Q: FCE 4 - Which files are safe to delete without compromising a project that I may need to go back to?  Capture scratch, caches, audiovault?

Q 1.

The only files that are worth deleting to save space are the Capture Scratch files, these are the real media files and can be VERY large. However they are the lifeblood of your Project and best not deleted unless you have a backup or are 100% finished with them.

There are also render files that should be looked at, these can also become large. These can be re-generated by FCE at any time unlike the Capture Scratch files.

If you are currently working with your System drive ONLY then, Yes, move it to a dedicated storage drive formatted to Mac OS Extended.

Q 2.

What are the Project Properties and Clip Properties?

Al

Which files are safe to delete without compromising a project that I may need to go back to?

You can safely delete the following:

• Render files (these can take up as much or even more space than your original video clips)
• Cache files (waveform cache files, thumbnail cache files, etc)

I would keep at least the 2 most recent project backup files for the FCE project that are in the Autosave Vault folder; you can safely delete all older files in Autosave Vault.

If you think you will need to go back to your project in the future, you need to KEEP THE FOLLOWING:

• Source video clips - normally in your Capture Scratch folder
• FCE Project files - normally in your Final Cut Express Documents folder
• Other source media files (e.g. audio, still images, etc) - wherever you stored them

When I am finished with a project, I archive (copy) the FCE project file, the most recent 2 project backup files, and all the source media files that I used in the project to a folder on an external hard drive.  (I name the folder the same as the FCE project name.)    Actually,  I do that on three separate external hard drives ... you can almost never have enough backups.  Two-deep is a necessity; three-deep is even better.

The info provided indicates you are probaly working with HDV??

These clips need to be edited into a Sequence of matching properties.

Right click the Sequnce icon in the Browser and select Item Properties to verify.

Do the clip and Sequence properties match, if not, that would explain Q 2.

Al

OK, those are your clip properties ... but we also need to know your Sequence Settings.  If your clip properties & sequence settings do not match, that would explain all the rendering.

Control-click your Sequence name in the FCE Browser.  Select Item Properties.  What does it say for frame size, vid rate & compresor?

Also, exactly what model iMac do you have, how much RAM is in it, what is the total capacity & free space on your hard drive, and are you really running OS X 10.5.4?