Q: Should I be concerned with losing existing data (projects or events) when updating from FCPX to FCPX 10.1?)

Updating FCP X should not have any effect on existing projects.

When you update, all that happens is that the new version of the app replaces the old.

The Projects and Events are not part of the app and are kept separately elsewhere.

When you have updated it, FCP X will ask you whether you want your old projects updating as it cannot play them until they are.

I'm getting exactly the same problem going from previous version to FCP X 10.1 this morning.

Some of my older projects were NOT 'updated' into 10.1 and are missing from the library/media window. The events were copied, but not the actually project files, and were sent to trash. Luckily i haven't emptied, else i'd've lost all my edits in the confusion! This is so dangerous and for the unwary user they could lose time and money on projects this way.

I'm currently backing up projects not updated from the trash to another drive as backup.

My question is, why did it not just update the projects and leave them where they were? Seems ludicrious to suddenly change the whole format of the filing system and not update all projects on all drives.

 

My question is, why did it not just update the projects and leave them where they were? Seems ludicrious to suddenly change the whole format of the filing system and not update all projects on all drives.

I never liked the idea of FCP X managing my media and putting project files where it wants to put them with its own folder hierachy.

I think the method apps have been using for decades is superior. Fire up Motion 5 and see how it should be done, IMHO. A single XML project file that you save where ever you want and it links to the media where ever it is. It's simple, it uses the standard File Open/Save dialoge that is superior to the FCP X one, and you don't have to worry about the app deleting your stuff or corrupting it.

Just my opinion.

When you update there is a button to save projects and events.

Where the projects on the same drive as the event?

Post screen shots of what you see in the original folders and what you see in the library.

Totally agree with you, Scot.

There's no need for FCP to mass handle all those large video/audio files and try to consolidate into packages (which is a hassle). You should just be able to access media wherever you want to store it, and just have, like you said, an XML based project file to point to all data. Would save everybody a massive headache. At least it should give you the choice to consolidate or not.

Bad move Apple, in my opinion.

There is absolutely no requirement to keep any media on any library or event. You can organize your files in whatever way you want.

How do you do  that? As far as I've learned, ALL imported media is collated an event created and stored with the main Final cut events folder on your choice of drive, and projects have to be within the projects folder. And now with 10.1 it's taken the whole thing further and all projects/events are within a package. Anything outside this package is not seen.

Please enlighen us lesser FCP X educated users.

thanks.

The project files are put where FCP X wants to put them. If you render anything, it puts the rendering where it wants to put it.

FCP X has three opportunities to lose something - it can't find your project, it can't find the event, the event can't find the media. We see it on this forum all the time and right now 10.1 is managing all that and screwing it up for some people. We see FCP X updating events and projects...

With Motion 5, I put my project file where I want - in a folder for that project. In that same folder, I have all my media. It's not necessary to have a feature where it moves my files for me to another drive, etc. I simply drag that folder anywhere I want and all the links are in tact because the links are relative.

With FCP X, even if I don't copy the media to the events folder and leave it where I want, it still creates a folder with its own hierarchy - Backups, Old Versions, Original Media, Render Files, Transcoded Media...

FCP X's method opens people up to more problems, obviously. You don't see people on the Motion forum talking about how Motion moved media or put it in the trash etc. The only thing that can happen is the small XML project file can't find the media and so you simply relink and you can use Spotlight for that.

Seems like there are more headaches with FCP X's method.

When you import you have the option to cooy into the event or not. In the 10.1 you have the option to copy the file into another location.

You should download 10.1 and try it. FCP has always created folders in a hierarchy since 1999. You can place libraries wherever you want. They/re just a package structure like previous versions. It absolutely makes sense to have rnder files in project packages rather than a random location. Even when you picked a location in legacy FCP it created a folder structure with multiple project folders inside  it. In my view that was always *** backwards. The package makes collabroation and file organization much simpler and cleaner.

My biggest mistake may likely be having a Project on one drive and using clips from an Event on another.  When the upgrade process started it duplicated meta data like tags, favorites, names of clips for the project on both locations, but didn't copy/move any of the origional media (that I saved).  So when FCP loaded all media was reported as missing on both drives.  What I still can't quite figure out, and I'm still working on it, is why some projects can be moved to different drives/Libraries, but some can't.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5958  "Media that you stored inside your original event is stored inside your new library. " simply wasn't the case for me.  Actually in the Help Center at the bottom of one of the guides it does say it won't copy files to prevent duplication.

I'd say hold off for awhile on an update.  I'm reverting.

I also need a resolution to the issue of some projects migrating to 10.1 and others not.  I had 7 files in my original events folder and only 4 made it into the upgrade.  One project is the project I'm currently working on and will flip if I need to start over or waste time reverting to the old version of the application.  How do I get it to recognize the other 3 projects?

You're showing the 5's library, but the first image would indicate the projects are in the Movies library.