Final Cut Pro X - How can I restore/find my deleted timeline clips!

Question

Level 1

9 points

Final Cut Pro X - How can I restore/find my deleted timeline clips!

Hi there,

I am new to FCP X and believe that I have messed up my event/project that I have worked on the last two weeks.

When I start FCPX it always loaded the event/project that I was working on with all my edited footage on the timeline. Since I wanted to try a tutorial, I have imported a new event. However, all edited clips from my other project were still on the timeline so I deleted them all (maybe that was not really a good idea?).

When I want to continue my work I opened the event on the event library. However, the timeline is still empty. I tryed several options to locate them but all I can find is the event itself in the "final cut events" folder. Where is the timeline gone.

Is there any way to restore the edited clips on my timeline? I worked so hard on that project, thus I am a litle bit down now.

I would appreciate if any of the hard core FCPX users and experts out there could guide a demoralized newbee to a successfull restoration of my timeline work.

Thanks a million!

Note:

I did not move or delete any of the event/project files that FCPX has created inside the original "final cut event" and "final cut project" folder.

Final Cut Pro X, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4)

Posted on Jul 26, 2013 7:35 AM

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Answer 1

Russ H

Level 7

22,432 points

Jul 26, 2013 8:05 AM in response to salmonelli

In the Finder go to Final Cut Projects and open the Backups folder. Move the file inside that folder (the name of which is a time stamp) to the same level as the CurrentVersion file. Hide the CurrentVersion. Change the name of the back up file from the timestamp to CurrentVersion with the same extension.

Russ

PS: Just to add that deleting projects and events that you want to keep can cause a great deal of heart burn.

Message was edited by: Russ H to include the missing step to hide the file.

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Answer 2

salmonelli Author

Level 1

9 points

Jul 26, 2013 10:48 AM in response to Russ H

Hi Russ,

Thanks for your reply! Much appreciated. I followed your steps and copied the timestamped backup file into the same level as the currentversion file and renamed it accordingly. I opened FCPX and the timeline was still empty. I tried it three times but with no success. So I guess I have to lear my lesson the hard way :-( but they say this is the best way to learn. Painful.

I rendered the whole work previously, so I have imported it as media and placed it onto the timeline. It's there now as one clip. I can add onto it, but wont be able to change/edit the previous work anymore, unless you have another idea that I could try.

Thanks a lot for your help.

Alfie

"I did previous editing on Sony Vegas Pro and just recently switched to OSX and FCPX, so I am still busy to reset my brain and learn from scratch"

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Answer 3

Russ H

Level 7

22,432 points

Jul 26, 2013 11:23 AM in response to salmonelli

That's too bad. It sounds like the backup must have been created after the time line was deleted. No ideas other than Time Machine restore if it was used to back up.

Russ

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Answer 4

kohanmike

Level 2

203 points

Jul 26, 2013 11:26 PM in response to Russ H

Just to address your comment about wanting to work with new event footage, to do so, you create a new project. Click the film reel icon in the lower left corner of the window, which will show the Project Library, then click the plus sign that shows up next to the reel icon to create a new project (it will request what event you want to work with). The Project Library can hold many projects, don't think that the timeline is a single entity, each project has a timeline of it's own.

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Answer 5

salmonelli Author

Level 1

9 points

Jul 27, 2013 1:27 AM in response to kohanmike

Hi kohanmike,

Cool hint! I will practice with this project management film reel tonight. The secreet how to manage multi projects seems to lie within this project management window.

Mind you, I actually came across that film reel when I first discovered the app rather intuitive than systematic, that was probably the female side in me ;-) .... I was wondering what that window is good for... hahaha..now I now.

Guess I wanted to ride the horse befor saddling it! The lesson I have learned is that being confident with even, project and media management is a prerequisite skill in FCPX before even think about editing....

Thanks to you guys for your expert advise that will definitely help me in preventing me doing the same mistake in the future.

Regards,

Alfie

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Answer 6

kohanmike

Level 2

203 points

Jul 27, 2013 11:41 PM in response to salmonelli

When I first started with FCPX a couple of months ago, I had a tough time grasping the Event and Project panes (having come from Final Cut Express). In fact, I still think Events and Projects are not the best words to use because they are so often used interchangeably in normal conversation. I tend to think of them as Raw footage and Edited footage.

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