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Installed Motion 5, now FCP 7 won't open due to directory location.

I'm still holding on to FCP7 and just installed Motion 5. Of course, now I can't open FCP 7 because "This version of Final Cut Pro is incompatible with Motion 5 which is installed in a directory that previously contained Motion 4."


I don't have Motion 4 on my computer. Where can I place FCP7 where it will open correctly? The only option that has worked before was to move Motion 5 to a separate harddrive - but I don't want to do that again. I want to keep it on my computer with FCP7.


Help?

Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on May 19, 2014 10:30 AM

Reply
11 replies

May 19, 2014 12:13 PM in response to MichelleEulene

You can follow the instructions from Apple here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4722


When I setup my system with FCS3 and FCP X/Motion I used the steps for the same partition which is basicly install the old versions to the default location (/Applications) then download the new version(s) from the app store. On install the old versions will get moved to a directory in th applications folder "Final Cut Studio". The new applications will be installed in the Applciation folder. Now just leave everything where it's installed. I've been running my system with the new versions and the old ones installed for a few years and never had a problem.

Jan 3, 2015 11:02 AM in response to BenB

I am running FCP 7 on a MacBook Pro with OS 10.10.1. I need to keep FCP 7 for the next few months to complete a project. A few days ago, I downloaded FCP X and Motion 5 thinking I should start using them since I'll need them in the future. I played around with the new software but then tried to open FCP 7. It was then I encountered the "This version of Final Cut Pro is incompatible with Motion 5 which is installed in a directory that previously contained Motion 4." message. I did some searching and saw that all the fixes required running Motion 4 ... but I did not have Motion 4 on that computer. It was the only FCP Studio component I never used so I never installed it. I put in the original Install Disk and saw that you cannot load Motion 4 into Yosemite.


Then I went to the link presented by GFXZen. I did the "Restore the Final Cut Studio (2009) applications to their original location" fix. I did this even though I did not have Motion 4 that is referred to at the bottom of this fix. So, as Step 1, I created a new folder in the Apps Folder called "Final Cut Pro X" and put Compressor 4, Motion 5 and FCP X into it. I then went to Step 2, Modifying the permissions on the Final Cut Studio Folder. But when I got to that point I noticed there is no "admin" entry ... maybe because of Yosemite. The entires are "_spotlight", "system", "wheel", and "everyone". So I could not change the Sharing & Permissions for admin ... and even if I could, I did not have Motion 4 to open as called for in the next step. All I had done was move FCP X, Motion 5, an Compressor 4 into a new folder. I thought I was stuck ... but then, not knowing what to do next, I double clicked on Final Cut Pro 7 ... and it opened!


So the short story is this ... All I did was move the Final Cut Pro X components into a new folder. This one step seems to have fixed the problem. I have not tried opening FXP X yet, and I'm a little hesitant to do that. I'm also thinking of UnInstalling Motion 5 just to be sure. Do you have any opinions if I should do that or not?


Has anyone else solved this Directory Issue just by creating the new folder?

Jan 3, 2015 5:36 PM in response to VideoGuyHawaii

You should be fine opening Final Cut Pro X now that the new apps are separated in a directory together. It's worth launching all the applications to see of they work, nothing will be hurt. The critical step in all the install instructions from the knowledge base is basically to separate the legacy versions of the applications from the new versions (make sure they are in separate directories in the applications folder. At this point if the applications are organized together following one of the sets of steps of the knowledge base article you should be fine. It does sound like you may still need to add and set the "admin" permissions for the folder. You could do this by following the steps for getting info on the folder and setting the permissions. To add the administrator to the list:

1. Unlock the options by clicking the lock in the bottom right corner of the "Info" window and authenticate it when prompted.

2. Click the plus button at the bottom right of the info window.

-This will bring up a window that looks similar to contacts.

3. From the list on the left, select "Users & Groups", on the right you will see "Administrators" as the first option.

4. Select "Administrators" and then click the select button at the bottom.


admin will now show up in the list and you should be able to change the permissions. You can then lock the window again and close it. Try launching the apps and post back with the results.

Jan 3, 2015 5:48 PM in response to GFXZen

Thanks. I will try that but it might a day or three. One other question, though … because I put Compressor 4, Motion 5, and FCP X into a new folder in the Applications folder, will they still be "seen" by the auto Software Update? I ask because they were all downloaded automatically into the Apps folder separately. I'm not sure if they have to stay that way.


Thanks, again, for your help.

Jan 7, 2015 11:17 AM in response to BenB

But that's how it originally was. The legacy apps were all in the Final Cut Studio folder as they have been for years. When I downloaded FCP X and Motion 5, they went into the Apps folder separately. I had downloaded Compressor 4 sometime ago and it also was just in the Apps folder. Then I went thru all the hassle described above and it seemed to be solved when I put the FCP X components into a new folder.


Was the original FCP Studio folder something FCP created? It was so long ago, I can't remember. So maybe I should make my own folder and move the legacy Apps into it?

Jan 7, 2015 12:04 PM in response to VideoGuyHawaii

If you started with the old versions of Final Cut apps, say FCS 3, installed in the default location (Applications folder) and install the new applications via the App Store the old versions automatically get moved to a new folder "Final Cut Studio". The App Store will then install the newer versions into the Applications folder.


Here is what I would suggest.

Assuming you still have all the folders created from the "Restore the Final Cut Studio (2009) applications to their original location" steps

  • Leave the up to date versions (FCPX, Compressor 4, Motion 5) in the Final Cut X folder.
  • Set the permissions for the Final Cut Studio folder using the instructions in the knowledge base article, and just add the admin as I noted above. It should not hurt anything to set the Final Cut Studio folder permissions and hey, it's what Apple recommends.

As long as all the application that you need to run, things should be fine. If you have problems in the future, say with an update, then post a new thread. Worst case scenario, you could just remove everything (FCS3 and FCPX apps) and re-install, but I don't think that's necessary at this point..

Jan 7, 2015 12:58 PM in response to GFXZen

Thanks. I will try these suggestions. But I need to clarify something. For as long as it's been Final Cut Studio, it created it's own folder containing all the apps. It's been that way ever since they switched over to Studio many years ago. These legacy components have never been in my Apps folder individually. The downloads of FCP X and Motion 5 came into the Apps folder individually and then I ran into the problem described earlier. It was only when I put the new FCP X stuff into a new folder within the Apps folder that the problem seemed to fix itself.


So the download of the new version did not create and move the old versions into a folder. They have always been in their own folder. All I did was make a new folder for the FCP X stuff.


So obviously I'm not really clear about what's going on but I will create a new folder within the Apps Folder and move all the legacy stuff into that and trash the old folder. Maybe that original FCP Studio folder created by the original install is the problem. I'll then take the FCP X, Motion 5 and Compressor 4 apps out of the folder I made and put them back into the Apps folders individually. And then try the permissions thing you suggest.


I need to run FCP 7 for the next few months to finish up a 4 year project but have started the process of learning FCP X and using it for new work.


I know this engineer who is fond of saying that "Electricity is just a theory. I'm amazed whenever it works."


By the way, thanks to everybody for the helpful dialogue.

Installed Motion 5, now FCP 7 won't open due to directory location.

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