Out of Memory

Will it ever go smoothly?

I am trying to work on this enormous project of mine (400MB project file!)
I keep getting an error message that says "Out of Memory." It happens pretty randomly but is getting more frequent all the time even to the point where it won't let me open my sequence or render anything.

There are 190 GB available on the scratch disk. I have 8 GB of RAM. Only one sequence open- 1 hour and 20 minute movie. There are a ton of filters at work (Sapphire, Nattress, CGM).

I have used the render manager to remove all render files. I have used Disk Utility. I have not trashed prefs or zapped P RAM. Could those help? Is there another thing that could be wrong? When I enter the error message in the FCP Help manual nothing comes up.

What do you think?

Troy Christian

G5 Quad, 8GB RAM, FCP HD Suite 2 6.0.5, OSX 10.5.6
AJA LHe card

The actual editors will be horrified that your project file is so big, but the "Memory" error is probably a hard drive running out of room. How full is your System drive? Any other drives connected?

All drives on a video system need to have at least 10% free space, in your case, I'd say a lot more.

Koz

Heck - I am horrified it is so big. Just saving takes forever! I am right at the end though and it is a result of trying to export one big master native QT file. All of the sequences have been amalgamated into one. I knew it would be risky but it is the only way to make sure that I control the pace of the film- leave nothing to chance - except exporting .... yikes!

We could dip into the FAQ:

[www.lafcpug.org]

Koz

>>400mb project file<<

If I were you, and I was getting all these warnings that things were about to go quite pear shaped, I would be finding places to consolidate. So, duplicate the project. Then, in any ares where the cut is locked, export a self contained movie at full resolution, reimport it and use it to replace the duped media on the timeline.

Do not do this to your original cut. Make sure you are on a duplicate version of your project, so no work goes missing if you get lost during the crossover.

Once you have consolidated all the areas that you reasonably can, things should work a lot more smoothly, and the chances of a meltdown will be greatly reduced.

"Heck - I am horrified it is so big. Just saving takes forever!"

well why are you living with it?
you have to split projects up if they;re getting that big.

sounds like you are at a finishing stage with all those filters etc.
you should definitely move into a new project for that stage of the project.

for longform with a lot of rushes you are better off working
with one full set of rushes,
and ONE ONLY version of your cut.
dupe the project for each new pass of the edit (once you are past the assembly stage)



nick

8 GIGS, hmmm. What everyone said, but it also reminds me, what could hog lot sof RAM?

Applied a lot of speed changes to linked clips? One fix I discovered was to unlink and eliminate the audio portions of effected clips if I didn't need slo-mo audio. OOM messages went away after culling a bunch of those from a client's timeline. a while back.

- Loren
Today's FCP keytip:
Set a speed change with Command J !

The FCP KeyGuide?: your power placemat.
Now available at KeyGuide Central.
www.neotrondesign.com

No slo mo audio here .... lot's of slo mo but no audio....

just got OOM on another attempt at export (4 hour attepmt) - contemplating sharp objects now .... don't know if I'll use them on myself or the computer ....exasperated ....

trashed prefs, tried to copy to put into new project - OOM. Nothing is working at the moment ...

Instead of just wasting this time and driving yourself mad, do yourself a favour and export in smaller sections. then reimport, re-assmble and then export. It will take all the pressure off your system.

Or keep doing what you're doing. Up to you.

Trying to do just that - actually started that process before the disaster. Got the opening credits out and aven't been able touch anything in it since. I was just kind of hoping to get everything out in one lucky swoop so as to feel comfortable knowing that I have a big, full back up plan. I am meticulous in the save as process and can go back to slightly older versions if needed. It would just be a bummer to lose a week of color correcting...

It seems as though the last time I exported, it read OOM. However, it DID create a 65 GB QT file. That is great news. The bummer obviously is I can't get inside that thing to tweak. It is also odd that when I bring it into a new project with the same settings as export, it gives me an unrendered timeline. Shouldn't it drop right in? No render no cry?

for heavens sake,
just copy your 80mn sequnce into a new project.
close the old one.

split the 80 min sequence into smaller ones if needed.


"I bring it into a new project with the same settings as export, it gives me an unrendered timeline."
must NOT be exactly the same settings.


nick

The export was done with current sttings. Both project and sequence match. Set the new project up to match the other. Should be a perfect fit. Not sure what I am missing...

I had this problem using very high res j pegs..I reduced them in photoshop and it all sailed into a beautiful sunset. I'm no expert but just thought it would be nice to know you are never alone with this phorum. Cheers Phil UK

Thanks all. I was finally able to get stable enough to cut my sequence in half. I copied and pasted to a new sequence. I am back up and running - well limping - for the moment. Thanks for all your support....

Cutting a 400MB project file in half is still too large...usually you shouldn't let your project file bloat up to beyond 180MB or so. I usually go with 140MB. I'm thinking you're keeping too many alternate cuts, old cuts, duplicate clips/subclips, etc.

You've got 80 minutes in your program, right? That's not that long. It shouldn't have taken four hours. I'm thinking you're mistakenly exporting your QuickTime movie with some kind of conversion. If you use Export - QuickTime Movie and just keep "Current Settings", ie. the same settings as your timeline, usually it should only take about 45-50 minutes to export an hour's worth of material (unless you're talking about HD 1080). And that's what you would want if you want to work with the movie file afterwards -- an online-quality version of the show.

Also consider making a custom version of the project file that contains only the Sequence(s) you want to export. Save it with a "temp" name, use it to export, don't make any changes to it. You save up system resources so you don't have to deal with a 200MB project file.


www.derekmok.com

" copied and pasted to a new sequence."

i hope you mean a new sequence in a new project.
a new sequnce in ht old project will just make things worse!

"consider making a custom version of the project file that contains only the Sequence(s) you want to export."

yeah,
that would be less than 60MB, probably
maybe less than 30?


nick

Quote

troy said: "There are a ton of filters at work (Sapphire, Nattress, CGM)."

Oye vey.

OK, well, this is after the fact & not may be a bit off target, but you know...in my experience, long form editing AND FX just don't do well in FCP. You have to remember all the number crunching & render files that have to be created & make sure those files are also on fast media drives. It's one of the few things I hate about FCP. It's OK for short form stuff (2 minutes or less), but trying to do a feature with FX & MoGraphs in a single timeline is, well, nuts IMHO.

I always try to advocate for doing FX in another app (moving pictures / visual FX / motion graphics & text / etc) & just cut the clips in FCP. No rendering needed which means no extra files on the hard drive & no extra project linking to render files.

It sounds like you need to manage the project better...get rid of clips / scenes / sequences you do not need, trim stuff up & Media Manage the main sequence into smaller files. Save a "b" version of the project and "reduce" it to necessary elements - keeping that monster original project in a cage somewhere

Joey

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Yes, I hear you all. My problem was that in an effort to sreen I assembled. Hoped to pop out the assembled "monster" before it broke its chains. As I said I am a "save as" freak so I'll make it. Better to be certain than optimistic in this case.

Got to pair down my hatrack....

Just went thru - did a save as first of course - and deleted all old sequences. Project is down to 150MB. What I have gleaned here is save old sequnces in old projects. streamline what you are working on. I will begin working and let you know if the system is again stable.

Thanks as always

No, assembling is fine and in fact necessary in most cases. But you should get used to the concept that FCP, being a modern application, can be used in many non-destructive ways to facilitate different needs and processes. For example, what I'd suggested -- backup and then make a copy of your 400MB project file. Go into that copy and wipe out all the master clips, anything in the Browser except the sequence where you did the assembly. Odds are your project file will at least be halved in size. Now export a full-quality self-contained QuickTime movie from that.

And if that doesn't work, repeat the process, only this time assemble only two portions at a time, export as a movie file. Once you have all the portions as self-contained movie files at top quality, start a brand-new project file and import only the movie files. Now you'll be outputting to tape or exporting to a combined movie file with a project file that's more likely to be 2MB rather than 200 or 400MB. No effects, no renders, no render files, no endless RAM wasted on keeping track of extras you're not using anyway.

Once you have the movie file/tape master and they're verified, all those extra project files can now be ditched. If you want to edit again, go back to the master project.


www.derekmok.com

Troy,

Reading through this thread, I've noticed that that nobody has stated the obvious: YOU CAN HAVE MULTIPLE PROJECTS OPEN AT THE SAME TIME! (Joey alludes to it with his "B" version)

It sounds like you're stuck in "Avid think" where you have to have everything in the same project in order to work. That's NOT the case with FCP. The suggestions above were meant for you to separate out your sequences from the rest of your project. Have a separate project that is SEQUENCES only. As that grows, you can even have another project that is "Old Sequences".

There are many methods that work. The point is, play to FCP's strengths and think differently when it comes to organizing projects. It's crazy to fight a monstrous project of 400mb.

Good luck.

Mark