Renaming Clips in FCPX

My first advice would be NOT TO DO THIS..... you'll regret it!

Anyway if your not going to listen to my advice, then you should be able to click on a .mov once, then clicking on it again will activate the renaming.

Once again don't do it.... Use keywords, there much easier and if your clips goes offline, you can somewhat fix them.

Here's a useful link on Batch Renaming clips.

Although it wasn't completely clear to me when I first attempted it.

If you're going to batch rename clips, make sure you first choose Edit ...

Then pick the nameing scheme you want and edit it the way you want it.

Then select the clips and choose the renaming scheme you just edited.

I'm not certain why blimpmedia suggests you don't rename your clips. Perhaps blimpmedia will elaborate. But I can see how chaning clip names can be confusing.

You should know that you are not chaning the name of the clip as it appears in Finder. Just how it appears in FCP X.

Perhaps more confusing is how the name change feature works in FCP X. When you change the name of clip in FCP X, it only changes the clips name from that point forward. For example, if you put a clip on the Timeline and then change the name of the clip in the Event Browswer, the name of the clip in the Timeline won't change. It will still have the orignal clip name. If you select the clip in the Timeline and choose Reveal in Event Browser ... it will point you to the cllip which will have the new changed name. Some poeple feel this is a feature. It's not a bug. I personally don't care for this method. If I want to change the name of a clip, it should change the clip's name globablly. Or at least have the option to do one or the other.

So perhaps blimpmedia is referring to some of the issues and therefore why you shouldn't rename clips.

I'll do it myself (knowing some of these issues) when I wind up with media that has cryptic names. But I do it berfore I edit with any of the clips and I know the names I've created are not the names of the actual media.

Nicely explained Open Loop.

I can't remember exactly the problem I had changing the name of a clip in the Event Library, however I do remember having to delete that Event and starting all over.

Let me try re-create the situation and I'll post back.

The penny just dropped....

I acciently deleted the alias files, so when I opened FC next, all my media was offline.

I believe if you changed the name of a clip at the Event Library level, there is no indication within FCP X to show what the clips name at finder level still is.

In my case, I guess if I didn't delete those alias files, then I'd most likely be able to just choose find in finder which would reveal what the original name of the clip was prior renaming in FCP X?

Correct me if I'm wrong...!

Yep, use the naming presets as just stated, best way to do this. Nothing wrong with changing a clips name at all.

Changing a clip's name in FCP X does not change the name of the file in Finder. Whether your clips are referenced (alias) or not.

Try it. Change a clip's name in FCP X. Then reveal in Finder and you will see the Finder file name didn't change.

I believe this is how iPhoto works. Which is one of the reasons why I don't use iPhoto. If you change the name of a photo in iPhoto and then email it to someone, it uses the Finder name, typically an obscure name given my the device that took the picture.

Did I forget to paste the link?

http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/fcp_x_batch_rename_clips_young.html

I don't think I answered your question.

To see the clip name of a file in Finder ...

Select a clip.

Turn on the Inspector.

Select Info.

In the "gear" menu in Inspector, turn on Show File Status

There you can see the files location which includes the Finder level file name, which FCP X never changes.

There might be other places to find this info, but this is the only one I've stumbled across.

It also has some other nice info on the clip too. Not sure you can find this info anywhere else.

Nice article Open Loop, that's one for the FCP X bookmark 😉

If you are considering renaming clips as a means of organizing your media, I would strongly suggest that you try using Keywords. One of the real strength of keywords is that you can apply multiple keywords to the same clip.

This is working for me with the interviews I am shooting, as the subject will often touch on several different topics within a single clip. Using Keywords, I can sort through my media and have the same clip show up on searches for Keyword A and Keyword B.

Keywords also appear on the left panel of Events and have keyboard shortcuts, which helps to maintain consistency over time.

Worth a try.