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How do I move my FCP project to my external hard drive?

spinner

spinner

Hi all!

I am in need once again of advice from the IT forum :D

I have about 300Gb of projects on the hard drive of my computer. All projects were edited in Final Cut Pro 6. The situation is, however, that I have computer programs that I would like to have on my internal hard drive, instead of all my footage from these projects.

Sooooooo....

How do I copy my projects - - with capture scratch/footage clips, etc. - - to my external hard drive which has LOTS of room to hold it all? I would like to avoid having to go through every clip and reconnect clips.

At this time, I have a couple of projects to do, but I can't because I have NO ROOM on my internal hard drive. I found one explanation on YouTube, but I would much rather ask here. This site has yet to ever steer me wrong. Plus, all of this stuff is important. I need to keep it, but it's got to be off my internal.

Help a sista out, yo! :D explain it to me like I'm 5....

-- spinner :cool:
 
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Do you have the projects saved? If not, save the projects on your desktop or in some folder. I don't know about FCP6 but most likely in your project go to (File => Save Project ) or similar.

When you connect your external hard drive (with the USB cable) just drag the folders with the project over to the external drive icon that shows up.

I think that's what you're asking.
 
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The project is saved on my desktop.

The way I think it needs to be done is with the Media Manager in order for it to be moved without having to reconnect all of your clips.

...at least that is what the YouTube explanation says....


-- spinner :cool:
 
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Search for your past threads, this was covered about a year ago and all of the instructions are in there... you've been meticulous about creating folders with new projects before importing any footage... right?!

Other wise, you have to go through every single clip in your Final Cut Pro Documents > Capture Scratch Folder again and figure out which clip belongs to which project... Make directories for each project with the clips moved into them, add the final cut file, then drag the whole folder onto your external harddrive... once you've done that, verify that the copies are the same size before deleting the original off your main hard drive.

You took notes the last 2 times I talked you through this on the phone ;) , find those notes, it details all of this.
 
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I need to do this every so often. If you have kept everything
in the proper folders - where FCP looks for things - you can
simply drag everything over to the new drive.
 
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This is one of the things I REALLY like about DSLR. You don't really have a capture scratch like I did when I used a dvx100 and literally had to capture the footage in. Once the DSLR clips are transcoded I put them in the project folder along with all my project files and audio and I now have everything in the same place ready to be archived or brought to another computer.
 
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you can also do media manager.. it will move all the files associated with a single timeline so that way you will only keep whatever files you are using on the final cut.. it comes in handy too.. just an idea..
 
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I think I am still nervous about doing it, which is why I'm asking again.

Yeah, everything is in its respective folder.... I hope....

Well, I HAVE to do it now, or else, no more programs and I need them now, especially After Effects and Photoshop.


-- spinner :cool:
 
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spinner said:
I think I am still nervous about doing it, which is why I'm asking again.
Click to expand...
No need to be nervous - just do it. Drag everything over to your new
HD - that doesn't change the original files on your current HD. Open
the project - it might prompt you to reset the scratch disk, if it doesn't
click on Final Cut Pro and open System Settings - that will allow you
to set the proper disk. Easy as that. If for some reason it doesn't work
all your original files and projects on your original HD are still there -
unchanged. Dump everything from the new HD in the trash and empty
it.
 
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My specific instructions with the workflow you're using is that you reset the scratch disks everytime you open FCP... is that still your standard operating procedure?
 
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Here's the initial thread from just after we cleared out your capture scratch folder the first time: http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=17651&highlight=capture+scratch

Here's a thread with the FCP workflow you PROMISED you'd use: http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=15799&highlight=capture+scratch

If this is the method you've used, drag, drop, delete, forget about it... if not... you'll be going through your "capture scratch" folder and matching up all of the "Untitled Project" files to the files they're actually from... then moving them, opening each project, setting the scratch disks, and relinking all of the media to the stuff you've just moved to verify it is all there.

If I recall, you disliked the process so completely, that you vowed to never have to do it again by following the Final Cut Protocol I set up for you.
 
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...Okay...

Got it to work. ONCE.

...still trying....


-- spinner :cool:

EDIT: I have two projects that work on the iMac, they do not seem to want to move with edits to external. Still trying......
 
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OKAY....

I am posting how to copy your FCP project to your external hard drive WITHOUT losing any of your edits, footage or having to go back in and re-connect all of your clips. If you have big projects, the LAST thing you want to do is be put in a position of having to re-connect all that stuff. I have a couple of old projects that I lost my connections to and I am really glad they are no longer imperative, but I wish all my clips were still connected.

Here it is:




HOW TO COPY ENTIRE FINAL CUT PRO PROJECT TO EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE

If you are using FINAL CUT PRO X, the procedure might be different. I don't know.
I am working on FCP 6


BEFORE YOU START:
Create a folder for the COPY of your project to be copied/saved into, so you will know where to look for it.


1. Click on your project.
NOT ON YOUR TIMELINE, on your project, where all your clips are. You can
click on the name tab of your project just to be sure. Click once.

2. Go to FILE, come down to MEDIA MANGER. Click MEDIA MANAGER.

THE SUMMARY SECTION:
You will see 2 green bars. One will say ORIGINAL, one will say MODIFIED.
They tell you if any of your project is being left out (MODIFIED) I personally
prefer to keep EVERYTHING. You never know when you might want to use
some of that footage. If the MODIFIED bar is shorter at all, something is being
left out. YOU MOST LIKELY WANT THEM TO BE THE SAME. The length of the
project is at the end of the green bars.

3. IN THE MEDIA SECTION:
Make sure you are on COPY. Sorry, guys, since I'm learning too, not sure what
the other settings are precisely used for yet. I'm just telling you how to get your
project onto your external without having to re-connect all your footage.
Setting should be on COPY.

4. Check: INCLUDE RENDER FILES

5. RECOMPRESS MEDIA USING: will be ghosted, but for my purposes, my
setting is on: DV NTSC 48kHz

6. Check: INCLUDE MASTER CLIPS OUTSIDE SELECTION

7. Do NOT Check: DELETE UNUSED MEDIA FROM DUPLICATED ITEMS

8. Use Handles: AND Include Affiliated Clips Outside Selection:
Will be ghosted unless you choose to check the Delete Unused
Media From Duplicated Items. For for my purposes, leave them UNCHECKED

9. BASE MEDIA FILE NAMES ON: should say EXISTING FILE NAMES

10. IN THE PROJECT SECTION:
Check: DUPLICATE SELECTED ITEMS AND PLACE INTO A NEW PROJECT
Check: INCLUDE NONACTIVE MULTICLIP ANGLES

11. IN THE MEDIA DESTINATION SECTION:
Click: BROWSE
This is when you Click on the External Drive and select the New Folder that
you created before starting all of this, This is where your copy will go.
Click OK

12. ON THE MEDIA MANAGER, Click OK
Another menu will appear. This is where you NAME THE NEW COPY OF
YOUR PROJECT. Click SAVE

13. BACK IN YOU MEDIA MANAGER Click OK

It should give you a running time, much like when you are rendering a clip. It could go quickly or slowly. It will say "Processing Files…." Just wait for it to finish.

14. When it finishes, SHUT DOWN FINAL CUT PRO AND CHECK TO SEE IF
YOUR PROJECT COPIED CORRECTLY IN YOUR EXTERNAL.
All your clips, footage and timeline
should be fine and all clips should be connected as they are on your computer
hard drive. If it doesn't work, Delete the file that you just created and try again.
REMEMBER NOT TO DELETE FROM YOUR COMPUTER UNTIL YOU ARE
SURE THE COPY HAS BEEN MADE.

That's how you do it guys. Copy and save if you need to. Add to this if you have additional information.

-- spinner :cool:
EDIT: sorry it's so long, but this is how I saved it for myself so I can remember too!
 
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If you make sure everything is in the same folder every time you make a new project and everytime you open FCP, you'll never have to go through this again. That was the point of the workflow. I'm assuming you stopped following the workflow, otherwise your instructions for copying the project would be 1) Drag 2) Drop 3) Delete Original.

The workflow again:

When making a new project (EVERY TIME) -
1) create a folder in the finder for the project -- name it appropriately
2) open FCP
3) Under the Final Cut Pro menu > System Settings > Scratch Disks, set all scratch disks to the folder you just created.
4) Save your project to the folder -- name it approriately.

Every time you open FCP or switch projects you're working on:
1) Under the Final Cut Pro menu > System Settings > Scratch Disks, set all scratch disks to the folder you just created.

To copy the project, drag and drop that project folder, then delete the original after verifying the copy.

YOU'LL NEVER GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN!
 
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Well, what happened/s is that last summer I was as busy as I've ever been. Things moved very quickly for my projects - too bad I wasn't making any money off of them -

ANYWAY...:D I would lose the thread of how to do it and then wasn't sure if it had been done correctly. Plus, there was always my capture scratch files which I always wondered what to do with them and audio scratch, etc. By the time I was done with one project, another would come up. I had six video projects last summer.

So, yeah, I do make the file to put things in, I just wasn't really confident I had everything in one place....


-- spinner :cool:
 
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I've placed the procedure above so you can reference it any time you need it... before, I think it was just in the notes you took from the phone call we had last time this happened.

Think of this experience as the same one as my losing 6 years of client footage due to my lack of a backup plan. Annoying and potentially harmful to the point where it makes you want to correct the problem so you don't have to go through this again.
 
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Yeah, I have a project that I dragged and dropped and lost all my clip connections. I would like to avoid that in the future.

One more thing: After everything is moved, on my INTERNAL, there are capture scratch files. Should I keep them or can I just delete them? I know I don't need the render files anymore.


-- spinner :cool:

EDIT: actually, I know this one. It's all good.
 
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