NLE Mac / Final Cut questions from 2004

[Dave Perry]

Donie,

It's normal for FCP to name files in that manner, however, if you name them in the description field of the capture and log window, they will show up as what you named them. If you capture and leave the description field blank and then rename the clips in the Browser, they will still have the generic names FCP gives them. The names will only be references in that case. It's best to name them as you capture them.

If you delete them you are screwed.

The small files you are deleting must be from either the Auto Save Vault, Thumbnail Cache Files, or Wavfoerm Cache Files folders.

FCP sets up 7 folders by default, 3 of which should NOT be located on your system drive but rather on a dedicated media drive, whether internal or external:

Audio Render Files
Capture Scratch Files
Render Files

Project Files can be saved any where but FCP defaults to Documents/Final Cut Pro Documents/PROJECT NAME. In the FCP System Preferences you can tell FCP where to save files. Below I have copied and pasted this same info that I prepared for my boss. He recently invested in an FCP set up after switching from a PC. Hope this helps. Just replace MEDEA Raid with whatever your drive is named.

------------------------

Non-Media Files

Project Files:
Documents/Final Cut Pro Documents/PROJECT NAME

Auto Save Vault:
Documents/Final Cut Pro Documents/Auto Save Vault/PROJECT NAME

Thumbnail Cache Files:
Documents/Final Cut Pro Documents/Thumbnail Cache Files/PROJECT NAME

Waveform Cache Files:
Documents/Final Cut Pro Documents/Waveform Cache Files/PROJECT NAME

Note: these folders and files are stored in the default location that FCP sets up and should never be put on a media drive because they are constantly being written and re-written and can cause fragmentation of the media drive.

Capture and Render Folders/Media Files

Audio Render Files:
Medea Raid/Audio Render Files/PROJECT NAME

Capture Scratch Files:
Medea Raid/Capture Scratch/PROJECT NAME

Render Files:
Medea Raid/Render Files/PROJECT NAME

Note: Final Cut will automatically make audio render, capture scratch, and render sub folders for any project and use the name that was given to the Project File.

[Tim Tonner]

I need to stick a countdown at the head of my project and am specifically interested in the old classic film academy leader. Is there some sort of sight that may provide such a thing? Would love some help locating it....

[Ken Tanaka]

What NLE are you using, Tim? FCP actually provides one free, although it reads "Final Cut Pro".

Offhand, I don't know of a site that provides these countdown leaders free. But I can tell you that they're relatively simple to create using something like Photoshop. For that matter you can create one directly in FCP.

[Donie Kelly]

HI Dave

The *-av-1 files were in the capture directory along with the actual video logged. I will look at this again in case they had been dumped there during a previous run. I'm sure they were'nt.

I logged that last test without regard to the project layout and I am aware that I shouldn't delete the dirs you mention.

It's just these av files that worry me. I have a feeling that there is some sort of bug here and it'll be addressed in a future release but for now I'm happy to work around it.

Thanks for the help
Donie

[Boyd Ostroff]

I think you will have to read the actual FCP educational license if you want the real answer. Have you done that Ned, or are you speaking in general terms? Conceptually I'd agree with you, but that isn't the same thing...

[Jeff Donald]

As Boyd points out, your concept is a great idea, who wants to pay for something before we use it. However, Neds comments are more to the fact of the matter. I teach, and this topic has come up before and our school's counsel took the view that if the intent of the project was commercial, even though there were no sales, it was violating the EULA.

[Boyd Ostroff]

Actually I was agreeing with Ned's concept, not Mark's! :-)

[Dave Perry]

Donie,

That's odd. I now understand what you are talking about. I use Final Cut Express at home and Final Cut Pro HD at work. I'll check the folders this A.M. to see if I see anything like what you've described.

[Tim Tonner]

I edit in FCP 3...does it provide a countdown and if so where?

Thanks,
Tim

[Ken Tanaka]

I was afraid you'd ask that. I use FCP 4 but I believe 3 is similar in this matter. When you use "Print to Video" you are presented with a panel offering several options, one of which is "Countdown". From there you can select FCP's built-in countdown or a clip of your own.

[Laurence Maher]

. . . Note before reading: I am a former PC NLE guy turned Mac out of desperation to find a system without stupid bugs that makes everything crash all day long, so you're listening to a very angry individual right now . . . that said . . .

I'm installing new software on a brand new mac G5. (FCP HD)

The software comes bundled with other software like live type and Cinema tools and what not. As usual, the stupid read me files don't say a word about where to put things like the plug ins for some of these things in the "Extras" section on the FCP HD DVD, and sense they also don't self install, I was trying to figure it out on my own . . . .yes, I hate the entire computer world . . .

Anyway,

I didn't know where to put this crap, but decided to stick it all under a personal folder so I'd have access to it and wouldn't have to stick the DVD in and everything again, and I could just copy it from the personal folder to the correct folder when I found out about it.

Then later, I found some info in one of the manuals regarding the installation of After Effects plugins, it said put the plug ins into . . .

Home/Library/Preferences/Final Cut Pro User Data/Plugins

I checked my computer and sure enough it had that set up
And I assumed this is where all FCP plug ins go, so I copied the files into that folder and then tried to delete them from my personal one and I get a meassage saying I'm not allowed to do this, which I assume has something to do with the stupid "security access" or something.

Anyway, I still had the installation DVD in the machine and figured it might have something to do with that, so I took it out, and then suddenly I was allowed to delete the folder I created in my personal folder with all the plugins I had put there. So, I didn't want that there anymore, naturally, I put them in the trash and emptied it.

Then I went back to:

"Home/Library/Preferences/Final Cut Pro User Data/Plugins"

. . . accept . . . .

The damn thing no longer listed "Final Cut Pro User Data" folder. Naturally, there wasn't a "Plugins" folder either.

WHAT THE HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know what the hell happened, but now I'm worried the "Final Cut Pro User Data" folder had something else in it besides plug ins, and the "Plugins" folder had plugins I might have somehow deleted . . . I REALLY DON'T WANT TO DO ANOTHER FCP INSTALL AS I AM TERRIFIED THE DAMN THING WILL NOW HAVE STRANGE BUGS . . . can someone give me if I deleted crap I needed, and then explain to me IN DETAIL what to do with all this extra crap on the FCP DVD please:

1. Boris Caligraphy

2. DV camera Tuner Scripts

3. EDL Access

4. Head Leaders for Cinema Tools 2

5. Live Type Extras

6. This other DVD called PEAK TYPE EXPRESS


Sorry to sound so angry and pointed . . . but I've dealt with crashing PC's for 7 years and simply can't give any leeway on my new system.

Thanks!

[Ken Tanaka]

I was also a "long-time PC guy". (Actually a vast understatement, but clarity on that point is not important here.) I, too, was bewildered when first faced with installing and de-installing software on the Mac. I was accustomed to placing apps in cubbies of my personal preference.

Big mistake, particularly with OS 10.x.

My first recommendation is that you just go to bed Laurence (if you've not already done so). You seem pretty frustrated and fried...been there myself many times.

My second suggestion is that you remove the software you've installed and start fresh. Yes, painful. But just write it off as a learning experience.

ALL Mac applications should be installed in the Applications folder. I've not yet encountered an installer that does not prefer this and it makes for a tidy system. It also makes for a system that's far easier to manage. The apps know where they want to place their plug-ins. FCP, for example, places them in Library > Application Support > Final Cut Pro > Plugins.

In general, when installing Mac apps let the installer "do its thing", making sure only that it wants to install to Applications.

Have a good weekend.

[Murad Toor]

Hi Chris,

Are the images jagged and shaky after rendering? Do you have your renders set to high?

I've done a bunch of photo montages and the RT previews have always been shaky. On rendering and print-to-video / export to Quicktime, everything is smooth.

[Brian Gauthier]

I was trying to figure out how to build a similar title effect that I have seen many times on commercials with Boris Graffiti with no luck... Was wondering if there was anybody out there that could try to help...

The effect is like this... You have a simple title and then from with in the actual title you have a wave of light that is emitted and pans across the screen...

Any help would be greatly appreciated...

Brian Gauthier

[Loretta Shigo]

Hi. .

I have made the biggest blunder. while filming an interview..my big finger must have hit the date and time button on my 8mm camera, and it recorded through the whole piece. And, yes I looked right at it in the view finder and it didn't register. I was thinking about so many other things.
We learn as we go and gotta laugh about it.!

So, I'm sure somone else has done this and been brave enough to admit it and ask the following question . . .
Can it be edited out, separated from, removed in FCE?
Hopeful