Video Clips Disappeared from Event & Library

Since we weren't looking over your shoulder while you weren't watching your screen, hard to tell.

First, don't erase your media files from your camera cards!

Second, search your drives for all files created within the time frame you were importing. Chances are very good you just put them in the wrong place.

Third, make a backup copy of your cards to your drives, following the instructions in the FCPX Help system, and, if you cannot find your files anywhere else, re-import your video clips from the backups.

Fourth, report back on what you've tried.

What are you actually seeing in the browser? Nothing in the filter box? Can you post a screen shot.

What format was the original media?

There is no camera card backup or archive?

Relaunch the application holding Option-Command and then open the library with the problem.

Close the application. Go into the library bundle and move the flexolibrary file to the trash. Relaunch the application.

hadleyk wrote:

Thanks for the feedback and your patience.

1. Once the import was "successfully completed" I deleted the media card, as everything looked OK.

2. There don't appear to be any other files other than those created within the FCP Library Package of the Library and Event the files were imported to.

3. Didn't get as far as creating backups and the backup created by FCP doesn't work because I suspect it never completed the task.

4. I understand it's not possible to determine the problem, but it would seem that as the "original media" is still in the FCP Folder System i.e Select Final Cut Libraries/Library Name - Right Click on Library - Show Package Contents - Original Media - all I need to do is get the actual media files back into the Library and Event but I don't know how to do this. I tried to reimport them but this didn't work and made the machine crash.

How do I proceed with the existing video clips which are now all .mov files?

1. Ouch. Never reformat camera cards till you know for absolutely certain your media is safe. Hard lesson. However, you can buy data recovery software that will rebuild the directory of your card as along as you have not recorded over it. Take many hours.

2. That's just not likely so, to be blunt, you had to have misunderstood the statement FCPX handed up to you claiming the import was successful. Successful is not the same as complete. Sorry I do not have a better answer. File transfers and transcodes can be set to be automatic but the actions are not foolproof. Double check everything before deleting or reformatting anything. Next time, eh?

3. Backing up your media cards is what you do first, before you import your footage. FCPX backups should be automatic.

4. Can you play any of these .mov files with another application? Try making g a duplicate of one of the files and moving it out of the Library. (Sorry, don't even know if that will work, never tried it.)

Wolsky is the expert on this stuff but he's not sitting beside you and he's got a day job. You'll need patience and time for his assistance.

What are the specs for this .mov? If QT can open it, you can convert it with Compressor or maybe even Save As... out of QT Player.

Compressor is only $50. Good tool to have.

You can't reimport into the existing event. It's corrupted. If you moved all the clips out of original media, then you can reimport into a new event.

What are the exact specs of the media you're working with? It should be ok, but it's always good to know. What camera did it come from?

Make a new event in the library. Trash the event that's there that has no icon. Import into the new event.

hadleyk wrote:

I did read elsewhere that .mov files need to be converted to Pro Res 244 but I don't know if this is correct so have not tried as I'm not sure hoe to do this and which would be the best app required.

It's not a requirement that ht clips be transcoded. But if you want to you can usually transcode in the Finder. Right click>Encode Selected Video Files>Setting>Apple Pro Res.

Russ