Shanedmb41
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Q: Proper Way to Share a Project?

I have a 5tb external disc where I have created my library.  All of my events and projects are stored there as well.  I am mainly sharing blu ray dvds of family trips for members of our family.  However, my question is, should I be saving a Master File of the project as well?  What is a Master File?  Any help or suggestions would be GREAT!

Thanks

Shane

iMac with Retina 5K display, Mac OS X (10.0.x)

Posted on Dec 9, 2015 7:05 PM

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Shanedmb41

Q: Proper Way to Share a Project?

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  • by Russ H,

    Russ H Russ H Dec 9, 2015 7:30 PM in response to Shanedmb41
    Level 7 (21,890 points)
    Quicktime
    Dec 9, 2015 7:30 PM in response to Shanedmb41

    A Master File is a high quality version of the finished movie, It can be re-purposed for a range of delivery options, including Web, disk, broadcast, etc.

     

    I'm not sure whether you would benefit from the intermediate step of making a master file.  If you're going out to Blu Ray. It wouldn't hurt…but it does take up more prep time and more storage space.

     

    If you archive the project you can always create a Master File later.

     

    Good luck.

     

    Russ

  • by Shanedmb41,

    Shanedmb41 Shanedmb41 Dec 9, 2015 7:37 PM in response to Russ H
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 9, 2015 7:37 PM in response to Russ H

    I am archiving my projects on my external hard drive under the appropriate library.  My other question is if I create a Master File, and it is a high quality version, then if I share that Master File to Blu Ray will it be of higher quality then just sharing my project that isn't a Master File.  Does that make sense?  Thanks for the insight!

  • by Alchroma,

    Alchroma Alchroma Dec 9, 2015 8:17 PM in response to Shanedmb41
    Level 6 (19,066 points)
    Video
    Dec 9, 2015 8:17 PM in response to Shanedmb41

    Shanedmb41 wrote:

     

    My other question is if I create a Master File, and it is a high quality version, then if I share that Master File to Blu Ray will it be of higher quality then just sharing my project that isn't a Master File.

     

    The short answer is NO.

    As Russ already points out a Master File can be in differing flavours depending on the requirements at hand.

    Each time you tell FCP X to create a Bluray it has to create audio and video files of an exact type to meet Bluray specs.

     

    One thing to be aware of is that if you do a direct Share to Bluray from an FCP X Timeline the files used to create the Bluray disc are deleted upon exiting FCP X. This means if you want another disc, you have to start over. Great if you need one disc. Not so good if need more later.

    When more discs are required you create a Disc Image and that can be used multiple times and never gets deleted until you decide to.

     

    Al

  • by Shanedmb41,

    Shanedmb41 Shanedmb41 Dec 9, 2015 8:40 PM in response to Alchroma
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 9, 2015 8:40 PM in response to Alchroma

    Thank you for the help.  Is there a workflow you'd recommend?  I'm thinking save a Master File to my hard drive do I will always have it for future references and create a blu ray from the master file.  What do you think of that?!

    Thanks again!

  • by Russ H,

    Russ H Russ H Dec 10, 2015 4:51 AM in response to Shanedmb41
    Level 7 (21,890 points)
    Quicktime
    Dec 10, 2015 4:51 AM in response to Shanedmb41

    Shanedmb41 wrote:

    I'm thinking save a Master File to my hard drive do I will always have it for future references and create a blu ray from the master file. 

    Hey Shane.

     

    Again, if storage space is not an issue, there is nothing wrong with keeping a master file. However, if you archive your project in a way similar to the workflow described  in the support doc I linked to earlier, you can always generate a new master file – or go directly to Blu Ray in the future sometime in the future – hime saving a smaller file. What I would advise against is saving an H.264 file as a master file with the idea that you might reimport later and encode to Blu Ray (or anything else). If you work that way, then save your master file as a Pro Res 422 file, which can stand up to another recompression better than the H.264 codec.

     

    Russ