How to fix Final Cut Pro camera not offloading video to Mac?

FINAL CUT PRO CAMERA CAN'T OFFLOAD VIDEO TO MAC. I tried Airdrop and a cable...doesn't work! Only Idea I've found on youtube is TIME CONSUMING WORKAROUND TO OFFLOAD FILES THEN DELETE APP AND RE-INSTALL. IT IS NOT PROFESSIONAL SOLUTION. YOUR THOUGHTS? Can this be fixed?


[Re-Titled By Moderator]

iPhone 15 Pro Max, iOS 18

Posted on Mar 2, 2025 10:44 PM

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Mar 3, 2025 1:09 PM in response to 1GbLmpBkt9

The Files app is on your iPhone. You need to do some reading of the excellent iPhone help or watch some tutorials about how to manage files on an iPhone. It's similar to managing files on a Mac. If your external drive is too heavy, get a light one. You can get SSDs about the size of a credit card the weight of which you would hardly notice.

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Mar 3, 2025 1:41 PM in response to 1GbLmpBkt9

I'm shooting on a Steadicam VOLT I am a Certified Steadicam Operator and International Cinematographer's Guild Director of Photography member trying to determine best camera app for an international project I'm shooting soon. I like the FCP Camera app but don't want to have to use the SSD ext 1TB or 256gb ones I already have....May have to mount them with Velcro. Now trying test shot with default camera and it's taking forever just to prepare to send just a couple of 4K Videos via Air Drop. I think a cable solution is going to be faster.

How do you navigate files from FCPCamera to FILES FOLDER or do I just need to shoot on the Default Camera when not using SSD Ext.? Your thoughts? Thank you .

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Mar 3, 2025 3:04 PM in response to 1GbLmpBkt9

OK well in relation to iPhone apps, my favourite app is Cinema P3 Pro (costs about $25). It allows you to shoot Apple Log 60P ProRes or HEVC 60P to the internal storage on iPhone 16 Pro (not sure about other iPhones but probably iPhone15 Pro as well). I think a lot of other users would recommend this as well. It has a built-in waveform monitor and a lot more features than the FCP app which is still very new and needs a lot more development. The Blackmagic app is also excellent but not as intuitive to use as Cinema P3. It gets a lot more coverage than Cinema P3 but it is harder to use. The end results are pretty much the same. Both apps allow you to shoot to internal storage at higher frame rates than the Apple app which requires using a connected external SSD for higher frame rates.


You can just copy off the footage using a USB-C cable after the shoot onto an external drive in the same way as you would with a computer. I'm assuming you have an iPhone with USB-C connectivity. Airdrop is ok for one or two files but not suitable for large files. Just search for the Files app on your phone. It allows you to do pretty much the same as the Mac Finder. I do suggest you check out a YouTube tutorial on file management on iPhone. It's not difficult.

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Mar 3, 2025 3:51 PM in response to Clint Gryke

1-If I record to External SSD on Default iPHone 15 Pro Max Camera or FCP Camera App, will that be only place files are recorded...you say "you get backups." Are Files Duplicated?

2- What does Cinematic Setting provide better than Default Camera on Video?

Thank you ...

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Mar 4, 2025 12:45 AM in response to LocaAlicia

The answer is to just cable it to Image Capture App and download from iPHone. Takes forever to transfer 4K files.


I don't think I can afford the time to shoot 700gbs (4K@24fps/HDR)in a day and off load at night and hope if works. I have a project coming up where ther will be no second chances. What is easiest way to transfer BIG Files from iPhone 15- Mac Computer? ?


Giving up on easy...will try external SSD next which should be faster and more reliable...but I lose the form factor of just one device and have to have a "Dongle SSD" Maybe I'll velcro it. Your thoughts? Thank you.

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Mar 4, 2025 1:12 AM in response to 1GbLmpBkt9

 I already told you the best way for large files - use an external SSD and the Files app. You must use the Files app if you want to do this efficiently. It is way way faster than using other methods. Avoid the Photos app.


You are spending a lot of time worrying about the simplest aspect of shooting high quality video on an iPhone. You might want to think more about what app to use,  the codec you are shooting in among other things. I woiuldn’t shoot in anything but Apple Log. The other options are way over-processed. Are you just using one iPhone for your project? Very dodgy.

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How to fix Final Cut Pro camera not offloading video to Mac?

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