When I want to import a section of a finished program for demo or re-editing purposes, even though I put handles on the section I want to import, when the import command is given it imports the ENTIRE program. Is this a limitation or am I messing up?

Selection imports are available when copying from a camera or camera archive. They are not available when importing a file from a hard drive. If you need a section of project it would be best to just export that section to reimport.

It should only import what you're selecting.

Could you post a screenshot of the Import window?

Russ

Shift-Cmd-4 and drag a selection on the screen. It will appear on the desktop.

Because it's a hard drive file. It would be like saying you want to import pages 3, 12, and 64 from a Word document. When you're importing from a camera you're copying from another drive and can create a new file by segmenting it and copying sections of it. When you import from a hard drive, you don't have to copy the file into the event, you can make an alias pointing to it. There isn't any way that I know of in the OS that will allow you to create aliases to segments of a file.

It would be technically possible, but then you would lose the ability to import without copying the file and creating an alias. You couldn't have both. I guess the application could be programmed so that if you made a partial selection, the option to copy to event would automatically be checked on and grayed out as it is when you copy from a camera.

Tom,

Isn't it possible to import selections if you've copied the full card structure to a drive?

Russ

Sure, if the application reads it like a card. An archived camera card in a folder or a disk image or a sparse image will show up under the camera section. When you see option to switch between filmstrip and list view in the lower left you know you're in camera import mode and can make selections.

The folder structure created when a camera records onto a memory card or hard drive. The folder, in addition to media files themselves, contains metadata about the files and other camera information.

Here is an example from a Canon's CF card. The entire card was copied to a folder (Canon Copy) on a media drive. In a separate step, the clips would be imported into FCP. What sometimes happens is that the shooter thinks he/she only needs to bring in folders that look like media (In this case, CLIPS001 or in the case of AVCHD, the Streams folder). But for the FCP import process to work, we need all those other files that contain the metadata that Tom referred to.

Russ

My workflow is to copy the entire card structure as step 1. That permits selective importing through the import window. Not saying it's the best way, but it's one way and it fits with the way I work.

Russ