Why is Final Cut Pro eating all my SSD Space ?

a) Go to Final Cut Pro->Settings->Playback, and turn OFF "Background Render"

b) Go to Final Cut Pro->Settings->Import, and UNCHECK all the transcoding options - you rarely will need either Proxy or Optimized media, and the latter alone can often be ten times as large as your original.

c) Select your library in the browser sidebar, and go to File->Delete Generated Library Files...

Check everything, including All Render Files

Quit and restart FCP. How many more tens or hundreds of GB do you have now?

augustya wrote:

Yes I did and that takes the bulk off the files, but is this something that I will have to every time I work on a Project in CP ?

Also from the above screenshot that I posted should I leave the "Copy to library storage location" enabled ?

Full disclosure:

I do not use "Copy to library storage location" myself, but I suggest you keep it that way.

Copying on import ensures that the library is completely self-contained. You can copy the library to another drive, or even another mac, and it will still work. Yes, techically this involves a copy, but FCP is pretty smart about this.

There is no problem if you (accidentally or otherwise) delete the files once you imported them.

Once you become more confident with both FCP and file management, there may come a time where you may want to change your workflow. For beginners, keeping it all in the library is safer.

is this something that I will have to every time I work on a Project in CP ?

I think it's a good idea to get into the habit of "deleting only unnecessary files" while editing to avoid accumulating old data. I do it often. Once you have exported the video and finished editing, select "All". Please back up your data daily with Time Machine.

I posted should I leave the "Copy to library storage location" enabled ?

The more an original is copied, the more it deteriorates. I usually leave it out unless there is a special reason to copy it to the library. Please maintain the original quality as much as possible.

In addition to following the always excellent advice from Luis, here are a couple of the go-to tutorials to help get you started on your FCP journey. Feel free to come back with the inevitable questions.

Steve at Ripple Training’s 60 minute FCP tutorial overview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqUP7Zgeuck

Final Cut Bro getting started  https://youtu.be/L3bZ-ETKZ8U

LocaAlicia wrote:

is this something that I will have to every time I work on a Project in CP ?I posted should I leave the "Copy to library storage location" enabled ?

The more an original is copied, the more it deteriorates. I usually leave it out unless there is a special reason to copy it to the library. Please maintain the original quality as much as possible.

Sorry, the phrase in bold (emphasis mine) is incorrect. We are talking here about copying the file - this does not change the contents, it just makes an identical copy inside the library.

It is not as if the file is reencoded. It would gradually deteriorate if one were to export the file and then reimport, export that, and so on - even then it would probably not be noticeable until after a significant time.

Importing the same file does not cause deterioration.

Copying a digital file has ZERO effect on the quality of its contents, period. I'm a retired IT engineer, and if someone can show me how making a COPY deteriorates IQ of a media file, please show me.

I've been doing editing for over two decades, I still store all my media inside the Library. There is zero wrong with it. Why does putting everything on different drives obsesses everyone? There is nothing wrong with making the Library self-contained, makes life easier to manage, and is used by many season pros.

And after deleting all that stuff?

That is ok.

Did you delete the generated files, as I posted before?

That alone should recover most of the used space.

Of course I understand what Luis is saying. Although the deterioration is not as bad as encoding, please think of it as meaning that unnecessary copying should be avoided.😅

its hungry

Ben, how big do your libraries get with managed media? I have concerns about very large library bundles.