where are my FCP effects clips on my hard drive?

I've made some special effects clips to use and I would like them to show up every time in the effects browser so I don't have to keep importing them for each project - but when I went looking I didn't see any special folder and I don't know where all of them are stored. FCP is installed on my hard drive so they must be there somewhere!

Thanks!

> I've made some special effects clips to use and I would like them to show up every time in the
> effects browser
> but when I went looking I didn't see any special folder and I don't know where all of them are
> stored. FCP is installed on my hard drive so they must be there somewhere!

After you applied the effects -- filters, I presume -- did you actually export them into clips? If you didn't, they wouldn't be anywhere in the system; the combination of filters is just a part of the project file.

If you want the filter combination, make a new bin in your Browser (APPLE-B), drag the filters in, then rename the bin to reflect what you want to call the result.

You can copy that bin into the Effects - Favorites tab of the Browser, but they don't stay very long that way. That Effects tab is part of FCP preferences and will reset to default if you dump preferences, and in addition, you can't keep actual clips in there. A safer place is to create a bin in your actual project file and keep them there. You can copy and paste it across different project files, and you can also import a real clip into that bin, unlike the Effects tab. Many of us keep a project file on our hard disk which contains our most often used effects templates.


www.derekmok.com

yes, I did make them into clips - I actually have a folder for them on my external drive so I can access them easy enough just as you described - but thought it would be easier just to have them always show up in my effects tab.

funny - I thought just the opposite - that they'd be safer in with my preferences - go figure -

sounds like they are fine where they are now huh?

thanks!!

> sounds like they are fine where they are now huh?

Yes and no.

If you're planning to use those clips across multiple projects, then I'd suggest that you either copy those clips to your system drive (if you have the space), or to a designated drive that isn't specific to any one project.

And when you're using those clips for another project with its own external drive, do not just import them from the system drive. Copy the clips to the project-specific drive first. Otherwise you may find yourself in the nasty position of having moved the project drive to another location only to have media missing. Wreaked havoc on a show I oversaw, because freelance editors were importing things from their system drives, and then elements would go missing when they arrive at the head office for the online.


www.derekmok.com