Persistent problem with a compound clip referencing wrong event...

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Level 1

40 points

Persistent problem with a compound clip referencing wrong event...

I'm having a bear of a persistent problem with missing media in a project that I'm trying to archive. I intended the project to only reference one event, but I apparently didn't achieve, and can't achieve, that goal.

The problem I'm having is with two compound clips in the project. Even after consolidating the project and the main event (the event I want to keep that has all the other media for the project in it), these problematic compound clips apparently reference media in another event (the event that I want to get rid of). If I click on the compound clip and reveal in the event browser, it shows the compound clip as being in the event I want to keep. But, if I open the compound clip and click the clip inside it and reveal it in the event browser, it shows the clip inside the compound clip as being in the event I want to get rid of. I've tried moving that clip in the event browser to the event I want to keep, but that just doesn't work. If I delete the event I want to get rid of (that I don't want referenced), the thumbnail fimstrip in the compound clip turns red and says missing event.

No matter what I try, I can't seem to get the media that's inside the compound clip into the event I want to keep. Or, more precisely, I think I can get it into the event I want to keep, but then inside the compound clip it is still referencing the event I want to get rid of. It's as though I need to do something to point the compound clip to the media in the event I'm keeping, but I don't know how to do that.

I've tried the reference a new parent clip command, too, but it seems that no matter what, the media inside the compound clips in question is always coming from the event I want to get rid of.

I just can't figure this out. I've been trying to fix it for hours with no luck.

Can anyone tell me how to fix this? And, more importantly, how I might have created this problem in the first place (so I don't do it again)?

Thanks

iMac (27-inch, Late 2013), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8), i7 3.5 GHz, 32MB RAM, 4GB NVIDIA

Posted on Nov 18, 2013 2:54 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Luis Sequeira1

Level 9

64,718 points

Nov 19, 2013 1:22 AM in response to JDLee

You have to do two things:

1) If you have not already, duplicate the clips that are on the event to be deleted, so that you have copies on the event where you want them.

2) Open the compound clip in its own timeline

3) For each of the problem clips inside the compound:

- select it

- go to the Inspector

- click on the Info tab

- click the little button at the bottom right of the inspector and choose "Show file status". This will show more info about the clip (see the two pictures below)

- click the "Modify Event References" button and choose the right event

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Answer 2

JDLee Author

Level 1

40 points

Nov 23, 2013 12:35 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Hi Luis--

Thank you for your response, and I'm sorry for my delay in posting again.

Your post helped in that it pointed me to this window with event references for compound clips.

Before I saw your post, I had managed to track down the problematic clips and force them into the event I wanted them in. I think I copied the files to the event I wanted them in using Finder and then used the relink files command to point FCPX to them.

But things still aren't exactly right for some reason. When I'm done editing a project, I always render it in full. For some reason, these clips always show as unrendered when I close and reopen FCPX.

The window you pointed me to does show them in the proper event now, and I was able to erase the event they had been in without losing them. But this rendering problem continues. It doesn't seem to matter in that everything is working and I haven't lost any media. But it is confusing.

I did something wrong when I was editing this project. When I created the compound clips in it, I must have referenced the media in them from another event. Somehow it created this problem.

I don't think I'll ever figure out what I did that created this mess. I just have to remember that working with compound clips is tricky, and to only reference media that is actually in the event I'm using with the project.

One tutorial I watched said that compound clips are like projects within projects. I guess when you use the File> Consolidate Project Media command, it does not consolidate media within compound clips?

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Answer 3

Russ H

Level 7

22,432 points

Nov 23, 2013 6:30 AM in response to JDLee

The consolidate command is used for consolidating media that live on multiple drives to a single location.

If you have compound clips that are made up of clips from different events and you want to archive them, duplicating your project and used clips will create a new event that will round up all the clips and put them into that new event ("Clips for"). You will also find your compounds in theat same event.

Russ

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Answer 4

JDLee Author

Level 1

40 points

Nov 23, 2013 9:02 AM in response to Russ H

Hi Russ,

Yes, I tried that, too. I archive by creating a sparse disk bundle and duplicating the project, along with its entire event (I only want one event used with each of my projects, though I obviously screwed that up here), onto that to that sparse disk bundle.

Before I did that, I organized the event files (which says it brings in files that are outside the event folder) and used the consolidate project files. I don't think anything ever was on a different drive/volume. There were just items in different events. Even now, if I use Organize Project Files or Organize Event Files, FCPX tells me that the project or event refers to files outside the project or event. But, if I click Continue, in both cases it starts to work and then a window pops up telling me there are no external files and that the project or event already contains all needed files.

I then used Duplicate Project and Referenced Events to put the project on the sparse disk bundle I just created. But, when I opened that project on that sparse disk bundle, it was still referencing media in another event (clips within the compound clips in question were referencing another event). If that other event was not available, I had missing media in my project.

I eventually got the files into the event on the sparse bundle. I think I copied them using finder and then used the relink files command. But I know all of this, while it seems to be working, really isn't the way to do things. And I still have the problem where when I render the full project, and then close and reopen FCPX, those compound clips always show up orange and unrendered. So I know something is screwy.

(You're right about the consolidate command. I had gotten that confused with the organize command. But I've tried all of them in trying to figure this out.)

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