Will installing FCP6 remove FCP4.5?

[Geoffrey Cox]

Just bought FCS2 and am about to install FCP6 but suddenly thought about a major unfinished project I'm working on using FCP4.5 (the only other version I've got). Does anyone know if a) the old project will run in FCP6 smoothly and b) does installing FCP6 remove version 4.5 or install in addition to it? Couldn't find any info on this in the documentation. Working on a MacBook Pro.

Thanks in advance!

PS Slightly sickened by the previous thread re new version of FCS2!

[Boyd Ostroff]

Wow, it's been a long time since I used 4.5! Personally I just wouldn't do it on the same machine. The install is bound to change something... Quicktime for starters. If you feel you must do it before finishing your other project, make a disk image so you could either boot from an external drive or restore your old system.

Having said all that however, I don't know that you will have any problems migrating your old project to the new version. I haven't had any issues opening old v 4.5 projects in v 6, although I believe I did need to re-render some things.

[Robert Lane]

Geoffrey,

By all means finish your project FIRST. FCP 6 handles everything from memory management, renders and filters very, very differently. I can guarantee you'll end up either having a corrupted project or worse, you'll have to rebuild any sequences with filters - even simple ones like dissolves.

Finish your project, archive the completed version and read up on the proper installation/usage of version 6 *before* you jump in. Trust me, I've had many a consulting session with clients where they did exactly what you're proposing and it was a full day's work just to get things sorted out.

[Jonathan Jones]

Originally Posted by Robert Lane

I can guarantee you'll end up either having a corrupted project or worse, you'll have to rebuild any sequences with filters - even simple ones like dissolves..

While I also am one to discourage a major upgrade (of both hardware or software) while in mid-project, I cannot be quite so ambitious as to guarantee corruption or failure.

Robert is correct in that render and encoding factors are handled differently under the hood between FCP 4.5 & 6, but I am fairly certain that you can safely survive such an upgrade without much hassle if done properly. (note: this is not to say that problems cannot occur. As Robert also noted, it behooves you to have adequate archives or backups of your files and content first.)

I am uncertain as to the ability to have your main drive host both versions of FCP at the same time. I suspect that in the installation process of ver. 6, many of the background support components will likely be updated beyond the reach of 4.5 anyway, and I doubt the efficacy of trying to host both versions on the same drive at the same time.

I must note also that when using FCP 6 to open and re-save a project file that was originated in ver. 4.5, the file undergoes some slight re-coding and internal housecleaning that removes its capacity to be opened again in FCP 4.5, so keeping the older version on the drive becomes moot anyway.

I made this exact upgrade in January of this year from ver. 4.5 to ver. 6 and had very few problems. But I also tried my best to avoid any obvious incompatibility issues. Before I even opened any projects, I made certain that all my plug-ins and necessary support files were in place, including any 3rd party plugins I was using under the older version, and I additionally made sure that they were properly upgraded to work with the newer version if such updates were available.

Since then, I have opened dozens of FCP project files that originated in 4.5, and in several cases, I was required to re-render the timeline, but in doing so, all the effects and transitions were retained intact....

...except for only one project in which the FCP 6 timeline failed to retain the timecode data properly when sourcing clips from the bin. For that one project, I ended up having to completely delete everything from the Render Files folder specific to that timeline and re-render from scratch. It just took a few seconds of work and a few hours of waiting, but it turned out fine without having to re-edit or otherwise finagle anything in the timeline.

Perhaps there are a million reasons for why upgrades can go amiss, but it is always wise to be a little extra conscientious about data and file management (especially when dealing with the complexity of pro-level apps that manipulate gigabytes and terabytes of data) and keeping your OS running as cleanly and efficiently as possible.

And keep a good backup, just in case.

-Jon

[Geoffrey Cox]

Thanks very much Boyd, Robert and especially Jonathan - invaluable advice. Certainly caution is the way to go.

Luckily I managed to load my project using a work computer with FCP6 to see what the result was. By and large Jonathan is correct - it loaded with no issues and plays back 95% as before. But it is always that 5% isn't it? Mostly the problems relate to variable motion effects not translating quite correctly and these were really fiddly to get right in the first place -is it a different plugin now?. Maybe one can save the template and transfer it? (I doubt this) or maybe when loading the project, using the old renders instead of upgrading at the prompt? Or maybe simply bounce these problematic sections in 4.5 first then drop them into the sequence in 6?
The only other issue was a couple of edit points that have gone awry but that it is easier to rectify.

Going to have to take the plunge and upgrade as I now also have to start working on an HDV project, a format FCP4.5 doesn't recognise. Will attempt a clone of my machine first though!

[Jonathan Jones]

Originally Posted by Geoffrey Cox

Mostly the problems relate to variable motion effects not translating quite correctly ... -is it a different plugin now?.

That is likely with such factors. Variable motion parameters can now utilize optical flow technologies that were not part of 4.5.

-Jon