Initial steps to create a video

In short, Libraries are the primary container, Events are imported through the import process to specific Library.

Once an Event/s (clips ,stills, audio etc.) is imported you start work.

You MUST create a New Project at this point and edit your media into the Project in the Timeline.

Note: You can open a clip into the Timeline and think you are editing a Project, WRONG, that's why you can't find your work.

Projects look like this:

this

or

this; depending on how stuff is selected. The common denominator is the Clapper Board icon.

Regards the yellow border on clips, that determines what part will be edited to the Timeline, in/out points in other words.

Clear Ranges (in/outs) if unwanted

Getting clips from Browser to Timeline use the E key to Append, W to Insert, D to Overwrite:

Hope this assists getting you started !!

Al

hendry78 wrote:

....I am perpetually confused about Events, Projects and Libraries....

A forum can not replace from-the-ground teaching... 😉

You have spend 300$ on FCPX, so why not another ten bucks for

Lessons for Final Cut Po X

(Appstore) from rippletraining?

It gives you a perfect overview, what, where,why, how ....

And, the first 10 lessons, which touch Libs, Events,Projects are for free!

hendry78 wrote:

So just to re-iterate to ensure I understand.. every new movie = New project, right?

Thank you!

Basically that's correct.

If you need to deviate a bit from an existing Project, right click the Project icon and it can be saved as a Duplicate or Snapshot.

A simple way to version your stuff. Name the Duplicates for easy I.D.

BTW: As Karsten indicates , FCP X does require some background understanding for best results.

Al

But the Library IS the metadata for your edits. One file! Store it in the same folder as your mp4s if you want. In that one file, it stores all the info it needs on where everything is, what your edits are etc etc. Personally, for my workflow the Event is unnecessary, but for others it is essential. If you store your media outside of the Library and remember to purge the Render Files they can be very small files. FCPX is not designed to be used without the manual/training. Just as any other major pro piece of editing software is. If you want to use it, learn how to use it. Ripple training are excellent.

A

hendry78 wrote:

I expect to be able to use things without a manual. 😉

FCPX UX is a bit... poor. Hopefully they can see pathetic screencasts like mine and fix it.

It is poor as long as you don't understand how it works.

Karsten's advice is a very good one. Following a good tutorial is a great help.

If you can't or won't spend the ten bucks, look at the introductory course at izzyvideo, which is professionally done, and free.

You won't regret the time spent learning, because you'll be able to do things effectively and, more importantly, UNDERSTAND them.

Grasping at straws is very frustrating. So is trying to make something work in a way it was not designed for.

hendry78 wrote:

I expect to be able to use things without a manual. 😉

FCPX UX is a bit... poor. Hopefully they can see pathetic screencasts like mine and fix it.

Fair enough; within the FCP X user base you would find a great range of requirements that the application needs to fill. Some users do get by pretty well without structured training. But Final Cut is in fact a very "deep: application and for those who need to use it optimally for complex projects, acquiring an understanding of the fundamentals at the outset is important.

As to the user experience comment, you're presumably comparing it to some other non-linear editor that you think is better. Curious which one (or ones) you are comparing it to.

Russ

hendry78 wrote:

I expect to be able to use things without a manual. 😉

Things like … a car, for instance?

or, an audio-mixer?

or a Public-Transport-Ticket-Machine?

(sorry, last example was pathetic … 😉 )

If you near yourself the UI of FCPX with your habitual workflows, it is ... at last weird ("no tracks??").

If you're open minded for a new metaphore, it is awesome.

FCPX does things differently which is mostly good, but the decision to call edits "projects" has probably done as much harm to the app as anything else...

(I'm putting FCPX's name for things in italics with the English after when needed)

Apart from the strange names, it's really simple:

• a Library is your main working document, make a new one for this, er, project
• import the four mp4's - let FCPX copy them into the Library (where it will create a new Event for the clips)
• Make a new Project (timeline, edit, sequence) with the same dimensions and frame rate as your source clips
• to quickly put a clip in the timeline, select it and press E (for "stick it on the End of the primary storyline")
• edit away ...
• once you're done, go to the Library in Finder, right-click on it and choose "show package contents", you will then see folders for each event (only one in this case)
  • Open the event folder, you'll see various folders but there will be one for "Render Files" and one for "Transcoded Media"
  • delete the contents of those (if any)
  • your Library is now a trimmed-down archive consisting of not much more than the original four source movies
• Move your Library to your archive destination of choice: stick, drive, tape, cloud ... whatever the original media is on you can delete, they're all inside the Library
• sit back, relax, and bask in the glow of success

(There isn't a way that I know of to consolidate a library to just the media you actually used with "handles", but in this day and age having to keep all media isn't too hard)

HTH

A word of caution: don't mess with the library contents in the Finder. There are very reasons why you'd want to, and you risk corrupting things.

In any case, if you ever do it, DON'T do it when FCP X is running. Quit the application first.

• once you're done, go to the Library in Finder, right-click on it and choose "show package contents", you will then see folders for each event (only one in this case)
• Open the event folder, you'll see various folders but there will be one for "Render Files" and one for "Transcoded Media"
• delete the contents of those (if any)
• your Library is now a trimmed-down archive consisting of not much more than the original four source movies

Instead, in FCP X, select the library, go to File->Delete Generated Library Files... and check everything; for Render Files, choose "All".

Theoretically, this would do the same thing you describe above, but is safer and the recommended way.

I must have missed that menu item ;-) That would be a better way.

TThere is no requirement to keep media inside the library. You can assign the media location in library properties.

DOnt understand most of your acronyms do probably missing a lot of what you're trying to say.

XML has specific uses and isn't as reliable as transfer libraries.

I have no experience at getting "Cloud" based stuff to work with other users.

Why don't you try and send a Library to your colleague (over the Cloud) and see if he/she can get it working.

Here's some stuff on media how to.

Page 13-14 focuses on Managed and External Media:

http://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/docs/Media_Management.pdf

Al