This post is provided courtesy of Philip Hodgetts of Intelligent Assistance:
Before running Final Cut Pro X 10.1 the first time, read this.
One of the most exciting new features of Final Cut Pro X 10.1 is the introduction of Libraries. Libraries now contain both Events and Projects in one package, very similar to classic Final Cut Pro “projects”.
This is a huge improvement, but of course it leaves no role for Event Manager X with Libraries, which are well managed within Final Cut Pro X 10.1.
Except Event Manager X is the best tool to use during the migration to Final Cut Pro X Libraries, therefore from today it’s free.
Libraries contain Events and within those Events are Projects (and Compound Clips). One major difference is that media can be stored in the Event folder(s) within the Library, or independently of the Library. (See my article on the new features of Final Cut Pro X 10.1 for details.)
Smarter Upgrading
In this article I’m going to explain how to use the free Event Manager X to smooth the upgrade path to Libraries. Instead of upgrading each drive into one mega library, using Event Manager X allows you to control the upgrade and build your Libraries to better reflect the combinations of Events and Projects that make up logical tasks.
Using Event Manager X to manage the transition, you can load in the related Events and Projects, and then have Final Cut Pro X 10.1 convert just that selection to a Library. The workflow is simple:
- Use Event Manager X to load up related Events and Projects
- Run Final Cut Pro X to convert that combination to a modern Library.
- Rename the Library from the default Library name given by Final Cut Pro X.
- Repeat for each combination of Events and Projects you have.
We created Event Manager X very shortly after Final Cut Pro X’s initial release to meet the obvious need to manage the visibility (and memory usage) of Events and Projects. Being a small software company enabled us to be very nimble and release Event Manager X within two weeks of Final Cut Pro X 10.0. Since Event Manager X we’ve been proud to add a lot of value to the Final Cut Pro X ecosystem with our XML translation apps – 7toX for Final Cut Pro, and Xto7 for Final Cut Pro – and our metadata workflow tools Producer’s Best Friend (reporting), Sync-N-Link X and Change List X .
Upgrading Apple’s Way
Apple provides a perfectly reasonable upgrade path. For each hard drive that gets upgraded you will be provided with one Library for all the Events and Projects on that hard drive. Now, if you’ve organized things logically by drive, that will probably be fine.
Although, even if you have drives organized by customer, having one huge Library for everything they’ve ever done probably isn’t the best organization.
For example, I shot and edited a series of Enlightened Cook videos for my friend Yogi Marlon. If I’d kept them all on one drive, then 10.1 will create me one big library, that I would rename (see below). However, I’d prefer to have individual Libraries for each project: the Hollywood Farmers Market videos, for the redos, and for the the Thanksgiving Turkey shoot (with gravy).
If you are like me, with a G-tech RAID that carries most of my ongoing work, then one big library, isn’t going to be ideal.
Of course you can create new Libraries and move Events and Projects between Libraries once you’ve upgraded, but doing that within Final Cut Pro X after upgrading is somewhat painful. 10.1 copies – rather than moves – Events or Projects between Libraries, so you have a bunch of cleanup to do.
Further, all the Projects will be in an Updated Projects Event. There is no clue as to which Projects match up with which Events.
There is a better way using Event Manager X, which is why we made it free. Download now from assistedediting.com/downloads. Spread the word.
If you are upgrading a SAN location, refer to Apple’s Help for Final Cut Pro X 10.1.
Upgrading the Better Way using Event Manager X
This method applies to internal or directly connected drives, which has always been the role for Event Manager X.
If you do not already use Event Manager X, download it now from this download location (assistedediting.intelligentassistance.com/downloads/Event Manager X.dmg).
Before running Final Cut Pro X the first time, follow these instructions.
1 Run Event Manager X.
2 Deselect all Events and Projects in the Event Manager X interface by choosing the “All Off” set from the Sets popup menu.
Select the All Off set from the Sets menu
3 Uncheck the “Re-open Final Cut Pro X” checkbox so Final Cut Pro X will not run.
4 Click “Move Events and Projects”. This moves all the Events and Projects on the drives to their respective Final Cut Pro Events – Hidden, and Final Cut Pro Projects – Hidden folders. (You could do this without Event Manager X but it’s easier with it.)
Event Manager X interface with all Events and Projects hidden from Final Cut Pro X. (Click to Enlarge.)
All Events and Projects are now hidden from Final Cut Pro X ready for a controlled conversion to Libraries. You can see that I have multiple different projects here: from my Solar Odyssey footage, to some Lumberjack testing, to some Enlightened Cook videos for a friend. I do not want them all in the same Library, which is what Final Cut Pro X 10.1 would do by default.
For this example I want to create a Library for the Enlightened Cook Hollywood Farmers Market shoot and edits. Because I’m a long time user of Event Manager X, I use Sets to manage what I want to work on. These make it quick and easy for me to select a combination of Events and Projects in one step. An advantage for long time Event Manager X users.
5 I select the set and all related Events and Projects are selected. If you don’t currently have sets, click the check boxes on for the Events and Projects you want to move to this new Library.
If you have existing Sets use them to manage the upgrade.
The Set instantly turns on related Events and Projects, but you can do it by clicking the checkboxes as well.
6 With the ‘Re-open Final Cut Pro X” checkbox clicked on, click on Move Events and Projects.
Click the checkbox on to open Final Cut Pro X when the Events and Projects have been moved.
The selected Events will be moved to Final Cut Pro Events on the relevant drive: selected Projects will be moved to Final Cut Pro Projects on the relevant drive. This will be instantaneous and take no additional drive space. We are now ready to have Final Cut Pro X 10.1 upgrade this set of Events and Projects to a new Library.
Final Cut Pro X will offer to upgrade your Events and Projects to a Library if this is your first time running 10.1, otherwise choose the File menu and select ‘Update Projects and Events’ to bring up the Update dialog .
To get FCP X 10.1 to update a new selection of Events and Projects, select from the File menu.
You’ll see this dialog the first time FCP X 10.1 “sees” a new drive, or select Update Projects and Events from the File menu.
7 Click the Update All button.
Final Cut Pro X will give a progress bar as it updates the selected Events and Projects to the Library.
Most Updates will happen very quickly.
Final Cut Pro X will move media that is self contained within the Events, into the Library (while at the same time retaining a hard link to the original location so it seems like there are two copies, without using twice the hard drive space).
8 When the update is complete, decide what to do with the old Events or Projects.
Always take the conservative path and retain the Events and Projects.
I strongly recommend clicking Save to retain a copy of the original Events and Projects until you have confirmed that the Library has been correctly updated. I had no failures but caution is called for.
9 Rename your Library.
Rename the Library from the default to something that represents the content.
By default Final Cut Pro X will give it a name based on the hard drive name. Obviously you’ll want to name it something appropriate. Click inside the name and type in the new name for the Library. You can see that I have the Lives of Style Library also loaded into Final Cut Pro X.
If you choose to Save the old Events and Projects (as I recommend you should, at least temporarily) then Final Cut Pro X will create an “Old” folder for the upgraded Events and Projects.
The Final Cut Event and Project folders are deleted after updating to a Library.
Final Cut Pro X will also delete the Final Cut Events and Final Cut Projects folder, as it considers that these are now obsolete. Event Manager X recreates them so that you can continue the controlled upgrade process with other combinations of Events and Projects.
Event Manager X recreates the missing folders so further updates can be done in a controlled manner.
10 Repeat for your other drives, or combinations of Events and Projects from this drive. You’ll note that your Projects are contained in an Event called ‘Updated Projects’. Each Event will continue to be an Event and contain any Compound Clips previously in that Event.
Projects can be found in an Updated Projects Event within the Library.
11 Once you are satisfied that the Library has been updated successfully, delete the old Events and Projects.
12 Repeat from Step 5 for as many projects as you want to update.
7toX for Final Cut Pro for translating XML from Final Cut Pro 6/7 or Premiere Pro CS 6 or later.
Xto7 for Final Cut Pro for translating XML from Final Cut Pro X to Final Cut Pro 6/7 XML (also for Premiere Pro)
Producer’s Best Friend for generating all sorts of reports and clip listings from your Projects and Events
Sync-N-Link X (for batch merging timecode-based dual system sound); and
Change List X (for Change Lists in film and TV production).
Philip Hodgetts is a technologist, writer and metadata workflow expert. He is President of Intelligent Assistance, developers of software to enhance Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro. With his partner in Intelligent Assistance, he is helping invent the field of pre-post metadata, including the Lumberjack System for on-location real-time logging for reality and documentary production with FCP X.https://www.filmvault.biz/?p=1887&preview=true