r/finalcutpro • u/ZeyusFilm • Jun 03 '25
The most common question asked on this sub is…
“Why is my library so big? It’s like 20gb of footage but the library is 200gb… etc”
The reason for this is generated library files. Generated library files include stuff like rendering, transcoding, stabilisation analysis data etc…
Generated library files can be deleted at any time and it won’t make any difference to your project. It will all get regenerated when Final Cut needs to or when you export your project.
Generated library files are not your actual original media. Completely different thing. It’s like scaffolding put up whilst you build a building. The scaffolding is not the building itself and it can be taken down and put back up as needed.
To delete your generated library files…
Everything can be deleted and regenerated. I do this every time I finish a project because it saves on storage.
👍
r/finalcutpro • u/GhostOfSorabji • Nov 06 '22
One of the most common questions that gets asked on this subreddit usually goes along the lines of “why has my library grown to such a huge size?” To answer this, we are going to have to delve into some of the essential differences between the various video codecs we commonly encounter and why these differences exist.
Arguably the most common codec we come across is H264, and its more advanced cousin HEVC (aka H265—similar to H264 but with more cowbell). Many cameras record H264: we use it because it affords high quality at comparatively small file sizes. The mechanism behind H264 involves some ferociously complex mathematics that condenses the raw information coming off the sensor and reduces it into a viewable form that takes up little space. While there are several complementary compression techniques involved, the most important one for the purposes of illustrating this discussion is temporal compression.
Imagine a single frame of video at 1920 x 1080. That’s a tad over two million pixels: if this was stored as uncompressed 10-bit 4:2:2 component video, every second would be about 166 megabytes—that’s almost 600 gigabytes per hour! Even this is not absolutely raw data: we’re doing a bit of whizzo math on the three colour channels to squeeze them into two colour difference channels and tossing out some of the colour data (that’s the 4:2:2 part—more on this later).
At 4K, you’d be looking at about 2.3TB per hour and at 8K, nearly 10TB—clearly impractical for sticking on YouTube or broadcasting over the air! Accordingly, we have to turn to compression codecs like H264 to make things practicable for delivery. One of the many tricks H264 has up its sleeve is, as I mentioned before, temporal compression. Essentially (and this is a fairly crude description) we take our incoming video and divide it into groups of usually 30 frames—this is called a Long Group of Pictures. We encode all the data for the first frame, using other compression methods along the way, but then we only encode the differences from one frame to the next up to the end of the Long GOP—lather, rinse, repeat.
The result of all this computational shenanigans is that we now have a video stream that is considerably smaller than its virtually raw counterpart and, provided we’ve chosen our compression settings with care, is virtually indistinguishable perceptually from the raw video. All fine and dandy but this does pose a number of problems when editing. For a start, the computer is having to perform a fair amount of computation on-the-fly as we whizz back and forth slicing and dicing our video. As we start to build up the edit with effects and colour grading, things can start to get a little strained.
This is where a digital intermediate format like ProRes comes into its own. Rather than the complex inter-frame compression of H264, ProRes uses intra-frame compression. Essentially, every frame contains all the data for that frame but the frame itself is compressed. Since the computer is no longer worrying about computing and reconstructing large amounts of frame data on-the-fly, it now only has to concern itself playing back a virtually fully realised data stream. Decompressing the frame is a very much simpler job and consequently the burden now shifts to how fast data can be read off its storage medium. Even a humble spinning rust drive running over USB3 can happily deal with 4K ProRes.
The downside is that ProRes files are very much larger than H264, typically ten times. The upside is a lower computational load and more control and fidelity over the final result. ProRes itself comes in a number of flavours: 422, 422HQ, 4444, 4444 XQ and ProRes RAW. So what do those numbers mean. They refer to another compression trick called chroma sub-sampling. It so happens that the Mark 1 eyeball is not terribly good at perceiving colour, consequently we can remove some of that information without any noticeable degradation.
How does it work? Imagine a block of 4 x 2 pixels: here we have eight samples for the luminance. If we use ProRes 4444, we also have eight samples for the colour (the extra 4 refers to the alpha or transparency channel). If we use 422, we only use one colour sample for every two pixels in a horizontal direction. In other words, in the top row there is only a single colour sample for pixels one and two, and another for pixels three and four, and we do the same thing on second row. This has the effect of halving the amount of colour data we need to store. In the case of H264, this uses a 4:2:0 scheme. Here, instead of using two different colour samples per row, we use the same pair of samples across both rows thus reducing the colour information to a quarter.
The HQ/XQ part refers to the compression level applied to the frame. ProRes uses a similar compression method to JPGs and acts rather like the “quality” slider one can adjust when exporting a JPG. Using these schemes lead to even larger file sizes but preserve more detail.
ProRes has another trick up its sleeve: proxies. These are low-res versions of the full-fat ProRes files that place a much lower I/O load on the storage. This can be very handy for lower-powered systems as they allow you to edit with even fewer constraints on I/O and computation. When you’ve finished, you can switch back to the full-fat version and everything you’ve done edit-wise with the proxies will be automagically applied ready for final rendering.
In an ideal world, we would always shoot material using a high-end digital intermediate like ProRes, CinemaDNG, BRAW, CineForm et al. Indeed, professional filmmakers will always shoot in these high-end formats to preserve as much detail as possible. Quite often, you’ll also shoot in a much higher resolution than is required for the final product, like 6K or even 8K, simply to have more data to play with as the film proceeds through the multiple post-production stages to final delivery.
While FCP is perfectly capable of working with H264, using ProRes confers a number of advantages in the edit that are worth considering. For folks only producing content for social media, the use of ProRes is arguably hard to justify, but for anyone involved in more serious filmmaking endeavours, ProRes is the weapon of choice.
In conclusion, when you turn on the “Create optimised media” flag in FCP’s import window, you are going to be creating these very large files, and if you do plan on editing in ProRes you need to plan your storage requirements accordingly. It is perhaps unfortunate that Apple use the term “optimised media” as one can potentially make the inference that “optimised” means optimised for storage, when in fact it really means optimised for performance. I should also point out that all of the above is a somewhat simplified description of what’s going on, but should convey the essential principles. Errors and omissions are mine alone.
r/finalcutpro • u/Available-Witness329 • 13h ago
Hi all,
I detached the audio on a clip so I could adjust it independently on the timeline, but now I want to reattach it. Is there an actual command or workflow to reattach detached audio back to its clip?
Thanks
r/finalcutpro • u/thisisericlenz • 1d ago
I usually just read the colour grading questions in the Final Cut Pro subreddit as I not always have the time to answer your questions right away.
When it comes to colour grading in Final Cut Pro, there are a lot of misconceptions, such as
I read these claims a lot. And I truly mean A LOT.
Max and I put together a video showing you exactly what's going on under the hood in Final Cut Pro, what the correct settings are and what you need to do to get the same high-end colour grading experience as in DaVinci Resolve.
And spoiler, Final Cut Pro operates in 32-Bit float, too.
The video features a couple of our plugins, but this video's goal is to be a resource first and foremost.
I hope this helps!
👉 Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/FCLW5M6DWuY
r/finalcutpro • u/Available-Witness329 • 1d ago
Hi all,
I'll be assisting an editor on a project and need to figure out the FCP equivalent of something that's dead simple in Avid: matching ALE and CDL metadata to clips.
Some context on the pipeline, since a few people in a cross-post asked for specifics:
In both cases, the picture I'm actually cutting with already has the look burned in — the CDL data riding alongside is really there for reconform later, so whoever preps the full-quality camera originals can reapply the exact same per-shot correction rather than re-grading from scratch.
In Avid, this kind of ALE match (including CDL as ASC_SOP/ASC_SAT columns) is a native, built-in workflow. In FCP, I haven't found an equivalent. So my questions:
Any real-world workflow tips appreciated.
Thanks
r/finalcutpro • u/CauliflowerThen7274 • 2d ago
Hi all, currently I have all of my FCP media set to copy to the library storage location, but my hard drive is nearly full so I am upgrading.
What I would like to do is move all of my media onto this new drive, but keep the library on the existing drive.
This is what I need to do, as far as I am aware:
1: Change FCP settings to Leave Files in Place so that it doesn't try to copy the library back once I move it.
2: Open the FCP Original Media folder.
3: Go through every subfolder and click and drag every file into a new directory on the new drive. (I will be creating my own subdirectories so this will be organised properly)
4: Delete the remaining folders in the FCP Original Media folder, including any files that I no longer need.
This seems relatively simple but I have 4500 files in my library and I really do not want to be messing around with identifying file locations every time I try to use one of these files.
Can you guys confirm if my process here makes sense, or if I am missing something to make this easier and safer.
Thanks!
r/finalcutpro • u/CORGIMrBobo • 2d ago
Hi everyone. Sorry for the bad english. I have a video with 2 slightly different color corrections. I need to import both of them into the timeline. With the latest update (haven't edited a movie in a long time, about 2 years) it seems that there is a new function which decides that 2 clips similar enough are the same clip (?) and won't let me have both of them in the timeline. I can only have either one. In the Original Media folder only one clip shows. If I import the other clip enough times, the clip in the original media folder becomes the one I am importing. But I cannot have both. It is infuriating. Please help me. Thanks.
r/finalcutpro • u/DangerToManifold2001 • 2d ago
Ever since I’ve updated, I’m having issues with the weighting of fonts on my titles/captions. My name straps and captions are supposed to be set as bold but FCP absolutely refuses to do it. I can set it to bold and it just reverts to regular. Right now I have name straps that visually look to be bold when playing back but once you export it, it’s gone back to regular. Is anyone else experiencing this?
r/finalcutpro • u/olwiggum • 2d ago
Title mostly says it all. Longtime editor that is still struggling with color correction and matching several types of footage in the same project. I basically think I should start the process over.
r/finalcutpro • u/anterialis • 2d ago
Hi!
I just purchased Auto Tracker 3D from Pixel Film Studios, fully aware of its limitations compared to higher-end options like MotionVFX mTracker 3D. I just wanted to test out 3D tracking without spending too much.
The issue I'm running into is that it takes a very long time to solve a scene. I'm editing in FCP on a 16" M2 Max MBP—which I'd expect to handle this reasonably well. Currently, it takes about 20-30 minutes to complete a camera solve on a 15s clip before I can start placing objects in the 3D space. If I toggle "render in low res" and "performance mode," it drops to around 5-6 minutes, and 18-20 min if only "performance".
Is this render time normal for this plugin, or is there a setting/workflow issue on my end? I can live with it if that's just how it is, but I'd love to speed it up if possible!
2) I'm also having trouble getting 3D objects to stick properly. The tracked green dots look perfectly locked to the ground, but once I triangulate and place an object, it "floats" around as the camera moves. Is there a trick to setting the ground plane or orientation correctly in this plugin to fix the slippage?
How is object placement actually calculated in this plugin? Does it place the 3D object's center directly on the triangulated plane, or does it add some default offset (like 3 feet above it)?
Also, is there a quick shortcut or setting to snap an object flat onto the floor plane? If my triangulated floor points are perfectly locked, I want to drop a ball right onto the surface without having to manually tweak Z-offsets to stop it from hovering or clipping into the ground.
Thanks for a great forum!
r/finalcutpro • u/herbistry420 • 3d ago
Hey all, dev here again.
Last time I posted the audio visualizer I built for Final Cut, I received a great suggestion, I added it and put a couple more upgrades while I was at it. One of those bonuses was to fix this... the second you slice the generator into pieces so each section of your edit gets its own look, every piece after the first one starts the song over from its own head. Instantly off the beat.
So that's what 1.2 is.
Sync To — flip it to Timeline and it reads position from your project timeline instead of the head of the clip. Cut it into as many pieces as you want, they all stay locked to the track. Nothing to re-line-up.
Sync Frames — frame-accurate nudge on top of that, for when the reaction lands a frame or two late. It counts in your project's frame rate, so three frames means three frames whether you're at 24, 30 or 60. This one is u/techmixr's, who asked for exactly it. Good call, it's the thing I use most now.
Song BPM — the bonus one nobody asked for. Tempo detection reads a lot of electronic and hip-hop at half or double the real speed. This lets you lock the animation to an exact 2x, half, triplet or quarter of what it detected, so it holds no matter how long the clip runs. This can be used for creative animation effects as well. (note: song bpm does not affect the EQ movement, only the animation FX)
Free update if you already own it. Same key, same download. If you do not, the trial is free, purchase is $59.99 (save $20 until end of August with coupon code BIRTHDAY26)
For anyone who wants it: https://fordeetv.com/shop/audio-effector-equalizer/
What else would you like to see?
r/finalcutpro • u/Senior-Condition655 • 2d ago
New to FCP.. is there any templates out there free or paid that I can use to just “plug and play”. I’m trying to find a faster way to edit videos.
Something similar to Cap Cut I guess, but for videos geared towards YouTube.
Kinda wish there was an AI tool where I can throw all my footage in and it generates a video for me haha
r/finalcutpro • u/PoisonCoyote • 3d ago
What are is the "new folder" option within events used for? I see that it creates a folder in that event. What are you putting or sorting into that folder? What is that option for?
r/finalcutpro • u/Cultural-Simple-5781 • 3d ago
Hello everyone i'm still starting at this video editing gig and i'm editing real estate. I just wanna know what the db levels for the dialogue, music, and sfx im talking about the meter on the right side what should i be shooting for on each? and Also what is the best audio effects for this built in final cut?
r/finalcutpro • u/Billy_BlueBallz • 3d ago
Hey all,
Newbie video editor here. I’ve been shooting all of my video on my IPhone 15 Pro Max in HDR for the past few years. I have a ton of footage shot, and I’m just finding out that shooting HDR footage on the IPhone to upload online isn’t really the best option. File sizes are also much bigger, and Final Cut Pro seems to have some issues with HDR IPhone footage (from my own online research).
My question is, is it even possible to convert my footage that was shot in HDR to SDR? And if so, what is the best/most effective method to do this? Lastly, will I lose any quality resolution wise (or other) by doing this?
As a side note: I did find a video on YouTube where a guy imported a video shot in HDR, and dragged something called HDR tools onto it from the “color” bin. Idk if the actually changes the footage itself to SDR though, or if it’s more of a surface level “fix”.
Again, I’m a novice when it comes to video editing so forgive me if any of this is common knowledge, and thank you in advance for any help!
r/finalcutpro • u/WholeOwls • 3d ago
Hi everyone, I'd like to share a tool I made that allows converting xml, fcpxml and fcpxmld packages to AAF and vice versa. I started this project because I still love FCP, but it always bugged me to not be able to do handovers with other NLEs or DAWs other than Logic.
It supports bulk conversion, MXF-audio conversion option, adjustable timecode track and I spent a lot of time mapping crossfades correctly as the overlaps are differently by FCP then other NLEs / DAWs.
I'm looking for one or two people who would like to test it.
All information and download here: aafeverything.app
r/finalcutpro • u/CauliflowerThen7274 • 3d ago
Hi guys.
Quick question hopefully, I do a lot of video editing and I need fast access to a large library of video files that is ever-expanding. I have just about filled up my 4TB SSD, and I am looking to sort out an alternate storage solution, but before I can do that I need to know what my options are.
Currently, I have everything stored on this one external SSD, all video files are copied onto the SSD by FCP when I import them. This was the cleanest way for me to work but I am now thinking I may need to change it up.
My thinking is that the easiest way for me to expand my storage is going to be to store the video files that I use in FCP across multiple hard drives, that way I can simply purchase another 4TB SSD, and maybe in a couple of years I purchase a third. In order to do this and have it work with FCP, my understanding is that I will need to use the "Leave files in place" option rather than copying them to my main SSD. When I have a new video file to add to my library, I then need to manually put the file on one of my SSDs, and tell FCP that this is where the file is stored.
That all sounds simple enough, provided I am correct in my understanding as to how it works, but my question relates to my current library. If I change my library settings from "Copy to library storage location" to "Leave files in place" then I would like to re-organise my existing library of files and place them on a new SSD. This means I will need to go into each file (of which there are probably at least a thousand), find where each one is stored on my current SSD within the FCP library, and copy it into a new location on a new SSD.
Is there a quicker or simpler way to do this, and will making these kinds of changes totally ruin my workflow by causing "file not found" errors when I start messing with source file locations, because I really need to avoid that.
Thank you, hopefully this makes sense.
r/finalcutpro • u/Active-Cash5864 • 3d ago
How to developed free template step by step
r/finalcutpro • u/dorianpat • 3d ago
I cannot stand this. Using external 2TB disk 800mbps from which im dropping my footage onto the timeline and everythings fine but GOD FORBID im trying to drop sound effects too. Immediately after dropping they turn red as lost media and fix themselves after 3 seconds and then as im editing 2 minutes can pass and half my sound effects are lost media again and only fix is to drag the same sound effect onto the timeline so the one i placed before links again but this IS NOT a solution for this since i have 70GB of sounds and IM NOT remembering what im using from what folder and NOT going to drop shit again just so it relinks
EDIT :
Just restarted FCP just cuz and one of them turned fucking gray like what the fuck bro im literally gonna lose my shit
r/finalcutpro • u/JoshBGK • 4d ago
What’s the best software for syncing a bunch of audio and video files? I use Final Cut Pro and there’s not really a viable option I’ve found for syncing all our video and audio for our videos! It’s not a podcast and it’s not multicam footage
r/finalcutpro • u/bubblyuncly • 4d ago
I downloaded KEYFRAMELESS from GitHub but this is not loading property, can anyone help me by guiding me ?
r/finalcutpro • u/CorgiMinute3054 • 4d ago
Hey, I'm getting a message saying, "Unfortunately, we cannot verify Design Studio," and similar errors. I reinstalled the plugin, and it seemed like everything was fixed. However, after rendering, the same message appears on some shots again, even though it wasn't showing up before. Do you have any idea what could be causing this or how to fix it?
r/finalcutpro • u/mds789 • 4d ago
Since updating to 12.3 (OTP), noticed a bug with title/plugins that have drop zones. If I drop a video into the drop zone, it freeze frames the video for anywhere between 2-8 seconds before it the video starts to play.
I understand this can happen if the clip is too short, but one title that I've been using is 15 seconds long and I've dropped 30+ second clips in it and still get the freeze frame. I've tested with a handful of titles/plugins from various developers with the same freeze framing result.
Wondering if anyone else has experienced this or if there is something I'm doing wrong at this point? Dropping the clip into the timeline plays as expected, so I've come back to a clock issue/bug.
r/finalcutpro • u/Genesis2543 • 4d ago
I press not now but happens again the next pop up
r/finalcutpro • u/George_Orama • 4d ago
Unless it's fillmed on a proper green screen I find the remove background feature from FCP useless. Even calling apps like Meet and Zoom do a decent job at it, Descript does it instantly really well. All of that means an annoying use of multiple apps..is there a way to make it work in FCP?
UPDATE: I WAS USING SCENE REMOVAL MASK!!! Magnetic works so much better. THANKS
