FCPX Backup from Copy / Pasted Time Machine Drive does not contain any of my edits.

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Level 1

4 points

FCPX Backup from Copy / Pasted Time Machine Drive does not contain any of my edits.

So I had to reformat my computer, but before I did that I made sure that Time Machine backed up my computer. When re-installing the OS, I DID NOT choose to re-install from Time Machine backup. Instead I started clean, and then just dragged and dropped my FCPX Library file from the Time Machine external drive onto the newly formatted Mac Desktop. When I open the 500GB library, none of my edits exist, even though I had about 40 hours of edits into the project. I'm sure the backup is somewhere, but I just can't find it. Any tips?

Posted on Aug 11, 2016 7:38 AM

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Answer 1

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,815 points

Aug 11, 2016 7:56 AM in response to NateBurgher

Backups should be in a folder in ~/Movies. That's the default location.

Did you ever use the open clip in timeline function? Check each of your clips and see if they are approximately the same length as your project.

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Answer 2

Russ H

Level 7

22,432 points

Aug 11, 2016 7:58 AM in response to NateBurgher

NateBurgher wrote:

Any tips?

Open up Time Machine and restore any libraries you want to work on. Don't try to do it in the Finder.

Russ

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Answer 3

NateBurgher Author

Level 1

4 points

Aug 11, 2016 8:05 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

I had one of my employees drop all the footage in the timeline, cut it to just the good footage and sync up the audio, and then put that library on an external and hand it over. That was completed on 7/1, and the file says it was last updated 7/31 (when I completed one of my two cuts). But when I copy and pasted the library over from the Time Machine Backup to my desktop and open that Library file, it reverts back to whatever was accomplished on 7/1, with none of the edits that I myself did, only what my employee did.

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Answer 4

NateBurgher Author

Level 1

4 points

Aug 11, 2016 8:06 AM in response to Russ H

How would I go about only restoring a FCPX Library through Time Machine?

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Answer 5

NateBurgher Author

Level 1

4 points

Aug 11, 2016 8:20 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

Thanks Tom! What happened was when I brought over the Library folder and footage folder, it didn't bring over the backup folder. Your suggestion of looking in the ~/Movies folder helped me. I just navigated appropriately, found the backup folder and file, copied the most recent file over to my desktop, and *poof*! There it was! Thanks again Tom!

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