Why does iCloud not appear in the final cut pro media import window?

Complementing my previous post. It is not like you can't import from a cloud location like iCloud Drive. You shouldn't, but you can - particularly if you are copying to copy that media INTO the library and, of course, the library itself is stored locally.

Press command-I to import, then drag any folder that you like into the import area (even from icloud); or drag over the word "Favorites" and it will remain there, easily available for the future.

Again: while you can do this, it doesn't mean you should.

Lord Sumptuous wrote:

"then drag any folder that you like into the import area (even from icloud); or drag over the word "Favorites" and it will remain there, easily available for the future."

Dragging to favourites doesn't work for me. Dragging to the import area does work but it disappears after you select something else.

You can't put the whole "iCloud Drive" as such in the Favorites; but you can put any folder that exists inside iCloud Drive there - for example, if you have a folder called "MyStuff" inside iCloud Drive, drag "MyStuff" over the word Favorites. And once you have it selected, you can go one level up.

You can force some files to remain local by right-clicking on it to bring up the pop-up menu:

If you're using Optimized iCloud Drive to save local storage space, then this defeats that purpose, and you might as well keep that file local and out of iCloud Drive. However, if you're using iCloud Drive so you can access the file from other devices, then this menu allows you to force the file local for one device while still available to others.

Cloud based media should not be used in editing, due to high latency and slow speed. You should only use locally stored media.

Lord Sumptuous wrote:

Won't FCP use the local copy of the file?

Maybe. But there is no guarantee that a local copy exists at a given point in time.

Lord Sumptuous wrote:

Can local copies disappear without me explicitly removing them?

They can if there is need to make space in the drive - at least if you have "Optimize Mac Storage" turned on.