemi

So one library, the backup, has a browser with clips that work, but no project. The other library has a project that doesn’t work and no browser clips. Is that right? If so, open both libraries in FCP and drag the project from the event of one library to the event in the backup library. What happens? Does it work in the backup library?

Reply

Answer 10

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,995 points

Mar 20, 2023 2:09 PM in response to kwekusemi

I don't know. I've never heard of a situation like this where the media is available in a backup. I also don't understand why the backup has a different name, or did you change the name of the moved library that's called FC_External? Before you do anything else, select a few of the clips in the back library and use the Reveal in Finder function to see where exactly it's looking for the clips it has.

Reply

Answer 11

kwekusemi Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 20, 2023 5:01 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

SOLVED!

I followed your recommendations all the way to adding the backup file to the external hard drive.

When I tried to drop the Brion22 project into the backup library, nothing happened (I tried with and without the 'include media' options).

There was another project in the backup library (just a single video clip I had used for a test), so I deleted its timeline, and then copy/pasted the entire timeline from Brion22 in its place. The project immediately began doing a render. The timeline was still black, but I could see the media files starting to relink when I right-clicked on the media files (in the timeline), and then clicked on 'Reveal in browser.'

After the rendering was done, the timeline was nonetheless still black and nothing appeared when I played the project. So, I quit FCP, opened it, and the project was back just as it was before I made the move to the new drive, with all media visible in the timeline, and nothing lost. Phew!

Thank you very much for your help, Tom! I couldn't have done it without you.

Reply

Answer 12

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,995 points

Mar 20, 2023 5:07 PM in response to kwekusemi

You’re welcome.

Switch of background rendering in preferences. Tender only of you have to. If you have playback problems make proxies. Don’t make optimized files. Rendering and optimizing will use huge amounts of drive space.

For an excellent introduction to FCP start with Steve Martin’s 60 minute intro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqUP7Zgeuck. For a more in depth introduction use the IzzyVideo tutorials. The version is a bit dated but the principles are the same.