How to open projects

If you're in 10.1 and up, you open the library that contains the project. That can be done from the fInder or from within the UI. Once the library is open, double click the project.

If you're on an earlier version of FCP X, you locate the project from the Project Library inside the Final Cut UI. If the project is on a mounted drive and it is stored in a place where the app can see it, you will be able to open it.

Russ

Project icons have a clapper board picture associated with them.

They look different depending on your View selected in the Browser.

Al

Kookaburra308 wrote:

… But I must be missing something absurdly obvious to everyone else, as I don't see an icon for the project within an event which is within a library.

two options:

a) You're not using an uptodate version of FCPX => legacy versions didn't store Projects in the corresponding Event

b) You hadn't done Projects, but 'edited' within Events, e.g. processing a Multicam or other Compound clip ...

@ a) check vers. # of FCPX in use...

@ b) check your workflow ... >(sorry for sounding cheeky, but … just to exclude the obvious) 😉

A Library holds all Events and Projects that have been directed into that Library.

You can have more than one Library.

You should know how many Libraries are on your system or attached drives.

While opening FCP X you can hold the Option key to give you a start off point:

Click a Library name shown as above if that is where your Project is stored.

If the Library in question is not shown, click Locate and navigate to it's location on your Mac or attached drive/s.

Another place to look is the default location:

Macintosh HD>Users>Home name>Movies>Library name.

You should see a name with the blue icon as above.

Al

In the Finder, if you open the library (right click and choose Show Package Contents) you will see at least one Event folder. In the screen shot below that was named by its creation date 10-16-2014 (if I had had multiple events in this library I would have given them more evocative names).

The folders that I have circled are all projects that are part of that event.

If you do not see your project folders inside your event, you may have deleted them -– or, as suggested by the others. never actually created any projects ib the first place. However, one last place to check: open your Final Cut Backups folder and check inside the backup libraries. (Take care not to move or alter the contents.)

In addition to the excellent advice you are receiving from Al and Karsten, you may find it helpful to take a look at the section here on projects

Russ

If you cannot see Project icons it's possible you have opened clips in the Timeline without creating a Project first.

To create a Project select File>New>Project.

Once created you immediately see a Project icon appear in an Event as per above screen shot.

Al

If you indeed created projects and not edited inside a clip timeline, those projects will be right there in the events, alongside clips.

It is very easy to search for projects, as it is to search for just about anything in FCP.

Select your library and click the little magnifying glass above the browser.

Click the plus button in the "Filter" window and choose "Type", and select "Project".

Then all you'll see in the browser will be projects and nothing else. If there are no projects, then you'll know that you must have edited inside a clip's timeline - that is a common beginner's mistake.

By the way, to clear the filter and go back to showing everything click the little "x" button

A pleasure Anthony,

It's nice to have someone verbally state appreciation for assistance. 🙂

We all have been at the steep end of learning curves and know what it's like.

BTW: With a name like Kookaburra308 sounds like and aussie to me?

Al