basic render question

I read somewhere that there is a function that erases unused render files. Is this accuratea and if so why can't I find it????

Tools/render manager

Ian

I don't think Render Manager is able to "media manage" render files -- correct me if I'm wrong -- but you can specify which sequence you want to delete the render files from. I don't think it's able to target render files made for FX that no longer exist in the timeline, and erase them. Still, works good enough for me.

according to what I read the program is supposed to automatically do this housekeeping but that can not be the case. I guess want a show/delete unused render files option.

You don't need it.

Render manager works by project and timeline within that project. Feed it what it wants. Save your project as a new timeline. delete everything else.

Ian

I get that but say that I keep trying a series of layers and effects and render each one. Thereis a new files for each experiment and only one is used. Are you saying that if I Save Project as it will create a new render folder and copy over just the render files it used?

If you Save Project As...a different project name, then FCP will create new folders in Capture Scratch, Audio Render files, and Render files, then you can keep track fairly easily of the files you've just rendered, but on the other hand, you can also go into the Render Manager and delete render files, or you can go onto your hard-drive that has the render files on it and delete them "by hand" since they have a date and time attached to them. When you go back to FCP, it will come up with a dialog box asking where those files are so you just tell it to forget them.

bill black wrote:

> I get that but say that I keep trying a series of layers and
> effects and render each one. Thereis a new files for each
> experiment and only one is used. Are you saying that if I Save
> Project as it will create a new render folder and copy over
> just the render files it used?


if you do some experiments, and render, and tweak, and render and tweak,
you DONT keep the experimental renders, (as far as i can tell by doing this, and keeping an eye on the render file folder)
these "unused" renders dont exist.
so there's no point worrying about them.
once they are not attatched to a sequnce in a project,
or possibly the undo que for that sequnce / project,
they self distruct.. disolve... disapear.

i dont know how long they hang around for..
like if you eventualy dedelte a project file from your system,
the render files do hang around, i think.
but if you know its a dead project, use the Render Manager, or just do it by hand.

if you want anything better than this, you'll have to wait for FCP to change the way it deals with media.
avid, for instance can track capture files accoring to user, and other criteria, *even from without a specific project*
avid may well be able to delete unused files by using theor media tool (i dont know, i;ve never used it)
but it uses a completely different aproach to dealing wth it's media than FCP.

who knows, maybe the FCP team are working on it?

nick

Well that is good news. Yeah I have AXP and one of the reasons I have gravitated toward FCP is the nonsense way AVID manages files with an inchipherable mass of files that is not good if you work on multiple productions at once.

Thanks to everyone for their input.