Project suddenly empty/timeline gone!

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Project suddenly empty/timeline gone!

I'm pretty new to FCPX. I've been editing a video for a few days, the project runs about 5 minutes. I went into another project to copy-paste some titles and bring them back into the new/current project... and the timeline is blank. I'm suspecting that I did something outside of the actual "project" slate up top. Screen shot of what I'm seeing is attached below. This was previously a full timeline with titles, transitions, lots of edits. If it helps, something similar happened with my last project: I had synchronized a handful of clips and edited with those on the timeline, but for some reason the only way o get the timeline back in that project was to double click on the "Sync'd clips" clip in the Library.

I don't have any sync'd clips in this project, so I tried double clicking on each clip in case it "contained" the timeline - but no luck.

I also tried loading the backups from the every-15-mins backup folder, and none of them contained my timeline.

I've tried Window>Show in Window and timeline is checked.

I never deleted anything from the timeline so I feel like it has to be there somewhere, I'm just not finding it. I've seen similar posts on other forums but without a solution.

To extra clarify, when I go into the folder the the date on it in the left pane, clips are definitely there - but the timeline is just... gone.

If anyone knows the trick to getting it back... can you help? I don't want to lose 3 days of work. Ugh.

Kirby

Posted on Oct 7, 2023 4:25 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,204 points

Oct 7, 2023 5:03 PM in response to EastcoasterWestcoaster

Yes. It sounds as if you have made a fundamental error in FCP. You created a project but you didn’t open it. Instead you opened a clip or a sync clip and edited into that clip container.

You can copy the contents of the clip and paste into a project. It’s kind of a mess as you will still have clips that contain content they shouldn’t.

For an excellent introduction to FCP start with Steve Martin’s 60 minute intro. For a more in depth introduction use the Izzy video tutorials. The version is a bit dated but the principles are the same.

Learn FCP in Under 60 Minutes - YouTube

Final Cut Pro Tutorial | Izzy Video

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Answer 2

Oct 7, 2023 4:54 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Tom, I've actually looked at a number of your responses over the years for some answers. Thanks for chiming in.

Those other "Henriette's" are backups that I tried loading in. The Project slate "Henriette" is blank.. it's always been blank. This is why I disclaimer that I'm new to FCPX... I've fully edited a couple videos the past couple weeks, but that Project slate is always blank. Double clicking it doesn't put anything in the timeline. For example: this image shows a project called "Bellino" which when I click on the library is blank in the timeline.

But if I click on the the Oct 2 synchronized clip collection, the timeline fully populates with my entire complete edit.

With the now-blank "Henriette" project, none of the clips "contain" the full edit timeline. No sync'd clips in that one, it's just clips.

OH WAIT - I just closed all the libraries and re-opened the main one I usually use, and it contains an Oct 4 "Henriette Sync'd" clip. When I click on that, the timeline is back! Which is great, but... I don't understand what I did wrong. I'm guessing this is something fundamentally incorrect when I started the project. I imported clips into the library, then started editing... but when I did sync those Henriette clips, they didn't insert themselves into the timeline: they just made that "Henriette sync" clip with the paperclip upper left. And double clicking on that inserted the sync'd clips into the timeline and I edited from there.

Am I missing something fundamental at the project-creation level, where perhaps all of this stuff is supposed to live inside of the slate "Henriette"?

This may actually be a super rudimentary problem... but if you know what I did wrong, and if it has a name so I can google around for info about it, that would be super helpful. With a new software sometimes I don't know what to call something to know what to google for when troubleshooting it!

Kirby

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Answer 3

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,204 points

Oct 7, 2023 4:42 PM in response to EastcoasterWestcoaster

The title of the project is cut off in the timeline window. Henriette looks blank. Check your clips to see if one of about five minutes and you haven’t edited into a clip container. Are you sure you’ve been working in the right library; there are three open, two with the same name?

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Answer 4

Oct 7, 2023 4:59 PM in response to EastcoasterWestcoaster

AH - extra info: I still have a valid FCP Trial version, and the current library file actually opened up in that, and it was fully intact. That's the project I'm looking at. So now I don't know how to get this accurate project to open up into regular licensed FCPX. Weird.

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Answer 5

Oct 7, 2023 5:09 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

AHHH - I knew something was wrong but didn't understand what. I need to figure out how to operate inside of a project slate rather than... whatever it is I'm currently doing. It felt like it was a structural thing.

Thanks so much for the suggestions and for chiming in. I'm in a time crunch on something and I obviously missed a key foundational concept somewhere. This stuff can feel like being lost in the wilderness - kind souls who assist are gold. Thank you sir.

Kirby

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Answer 6

Oct 8, 2023 1:10 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

Is there a way to copy my timeline and library all at once and paste it into a project? I think the piece I skipped here was “file>new project.” Basically, can i highlight everything I’ve done - my completed video - and drag it into a project that I create?

kirby

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Answer 7

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,204 points

Oct 7, 2023 5:04 PM in response to EastcoasterWestcoaster

The trial version and the regular version have interchangeable libraries. They are not specific to the application.

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Answer 8

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,204 points

Oct 8, 2023 3:49 AM in response to EastcoasterWestcoaster

Open the clip into the timeline from the Clip menu. Copy the contents of the clip. Make a new project with the correct specifications to match your media and paste into the project timeline

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Answer 9

Oct 8, 2023 8:59 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

Thank you so much. <fist bump>

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Project suddenly empty/timeline gone!

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