FCP problem after deleting render files

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Level 1

14 points

FCP problem after deleting render files

All the dissolves and some videos turned into black after I deleted render files and optimised files (not proxy media) from older versions of my documentary film I was saving under different project names. I didn't choose the latest project to delete these files but the latest project is affected this way. So I clicked Render All but this didn't solve the problem. Because large part of the latest project is a copy of older versions, I also rendered older projects, too. But the problem still exist. Some of the subtitles also don't show up. Does anybody know how I can fix this problem, please?

MacBook Pro (2021)

Posted on Jul 22, 2024 4:00 AM

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Answer 1

Kyo Kyo Author

Level 1

14 points

Jul 23, 2024 5:47 AM in response to Kyo Kyo

I now seem to have solved the problem by deleting render files again! The size of the projects has come down to 1.25 TB. Now that the background render is off, hopefully this project isn't going to reach 2TB too quickly now.

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Answer 2

terryb

Level 4

3,523 points

Jul 23, 2024 12:25 PM in response to digibudII

@digibudll - one way to quickly delete analysis and render files is to set your cache to be outside the library. In library settings, choose a location for the cache and FCP will create a file called "[library name] Cache.fcpcache" that can be quickly deleted. Be sure to quit FCP before deleting this file. When the library is opened again, anything FCP requires will automatically be regenerated.

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Answer 3

BenB

Level 6

13,372 points

Jul 22, 2024 8:08 AM in response to Kyo Kyo

I'd never delete Optimized Media, as sometimes you do not have the original of that media.

Render files shouldn't affect anything. If you feel that it has, delete your preference files (Opt+Cmd when launching FCP).

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Answer 4

terryb

Level 4

3,523 points

Jul 24, 2024 8:55 AM in response to Kyo Kyo

You're very welcome Kyo Kyo. I forgot to add in my post to make sure Background rendering is disabled in Settings, otherwise the cache, whether it's inside or outside the library, will become huge again.

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Answer 5

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,816 points

Jul 22, 2024 4:34 AM in response to Kyo Kyo

if you delete the tender files and leave them unrendered, do you see the same problem when you export the project or a section of the project?

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Answer 6

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,816 points

Jul 22, 2024 3:53 PM in response to Kyo Kyo

It would be complicated to find the cause of this, with great detail of your system, your process and settings, and the media. Basically you almost never need to render, so you shouldn’t. Switch off background rendering, don’t render, and just edit. Of the media and system has playback problems, use proxy media. As with rendering you almost never need optimized media.

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Answer 7

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,816 points

Jul 22, 2024 5:02 PM in response to Kyo Kyo

Absolutely. It’s usually the first step to take when the application is producing strange behavior. Make sure after you trash the settings that when the application opens you first switch off background rendering.

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Answer 8

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,816 points

Jul 23, 2024 9:16 AM in response to digibudII

Wow. That’s a huge amount of data. Entire libraries of books worth.

Analysis files have always been in cache separate from generated media. If in library properties you set the cache to be outside of the library you can easily dump the whole cache bundle to remove analysis and other files. Makes it easy to clean up after a project is finished.

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Answer 9

Kyo Kyo Author

Level 1

14 points

Jul 24, 2024 2:15 AM in response to terryb

This is a very useful information! I only just noticed that I had more than 600 GB Cache. By moving the cache to outside of the library, the size of the cache immediately got reduced to 129KB. Now the size of my project is 584 GB, leaving me more than 1.4 TB of space in my SSD. Thank you everyone for trying to help me and sharing your knowledge!!

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Answer 10

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,816 points

Jul 22, 2024 2:09 PM in response to Kyo Kyo

Can you confirm that you can export the file of the project is not rendered? You do not need to render prior to exporting.

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Answer 11

Kyo Kyo Author

Level 1

14 points

Jul 22, 2024 2:04 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Actually the projects I didn't "render all" after deleting render files now look fine while all the others I did "render all" after deleting the files stay affected this way. Dissolves, slow-mo shots are all black. What can I do now?

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Answer 12

Kyo Kyo Author

Level 1

14 points

Jul 22, 2024 3:18 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Yes, I can export the projects that are not rendered. In fact, as I exported it, it rendered the whole project. However the projected which I selected to render all after having had the problem still have dissolves, slow-mo, etc missing as black and this doesn't change when I export them.

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Answer 13

Kyo Kyo Author

Level 1

14 points

Jul 22, 2024 3:48 PM in response to BenB

When importing files, I didn't create Optimized Media but I created Proxy Media. That's why I thought deleting Optimized Media which I didn't think existed was any problem. This is the second time I ended up with some problem (different to the current one) after deleting render files to create space on my 2 TB SSD. This SSD was full but by deleting render files, I regained 1 TB. However by rendering projects again with the current problem, I only have 290 GB space left. I've been working on this documentary film for nearly 2 years now. So I really don't want to delete preference files at this stage if I can manage to fix the problem without doing so. What would be the best step-by-step process not to have full disk by currently-unused older versions of projects left without rendering? Should I be turning off automatic rendering? I thought just highlighting the currently-unused projects to delete the render files was a way to go. But I didn't expect it to affect the most recent project I'm working on.

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Answer 14

Kyo Kyo Author

Level 1

14 points

Jul 22, 2024 4:03 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Hi Tom, I'll try to turn off automatic rendering from now on. I just realised you saved me last time when I had a problem after deleting render files in April!! I was so grateful for your help! I ended up with much more complicated problem then, while this time it seems just dissolves, slow-mo and some subtitles are no longer showing. Do you recommend deleting my preference files by pressing Opt+Cmd when launching FCP at this stage?

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Answer 15

Kyo Kyo Author

Level 1

14 points

Jul 22, 2024 8:51 PM in response to Kyo Kyo

I just noticed some of the files that turned into black show the footage I produced for an Australian TV 30 years ago as 718 x 540 25p Rec.601 (NTSC) while my current project is 4K 50 p. I originally shot and produced the program (I'm now using as an archival footage) as PAL. So I don't know how it got changed to NTSC. Could this be contributing to the problem, too? Do I need to change this NTSC 718 x 540 25 p to different file settings? If so, how do I do it, please?

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FCP problem after deleting render files

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