media manager - deleting unused media

I am about to media manage, and have discovered a fundamental flaw in my workflow; I edit my media directly into the sequence rather than through in the viewer. Now I discover that unless i have set in,out points I can't delete unused media with media manager. I was counting on this step to reduce my HD space when I was done with the projects. Any neat way to correct my error in retrospect? At least I now know for the future! Wish I had have known at the beginning!

Thanks for any solutions.

So you're not cutting your video at all? Or are you cutting your video with the blade tool in the timeline? If you are doing the latter, then you are setting in and out points. Every clip in the timeline must have in and out points, either at the beginning and end of the media, or at some other points in the clip. Open a clip from the timeline into the viewer and you'll see the marked I/O. Media manager does have other requirements besides I/O, it also needs proper timecode and reel number information.

All the best,

Tom

Sorry but this made me laugh this morning... I don't mean to be rude it just made me chuckle.

Who told you that you had to mark IO points outside the timeline in order to media manage?

I'd hunt that person down and drop their Android HTC in a glass of coke and stamp on their PC because they were lying to you and probably giving you heart palpitations!

Media manager can indeed remove unused media and even unused parts of clips used in any timeline. You must have missed the checkbox in Media Managers that says:

Delete unused media from selected items.


You can select how long (if any) handles you want around the footage IO too.

I suggest if you have space that you do a Media Managed copy of the final timeline with removed media and check it before deleting the original project and media. This way at least you know everything is there before removing media you might need.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

Thank you Ben and Tom, I'm very good for a chuckle... even had one myself!
Ok, so it was just that the I/O in the media file said not set, that I presumed it was a no go. All my media has timecode and reel number info. I'm set to go. I haven't used MM and I'm crossing all my t's and dotting the i's before I commit. About time to jump I'd say. Thanks for the parachute gentlemen!

LKennedy

No probs!

? Simply select the timeline you want to MM in the browser

? Right Click and MM

? Select Copy

? Uncheck "Include master clips outside selection"

? Check "Delete used media from duplicated items"

? Set your handles - I'd suggest a 2 second handle [00:00:02:00] would give you more than enough to tweak minor IO edits later (if necessary)

? Uncheck "Include affiliate clips outside selection"

? Unless you want to be able to change Multiclip angles within multi clips then also Uncheck "Include non active multi clip angles" - if you don't have any multi clips then it doesn't matter about this being checked

? Select your new "consolidated media" destination

? Click Ok and save the FCP Project - my suggestion is to write the filename like so:

<project name> consolidated.fcp

That way you know its a version without excess media.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

...oh yeah. Then check your new consolidated project is all there and hunky dory before you go and delete the original!



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

> so it was just that the I/O in the media file said not set

That only means the In-Out points on your master clip haven't been set. You're not media-managing based on those, anyway. You're trimming based on the In-Out points on the affiliate clips in the timeline.

Make sure all clips have a valid, unique and accurate Reel Name, though. And yes, send the trimmed media to a different drive location (Scratch Disk) and check the trimmed project carefully before proceeding.


www.derekmok.com

You guys are such a great help. I am going to MM my projects today... I feel confident.
Lkennedy

Can I add a question to this topic... Another chuckle may be called for.

I have several sequences within a project. So do I MM each sequence, one by one? Wouldn't that create a new project each time? Then do i archive each consolidated project and delete the original 'mother' project? Thank you for your patience.

LKennedy

OK, I think I understand that within each project, I can select ALL my sequences in the browser, create a consolidated project file using MM and then, after testing it, delete the original project file. (This in effect will reduce the size of my capture scratch... create room for my next projects) To archive, I then save that consolidated file onto an 'archive' hard drive (and back-up), and the deal is done. If I need to re-work, I simply reload the archived consolidated project file, and it will behave as if nothing was changed. Ta-da! Please tell me I'm right... if I am. Thanks

> I can select ALL my sequences in the browser, create a consolidated project file using
> MM and then, after testing it, delete the original project file. (This in effect will reduce
> the size of my capture scratch

No, it will not.
By using the Copy function Ben outlined above, you will actually initially increase the size of your media files, because you're creating shortened versions of your clips on top of your original full clips. You will only get the drive space back if you verify that your cuts are intact, and then delete the original untrimmed clips yourself and empty the Trash.

Don't delete the original project file. There is no reason for it. You need to archive it properly, with date/time stamps, and to multiple locations. The project file is only anywhere between 20MB and 300MB -- about the size of 10 seconds of clip, or less, depending on what format you were using.

> To archive, I then save that consolidated file onto an 'archive' hard drive (and back-up),
> and the deal is done.

No, that's not enough.

You don't seem to understand the file relationships in FCP. The "consolidated file" you're talking about is simply a project file. It is the "brain" of the project; it contains no video information in terms of the actual colours, shapes and frames you shot. It only knows what to do with the video if you have it available; it doesn't have the video itself.

If you only archive the project file, and you come back to open the project in six months, you'll be in for a nasty surprise because all your clips will be missing. You need to back up the trimmed new project file, all of its trimmed media clips, and any clips that were used on top of that, such as graphics and audio.

I strongly recommend that you find an experienced editor/FCP operator to perform this task. Media trimming is filled with landmines. If you just barge in based on what little you understand from an internet forum posting, you could blow yourself up because of your incomplete knowledge and lack of experience with organization, verification and troubleshooting.

There is nothing wrong with what Ben, Tom and I have already shown you...except that there are also implicit pieces of information that a professional editor will consider...but that you won't know enough to ask. To give you some examples:

1. Did you shoot tapeless, or did you capture from timecoded tapes? You archive these two types of projects differently.

2. Did you capture at online quality?

3. How long is the archive intended to last? Is the project going out of active duty or not?

4. Which types of your media should not be trimmed? Which should be left intact (and archived independently)? Which files do you need to go out into the OS to check by hand, and which can you trust FCP to handle?

5. How do you know you won't need the media that wasn't literally used in a timeline? For example, will you need a trailer? A blooper reel? DVD or web bonus materials?

If you don't have the complete picture, then do yourself a favour: Archive the entire project and don't trim it. Trimming should be done only by experienced operators, and is what I'd call an "executive decision" -- only the producers, the heads of the project, can give that go-ahead.


www.derekmok.com

Gotta agree with D's wise words there.

I just buy a new hard disk and archive EVERYTHING. I only consolidate when sending a project away for external finishing if I'm not doing it myself and I don't have the luxury of a large HDD but I always keep the project intact.

It's not like the old days when we had 2GB Striped Avid RAIDs and had to consolidate regularly to make enough space!

Hard Disks are extremely cheap and you can pick up an excellent quality bare bones Hitachi 1TB (7K1000.c) for as little as $55! You'll need a HDD dock (maybe another $50 or so) or an External case, but its more important to have a good HDD Mech and not just go for a cheap external HDD with a Maxtor mech (spit, wobbly transition to scene where I find out the 3rd Maxtor in as many months HDD has died; losing ALL my work) anyway I digress...

Re case/dock:

Get FireWire 800 or if you have eSATA (or USB3 or Thunderbolt) then go for those options as transfer times on USB2 and FireWire 400 are crippling when transferring GBs of data.

However if you are very sure that consolidating is the way you want to go then you have the recommendations.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

Thanks guys... I completely know what your saying.

I'm struggling because I've got 3 projects to complete, the first one has taken 3.19Tb of harddrive! I wanted to trim because that is huge!!!

I don't think it was reasonable to use an entire 4Tb drive just as an archive (firewire 800). On top of that I have all the original media on another 4Tb drive. Its crazy... then I have a backup for both of those drives... you do the math because I'm too embarrassed to tell you how many Tb are sitting on my desk! But hey I'll probably never actually meet you, so I'll risk our fledgling friendship... (I have another 2TB to back up my computer too.)

The reason everything is so huge is that I have files of 3 cameras, all HD, recording and editing about 30x45minute programs. There are some FXs...

I do understand the relationship between media files, clips, and affiliated clips. I think I need to MM the entire project rather than each sequence, as some clips are used across several sequences within a project.

I don't have a budget, as the program has no cash flow yet... so... i can't afford anything but my own sharp learning curve. I might have a go at this:

I will move my project files (currently on my MacHD),to my CaptureHD (this contains all capture scratch and render files). Then MM a new consolidated copy, then disconnect the captureHD, test the copy, and if its good...!...if not I haven't trashed it. Should be able to put it all back. Do you think?
LKennedy

If you have the original media on a backup then its not so crazy to get rid of the working copies - however you should dump all the *"non-easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy-reconnect-able footage" and FX onto a backup drive including the FX projects files (AE, Motion, etc) too.

Don't be embarrassed about the size of your HDD! Its how you use it that counts...

To give you an idea of my setup at home

1x 16TB (14TB formatted RAID6)
1x 8TB (7TB Formatted RAID5)
16TB DroboPro backup

30+ 1, 2 & 3TB HDDs with Project backups for archive.


I get the budget issues its a pain to be sure. But as Jeff likes to remind me - "You never have data until you have it thrice!"

If you calculate your time to consolidate, the risk of having to recreate the full project, the cost to reshoot (if you do lose everything) versus the cost of a cheap $55 HDD even $220 for 4 or 2x 2TB or 3TB+ 1TB or whatever, I'm sure it will seem pretty low.

I'm sure there are Tax breaks for computer equipment too - give your accountant a call.


But if you have no budget and consolidating is the only option, then as long as you check carefully and are sure you have a working copy and of course a backup of the original media and original FCP project file and NEPLSRF* and you are sure that this is the only route and that the moon and stars are in the correct alignment and no small cute animals are harmed during the process then ok.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

My turn to chuckle... I have to think about this stuf.
LKennedy

There are plenty of ways to reduce storage requirements without trimming.

I'm assuming your media is tapeless. In that case, the very least you need to keep are the camera masters. And you say you have one backup of each project, which seems like a lot. In reality, that is the bare minimum. Any tapeless project demands two complete backups for peace of mind. As Ben said, storage is cheap; a reshoot is not.

For example, in my 11 years of editing with Final Cut Pro, I've trimmed the clips maybe twice. Why? Because I use a slower, more old-school, yet simpler method for archiving projects that are definitely going out of action for at least six months.

With clips from timecoded tapes, as long as the tapes are intact, you can ditch all the captured media. During the initial logging and capturing of the tapes, I will have ascertained that all clips used in editing are from an automatic batch capture, so clips can be re-created verbatim. All non-timecoded media will have been organized into separate folders. So I just take the entire Capture Scratch and Trash it (without Emptying). Quick check in the Trash to make sure no non-expendable media (which I will have assigned drastically different file names so they'll stick out even in a list of 1000 files) ended up there by accident, and then empty.

With clips from tapeless sources, camera masters are kept intact. The converted QuickTimes used in actual editing will be much larger. One method I use is to "trim" the project by hand. I take the final timeline, drag all of its contents into a bin to create a makeshift batch list. And then I compare that bin to the actual media clips in the OS. Any file that doesn't appear in the bin can be erased. That way you reduce the storage by eliminating clips and takes that weren't used in the edit, without trimming clips that were used. Doing it by hand is slower, but less mistake-prone because you get to pause and reconsider at any stage. And until you empty the Trash, all your operations can be reversed, unlike Media Manager, which is prone to modifying your files permanently.


www.derekmok.com

Thanks Derek,

I like your suggestion to do it by hand... I get it all, but could you explain this step in more detail.

'I take the final timeline, drag all of its contents into a bin to create a makeshift batch list.'

Time line as in sequence... no? Just trying to get my head around a makeshift batch list too.

Sorry to be so basic. I think I'm close to solving this phase... and without the risky MM.
Appreciate you walking with me a little further. Thanks

LKenndey

> Time line as in sequence... no? Just trying to get my head around a makeshift batch list too.

Yes. A Sequence is a timeline.

By dragging everything in a timeline into a bin, you allow every used item to be arranged in a list alpha-numerically, which allows it to be compared with a file list in OS easily.

This still requires that your file management be organized while you were editing. If your file names are "*HVNNJKBEONC" or "CLOSE-UP Good", "ClOse-Up Vgood", "MyMovie", "MyMovie1", then you'll still have a hell of a time identifying the used clips.

It's also possible to use Media Manager's "Move" or "Copy" commands to consolidate media to one location, without trimming individual clips, and then delete everything left behind. But I tend to avoid Media Manager whenever possible, because a simple OS copy is more reliable, with fewer surprises.


www.derekmok.com

I'm kicking myself that I have to ask this...

what is OS? I thought I could figure it out in context but, its just quicker if I ask.

My naming of files is pretty good, somehow I figured out fairly early on that I would need to know what my clips were.

LKennedy

Mac OS: Mac Operation System. Meaning, the real drive location of files in your computer, not "virtual" locations like an FCP bin, or "My Computer".


www.derekmok.com