Final Cut Pro User Guide for Mac
- Welcome
- What’s new
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- Intro to effects
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- Intro to transitions
- How transitions are created
- Add transitions and fades
- Quickly add a transition with a keyboard shortcut
- Set the default duration for transitions
- Delete transitions
- Adjust transitions in the timeline
- Adjust transitions in the inspector and viewer
- Merge jump cuts with the Flow transition
- Adjust transitions with multiple images
- Modify transitions in Motion
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- Add storylines
- Use the precision editor
- Conform frame sizes and rates
- Use XML to transfer projects
- Glossary
- Copyright
Consolidate projects and libraries in Final Cut Pro for Mac
In the course of creating a project, you might use media files from a variety of locations, including your local computer and external storage devices. If the media being used in a project, event, or library is located in multiple folders or on multiple storage devices, you can consolidate all the media in one location, on one storage device. This process facilitates archiving and makes it easier for others to access the media (using shared storage, for example).
The Consolidate command places the files in the current library storage location. You view and set storage locations for media, Motion content, cache files, and library backup files using the Library Properties inspector.
The Consolidate command follows these rules:
When you consolidate files out of a library to an external folder, the files are moved.
When you consolidate files into a library from an external folder, or from an external folder to another external folder, the files are copied.
These rules prevent broken links from other libraries.
Note: If the media is already external, and no other libraries are using it, you can manually delete the original media after consolidating to save storage space.
Consolidate media files for a library, event, project, or clip
In the Libraries sidebar in Final Cut Pro, do one of the following:
Select a library.
Select one or more events.
Select an event, then select one or more projects in the browser.
Select an event, then select one or more clips in the browser.
Choose File > Consolidate [item] Media.
In the window that appears, select one or more media types (original, optimized, or proxy) and confirm the library to consolidate the files into.
Click OK.
If you chose to include optimized or proxy media, and the optimized or proxy media isn’t available, you’re given the option to generate the media.
Final Cut Pro copies the media types you selected to the current library storage location, generating optimized or proxy media in that location if needed. To view or change library storage locations, see Set storage locations in Final Cut Pro for Mac.
If a message appears stating that there is nothing to consolidate, it means that all of your media files are already consolidated at one location, on one storage device.
Consolidate the Motion content for a library
By default, when you create or customize any Final Cut Pro effects, transitions, titles, or generators in Motion, that Motion content is stored in the Motion Templates folder located in your Movies folder. You can also store that Motion content inside a library—for example, to move a project or library to another Mac, or to back up and archive your work. You use the Library Properties inspector to manage storage locations for Motion content files and consolidate them (either to the Motion Templates folder or to the library).
Important: The Consolidate command described below works only on effects, transitions, titles, or generators that have been added to projects or events in the selected library. Other Motion content is not affected.
In the Libraries sidebar in Final Cut Pro, select a library.
Choose File > Consolidate Motion Content.
You can also press Command-4 to open the Library Properties inspector, then click Consolidate in the Motion Content section.
In the window that appears, confirm the storage location (either the library file or the Motion Templates folder) to consolidate the files into.
If a message appears stating that there’s nothing to consolidate, it means that all of your media files are already consolidated at one location, on one storage device.
Click OK.
The Motion content files that are in use in the library are copied into the current Motion content storage location for the library (either the library file or the Motion Templates folder). To view or change library storage locations, see Set storage locations in Final Cut Pro for Mac.
Note: If you have created or customized any Final Cut Pro effects, transitions, titles, or generators in Motion, set the storage location for your Motion content to In Library before starting any copy or move operations between libraries or storage devices. Otherwise, the Motion content is not included in those operations. See Manage Motion content in Final Cut Pro for Mac. Regardless, you must manually track and move any third-party (FxPlug) content, because it is not managed within the Final Cut Pro library.
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