Deleting render files in Final Cut Pro X ?

With the application closed, in the project folder, trash the Render files. Move the project folder out of the Final Cut Project folder so it's not read when the application is launched.

From the Project Browser of FCPX:

File, Delete Project Render Files...

That's a very helpful tool, but if your project is loaded, and rendering is set to background rendering, the project will render again, helpfully filling up your render folder again.

If I may butt in here. I am working on a project in which I will put one video frame in another one. You know, like a little video frame up in the corner of another video. I do this easily enough by putting one clip above another in the timeline, then crop, resize and move the one on top to where I want it to appear in the video on the bottom. Problem is, I wind up with enormous render files in the project folder. More than 1 GB per minute. This is a big project, with many hours of video from many cameras, and I just cannot afford the disk space. Any suggestions? Can I let it render, work with it a bit, then when I get it just right, turn off background rendering, delete the render files and then Share it to YouTube/DVD/etc. Would I just wind up paying for this in time, when I go to share it?

PS: I should say that I am doing this with a USB external. I know this is not acceptable, and am going to purchase either a firewire or thunderbolt external HD, but am just playing around right now. Perhaps this has an effect on the large render files? Perhaps a thunderbolt external would not require so much rendering.

Tom -- question on that. I just checked a file that I had worked on through several revisions, and the Render files were at 15 GB -- but with dates going back a few weeks. I deleted it and let it re-render and it went down to 1 GB. IS it possible that FCPX is keeping all old versions instead of replacing them? And for archiving it's simply worth deleting the Renders and either re-redendering if needed or on the spot but to a smaller size?

For archiving, I figure it makes total sense to just delete the render files, as they can be recreated as needed.

I am surprised to see those render files piling up, as you say. I'm not sure if it happening by design or if it is a bug, but that surely eats up a lot of space, and, to my mind, is not desirable.

Of course, it depends a lot on the speed of the machine being used, and on the complexity of the edits, but for many cases it may be better just to disable "background" rendering. If FCP X can cope with unrendered material, let it. And keep in mind that you can render *selectively*: disable background rendering, and if you find a section of your material that FCP X struggles with, just render that part. This way you will use a lot less disk space.

Remember: this is highly contingent on machine speed and complexity of the edits.

I have simply gone to the events and projects folder and trashed the render folder manually. I have some older project that do not want load in FCP. Maybe it is not the correct way to do this but I can see no problems.

innocentius wrote:

I have simply gone to the events and projects folder and trashed the render folder manually. I have some older project that do not want load in FCP. Maybe it is not the correct way to do this but I can see no problems.

I also have deleted render files this way, without any ill effects. But I only do it when FCP X is NOT running, just in case.

Tom, innocentius and Luis, do you trash the whole Render Files folder and everything in it? Or only the folders within Render Files folders? Or only the stuff within those folders? Or does this make any difference at all?

Thanks 🙂

Trash it all.

Then how can I clear or delete render files in Final Cut Pro 7 when my project isnt done? I mean, is it safe to trash all of my render files while im still working on the unfinished project?

I keep getting this message: "Render Error: Insufficient disk space...."

Thanks.

You trash them from the assigned scratch disk. Your question should be asked on the Final Cut Studio forum.

Um surely just turn off background rednering is simpler?

Switching off background rendering does not remove existing render files, which will still be used until the render content is changed and they are no longer needed.

sorry I meant after having trashed them within the app