vinegarman

Q: FCPX 10 Organization Translator

I am having a hard time making sense of the words used in the organizational structure of FCPX.  Perhaps someone here can help.

 

I want to edit a movie. I have some clips on my desktop that I want to organize in a sequence to tell a story. To do this I will organize them along a timeline. I want to organize all of the footage I want to use in this movie, and only that footage, in one place in front of me. What is that place called in FCPX?

 

Next, I will select clips from the footage located in that place and place them on the timeline where I will make edits.

 

The only part of the FCPX structure that makes sense to me so far is the timeline.

 

How should I think if the "Library" in this case?

 

How should I think of the "events"?

 

How should I think of "projects"?

 

It seems that these are FCPX specific definitions which I can't determine from sentence context or a dictionary. I would appreciate any help in how to think about this structure.

Final Cut Pro X, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Apr 28, 2016 7:54 AM

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Q: FCPX 10 Organization Translator

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  • by Tom Wolsky,

    Tom Wolsky Tom Wolsky Apr 28, 2016 8:15 AM in response to vinegarman
    Level 10 (118,107 points)
    Apple TV
    Apr 28, 2016 8:15 AM in response to vinegarman

    Every library has to have at least one event. In this case it sounds as if you need one library and it's one event. Your video gets imported into the event. You can leave it in place when you import if you wish. The project is where you edit you material; it's the edited sequence that you're creating.

     

    What version are you using? Your OS shows Mountain Lion.

  • by Russ H,

    Russ H Russ H Apr 28, 2016 8:16 AM in response to vinegarman
    Level 7 (21,770 points)
    Quicktime
    Apr 28, 2016 8:16 AM in response to vinegarman

    Yes, the nomenclature is different and requires some getting used to.

     

    The biggest difference between FCP X and most other editing applications is  that FCP X is a clip besed editor – not track-based.

     

    Sequences are assembled from clips on the primary storyline in a project. Rather than organizing material by different video and audio tracks, FCP X, uses connected clips. All clips connect to the primary storyline – regardless of the number of layers of clips.

     

    I think of projects as sets of instructions. The  project files are stored in event folders. Events also include media – either actual or linked to external files. Events are stored in Libraries.

     

    Russ

  • by vinegarman,

    vinegarman vinegarman Apr 28, 2016 8:21 AM in response to Tom Wolsky
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Audio
    Apr 28, 2016 8:21 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

    I am using 10.11. I plan to use FCPX 10.2.

  • by vinegarman,

    vinegarman vinegarman Apr 28, 2016 8:35 AM in response to Russ H
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Audio
    Apr 28, 2016 8:35 AM in response to Russ H

    I think of clips as things that go on tracks. Is there a flaw in thinking this way?

     

    What is an "event"? I understood what you said about what's in it etc., but I am  still confused about what it is. Is it the place where the clips I plan to use are placed for easy grabbing, a "materials desk"?

     

    What is a Library? Is that the "off site" storage for the clips, the "materials"?

  • by Tom Wolsky,

    Tom Wolsky Tom Wolsky Apr 28, 2016 9:04 AM in response to vinegarman
    Level 10 (118,107 points)
    Apple TV
    Apr 28, 2016 9:04 AM in response to vinegarman

    Clips go on tracks, though technically there are no tracks in FCP.

     

    An event is a folder inside a library.

     

    A library is a bundle that contents all the information related to a production, all the events, and all projects, and all the metadata added to clips and other elements. The library may also contain the media used in the production, though it doesn't have it.

  • by vinegarman,

    vinegarman vinegarman Apr 28, 2016 9:26 AM in response to Tom Wolsky
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Audio
    Apr 28, 2016 9:26 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

    So each movie would have its own Library? What would an even be like relative to movie? A scene?

     

    Sorry if this is a bit too basic, but I am just not feelin' how to think about this. It seems that if I don't get this right on the front end, I will just be frustrated later or get things so screwed up that I give up.

  • by Tom Wolsky,

    Tom Wolsky Tom Wolsky Apr 28, 2016 9:29 AM in response to vinegarman
    Level 10 (118,107 points)
    Apple TV
    Apr 28, 2016 9:29 AM in response to vinegarman

    What do you mean by movie? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is a movie. It was broken down into multiple libraries. The contents of the libraries eventually came together in a single library. A wedding production might deliver multiple movies, but it's usually in a single library.

  • by vinegarman,

    vinegarman vinegarman Apr 28, 2016 9:56 AM in response to Tom Wolsky
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Audio
    Apr 28, 2016 9:56 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

    Yes *** is what I mean by a movie. Why did it need to be divided into libraries, only to be put back into Libraries? Was this how the designers imagined the workflow?

     

    I don't get how, or why the wedding production would be multiple movies. Are you saying that different "camera people" would deliver the material from their cameras and in this case we are calling that material movies? They would put that material into libraries?

     

    This points to why I am having a hard time understanding the intended organizational structure. This makes imagining and creating a workflow awkward to frustrating.

     

    All meaningful conversations begin with agreement of terms.  Perhaps what is needed here is a dictionary of terms for FCPX. Is there such a thing?

  • by David Bogie Chq-1,

    David Bogie Chq-1 David Bogie Chq-1 Apr 28, 2016 10:48 AM in response to vinegarman
    Level 7 (25,772 points)
    Video
    Apr 28, 2016 10:48 AM in response to vinegarman

    Swallowing and accepting the Apple "Way Of Re-Imagining Video Editing" is not an easy leap. But you have no choice if you want to use FCPX. If you can find a copy, get Tom's old FCPX book. It's hopelessly out of date because Apple keeps updating FCPX but the fundamentals are all there and working through Tom's training course is valuable experience toward understanding the system. You can do it on your own, of course, and there are thousands of free youtube and vimeo FCPX resources. Tom's book you can take to the gym.

     

    I believe it was unnecessary for Apple to reinvent the editing paradigm so completely but, now that I've been using FCPX for a few years, going back into a more conventional track-based editor like Premiere is difficult. So I do't do that.

  • by vinegarman,

    vinegarman vinegarman Apr 28, 2016 10:58 AM in response to David Bogie Chq-1
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Audio
    Apr 28, 2016 10:58 AM in response to David Bogie Chq-1

    Sho ya right!

     

    I am trying to do just that. I have signed up for courses on macPro Video and Lynda.com and I have been watching videos on YouTube. What I am missing from them all is an explanation of how FCP X is "re_imagining" the organization of the files. I thought I had better try to get this straight before going too much further.

  • by Tom Wolsky,

    Tom Wolsky Tom Wolsky Apr 28, 2016 11:42 AM in response to vinegarman
    Level 10 (118,107 points)
    Apple TV
    Apr 28, 2016 11:42 AM in response to vinegarman

    TTwo directors, one editor, working while they shot, organized by assistants, it was more convenient to work on different sections in different libraries, also separate libraries with clips that had to go to VXF, as well as transfer libraries to move pieces around.

     

    Weddings have multiple deliverables, the full ceremony, and separate videos for different aspects of the preparations, ceremony, and celebrations. The prices being paid for event videos these days you'd better be prepared to produce the Hollywood blockbuster with all effects and full grading together with different version cuts.

  • by Tom Wolsky,

    Tom Wolsky Tom Wolsky Apr 28, 2016 11:44 AM in response to vinegarman
    Level 10 (118,107 points)
    Apple TV
    Apr 28, 2016 11:44 AM in response to vinegarman

    FCP help is available online and includes a glossary.