Is there a way to re-link proxy files?

Question

Is there a way to re-link proxy files?

Hello.

I have several projects that I'm in the process of archiving this weekend (deleting rendered files etc) and moving from my active G-Raid Studio tower to external backup drives. I used to use a "sparse bundle disk image" approach to keeping my projects separate and organized. It was easy to move and archive and keep all the settings intact.

However, the sparse bundle disk images grow with content but don't shrink, so when I started archiving I realized even though I had deleted a ton of render files that weren't needed for archival. So, I've gone to a straight folder structure for my archives. The folders (that lived in my sparse image) are the exact folder names and hierarchy that lived in my sparse image, but when I move them over and launch the program to verify everything is intact, all the file links have been broken. That is understandable considering everything is on a different drive. So I relink the files... still fine. Everything links up nicely and we are back in business, except the proxy files. Many times I won't archive projects with proxy files, but there are use cases where I want to. Here is the the thing, the proxy files are actually still there, on the drive... but there is no way to relink those files. FCPX does a great job in the "relink files" dialogue of finding everything that is offline (music, sound effects etc) but it completely ignores the Proxy files.

Is there a way to relink files that I know are there? The only way I've gotten around this is to manually delete the proxy files (simply trashing the folder) and re-creating all the proxy files from scratch.

Am I thinking about this process all wrong? Just trying to dial in my workflow here.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Marc

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4)

Posted on Nov 28, 2015 12:15 PM

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Answer 1

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

150,980 points

Nov 28, 2015 12:32 PM in response to teddybeckersted

Lots of different issues here. First, if you want to use disk images look up Andreas Kiel's CreateDiskImage. The disk images can be shrunk.

After that it becomes really difficult to advise without knowing what version you're using. It sounds as if you're in a pre-10.1 version. If that's the case the application has considerable limits. If you are in a post-10.1 version, disk images are pretty obsolete and unnecessary. Proxies can be "relinked" but recreating them. If they're in the correct location, FCP will connect them automatically.

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Answer 2

Nov 28, 2015 12:33 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Tom,

I'm using 10.2.2.

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Answer 3

Nov 28, 2015 12:35 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Tom,

I don't put my Proxy files in the FCP library file. I keep them outside in case of library file corruption. When I relink other files (even if they aren't in the same folders or spots) FCPX finds them, but for whatever reason it doesn't find the proxy files.

Any help is appreciated.

Marc

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Answer 4

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

150,980 points

Nov 28, 2015 12:47 PM in response to teddybeckersted

Doesn't matter if the proxy files are outside the library, only that the proxy files are in the expected location and haven't been moved so they're on a different file path.

Spare disk images aren't really necessary any longer. The library acts as archive disk image. Consolidate the media into the library without render files, optimized or proxies. Dump the cache bundle. You should have everything you need. The only things to watch out for are third part effects and added fonts. I put them in a folder with the consolidated library bundle.

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Answer 5

Nov 28, 2015 1:32 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Tom,

I appreciate your help here... thanks.

I understand the sparse bundle situation, and will be moving away from that immediately. Does consolidating the media move ALL the media that is being used (songs, images, etc) into the library image? What about media that exists in the project that isn't being used?

Last thing... dumping the cache bundle. Is that deleting the generated event files? How do you delete the cache bundle?

Thanks.

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Answer 6

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

150,980 points

Nov 28, 2015 1:50 PM in response to teddybeckersted

Consolidate does all the media. That said, it's always a good idea to check the consolidated library. Check it on a different machine if possible and see if it shows anything missing.

Do you want the unused media or not? If you don't want it, copy just the projects you want to a new library to archive. If you want all the media, simply duplicate the library,

The cache bundle includes other files like waveform and thumbnail data, analysis files that can be dumped. It's more thorough than simply deleting generated files. Or you can open the cache bundle and cherry pick what you want, maybe keep the analysis files if have a lot of stabilization.

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