-
All replies
-
Helpful answers
-
Sep 14, 2012 12:13 PM in response to storytellerby andynick,★HelpfulYou don't mention any details of what seems to cause the App to crash but his is my pet checklist for questions regarding FCP X performance - you may have already addressed some of the items but it's worth checking.
Make sure you're using the latest version of the application - FCP X 10.0.5 runs very well on my 2009 MacPro 2 x 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon with 16 GB RAM and ATI Radeon HD 5870 1024 MB. I run it with Lion 10.7.5.
First, check that you have at least 20% free space on your system drive.
For smooth playback without dropping frames, make sure 'Better Performance' is selected in the FCP X Preferences - Playback Tab.
If you have not already done so, move your Projects and Events to a fast (Firewire 800 or faster) external HD. Make sure the drive's formatted OS Extended (journalling's not required for video). You should always keep at least 20% free space on the Hard Drives that your Media, Projects and Events are on.
Check the spec of your Mac against the system requirements:
http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/specs/
Check the spec of your graphics card. If it's listed here, it's not suitable:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4664
If you are getting crashes, there is some conflict on the OS. Create a new (admin) user account on your system and use FCP X from there - if it runs a lot better, there's a conflict and a clean install would be recommended.
Keep projects to 20 mins or less. If you have a long project, work on 20 min sections then paste these into a final project for export.
If you ever experience dropped frames, I strongly recommend you use ProRes 422 Proxy - it edits and plays back like silk because the files are small but lightly compressed (not much packing and unpacking to do) - but remember to select 'Original or Optimised Media' (FCP X Preferences > Playback) just before you export your movie, otherwise it will be exported at low resolution.
If you have plenty of processor power, for the ultimate editing experience, create Optimised Media - most camera native files are highly compressed and need a great deal of processor power to play back - particularly if you add titles, filters or effects. ProRes 422 takes up much more hard drive space but is very lightly compressed. It edits and plays back superbly.
Hide Audio Waveforms at all times when you don't need them (both in Browser and Storyline / Timeline). They take up a lot of processor power. (Use the switch icon at the bottom-right of your timeline to select a format without waveforms if you don't need them at the moment, then switch back when you do).
Create folders in the Project and Events libraries and put any projects you are not working on currently, in those folders. This will help a lot. There's a great application for this, called Event Manager X - for the tiny cost it's an invaluable application.
http://assistedediting.intelligentassistance.com/EventManagerX/
Unless you cannot edit and playback without it, turn off Background Rendering in Preferences (under Playback) - this will help general performance and you can always render when you need to by selecting the clip (or clips) and pressing Ctrl+R.
The biggest single improvement I saw in performance was when I upgraded the RAM from 8 GB to 16.
Andy
-
Sep 14, 2012 2:03 PM in response to andynickby storyteller ,Thank you, Andy! I'll try all of these!
-
Sep 19, 2012 8:49 AM in response to andynickby storyteller ,Hi Andy!
So, I’ve tried all your suggestions, but FCP still shuts down everytime I try to open it.
I downloaded a trial version of it in my husband’s work computer, and I was able to open up my folders with the FOOTAGE (none of my PROJECTS are in this new computer, even though I saved everything in a terrabyte).
I imported the footage that I thought was corrupted, and it works just fine (so it’s not corrupted).
For some reason, the FCP in my computer is not working correctly, or maybe it’s corrupting some of my project files.
Do you know of any way I can salvage my projects?
Any other suggestions?
Thank you!!!!
-
Sep 19, 2012 9:47 AM in response to storytellerby andynick,First, trash your preferences (use Preference Manager from Digital Rebellion - free app).
If this makes no difference, you should be able to track down what (if anything) is corrupted by a process of elimination.
Use finder to move your Events and Projects to new (temporary) folders so that FCP X doesn't find them, then launch the application and see what happens.
If it doesn't launch, drag it (the application) to the trash and reinstall it from the App Store (be sure no backup drives with the App on them) are mounted at the time or the App Store won't let you reinstall it.
If it does launch, and is working OK, quit the App again and drag ONE project back to the Projects folder. Launch the App again - if it launches OK, all the clips will be offline.
Quit again, and drag one Event back to the Events folder - launch FCP X again - keep doing this until you trace what's causing the crashes.
If you STILL can't find the source of the problem, create a new (admin) account in your system preferences and use that account to run FCP X. If it fixes the issue, you have a conflict in your operating system and a clean reinstall is advisable.
Andy