User profile for user: Malikes
Malikes Author
User level: Level 1
5 points

FCP Missing Files and original media

Helping out a friend and we're stuck after trying a few options so would appreciate some help please!


Imported original media from an SD card into FCP with media stored on an external drive. Media was definitely there and showing on the external and via FCP. Now media is missing in both the original location and/or where we would assume the media to be in the FCP original media folder through Finder.


What I know happened:


It was a new external hard drive that was ExFat formatted

At one stage, the hard drive showed as corrupt and the person ran a "first aid program" (eeeeekkk) to try to recover the files / access the corrupt drive

It seems like FCP may have placed the media in a separate folder outside of the library and it used alias files to reference the original media


What we have tried:


Relinking files, that "finds" the media, asks me to match the media and then we are back to missing files error

Tried creating proxy media (I don't have info on that as I didn't do that step)

We can see an "Optimized Media" folder and that "plays" a blank clip from within FCP but still no original media in that folder that is accessible at all. The actual files are showing as QuickTime files but even if I open them in QuickTime, they are still blank/black clips.


I came across a solution here that said to delete optimized media and restart FCP to "force" it to look for the original media but I'm not sure what of the optimized media to delete in terms files or the whole folder. I'm also so afraid that I delete the only hope we have! There was also a solution around using the SD card that the media was originally stored on to reimport the files but that SD card was wiped so I don't see that as an option.


End result at the moment, we have proxy files, optimized media, alias files and (somewhere I HOPE) original media. I can't seem to get rid of what we need and get the original media visible either via FCP or any other app.


I really hope that this isn't a case of the original media files are missing but trying everything possible.


Anyone advice welcome! Thank you!



Posted on Jan 13, 2025 9:00 PM

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14 replies
User profile for user: terryb
terryb
User level: Level 4
2,844 points

Jan 14, 2025 11:09 AM in response to Malikes

When importing the media into FCP, were the files copied into the library or left in place? There is a preference in the Import tab to Copy into library or Leave files in place. If Leave in place was selected, FCP's Original Media folder will contain aliases that point to the media on the external drive.


I too would hesitate to delete Optimized media if the original media has been lost. When you open either an original media file or an optimized media file, what does the QuickTime Player info window say about the clips? Post a screenshot with the details twirled open.


BenB is correct, ExFat is not supported. It might work for a while, but we've seen many cases where things inexplicably break. Was the library also on the external drive?


For the two other libraries that are working, how was the media managed (copied to library or left in place?) and what is the Storage Location set to?

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User profile for user: BenB
BenB
User level: Level 6
12,805 points

Jan 14, 2025 5:07 AM in response to Malikes

First, FCP can not write to ExFat drives. So if that's where you told FCP to store the media, you're screwed, it was never copied properly. Can't use ExFat with FCP or you end up with nightmares. THAT is your issue right there. FCP will never work things out on an ExFat drive.


Copy it all over to a properly formatted drive (Mac OS Extended Journaled if it's HDD, or APFS if it's SSD) and then rebuild things.


Format storage devices for Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Compressor - Apple Support


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User profile for user: Malikes
Malikes Author
User level: Level 1
5 points

Feb 28, 2025 8:58 PM in response to terryb

Thank you so much for the replies Terry and Ben!


I finally managed to get additional info on the issue and what led to the files being lost:


Message from the videographer who did the shoot in italics:


When importing from FCP I imported the footage from memory cards and when you are importing from cards it only gives the option to copy to library. So I have to assume they would have been sent copy to library. The hard drive I imported the footage to was formatted in the ExFat format. This is what I was mentioning where FCP did something weird instead of copying files into the FCP library of the Job it was creating a separate folder outside the library called Final Cut Original Media and put the original video files therein creating alias files that were in the library. The jobs were set to copy to the FCP Library. But some of the jobs as mentioned above the actual footage was place in that external folder Final Cut Original Media.


Here is a screen shot from another FCP job with info from the clip in that job.


I am just thinking that somehow the external folder with original media where the alias files were pointing to was accidentally deleted before I realized what was happening on that drive with ExFAt format.


Note from me on the screenshot- this is another job that was done just before the job that is now missing the files. This one is still on his external hard drive that was exFAT at the time and is still there after he formatted it (no idea how tbh after a format).


Really hope someone can figure this out cause I'm stumped!


I've asked again for screenshots of the blank files with the details twirled open so I'll reply with those as soon as I get them.


Thank you!





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User profile for user: Malikes
Malikes Author
User level: Level 1
5 points

Mar 3, 2025 10:19 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

That makes total sense, thank you!!!


any idea on how I can find the media, it’s not on the external drive, which is where his other locations of files are. If it was copied on his actual Mac instead of the external, is there a way to find it. I’ve done all the usual ways of searching but thinking maybe it’s hidden or in a folder that it isn’t searching in.


I’m going to add some additional screenshots here as well.


Wondering if you all think there is a solution to this or if it’s lost and we need to move on?


Thank you!


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User profile for user: Malikes
Malikes Author
User level: Level 1
5 points

Jan 14, 2025 9:58 AM in response to BenB

Thanks Ben!


I think he updated the format before he copied the files over through FCP as he could definitely see the files via FCP after he disconnected the SD card.


My only other thing to try is the deleting the optimized media but I'm not sure if I need to delete the files, the whole files structure or how. From what I saw on another thread, that can MAYBE be a solution since the other thread also mentioned FCP playing a blank clip and it was an optimized media file. It's crazy cause I know the files were there and now are just gone now. The super weird part is that jobs he did beforehand and jobs directly after have all the media. It's just this one.


I'm a bit lost at this point kind of fumbling here now.


Any other ideas?

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User profile for user: BenB
BenB
User level: Level 6
12,805 points

Jan 15, 2025 5:28 AM in response to terryb

If you're importing from an SD card, I thought it would not allow "Leave In Place" but I could be wrong about that. I never LIP myself. But that did get me thinking. Importing from SD cards can take a long time, depending on file size. I've noticed importing into FCP directly from SD is slow and have seen folks assume it's done and pull out the SD card too soon. There's an icon in the lower right (?) of the clip's thumbnail in FCP that should indicate if it is in-process or finished importing from an SD card, if memory serves.

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User profile for user: Luis Sequeira1
Luis Sequeira1
User level: Level 9
69,198 points

Mar 1, 2025 8:47 AM in response to Malikes

You seem to be confusing a FCP library with a Quicktime movie.

As Tom said, you should not select Final Cut Pro as the application to open a Quicktime movie, as that simply does not work.


Regarding ExFAT: a Quicktime movie is a single file and there should not be a problem with storing it in an ExFAT formatted drive. But a Final Cut Pro library is a bundle, and should never be saved on these drives.


There is also some confusion about "copy to library".

To be precise, it is not so much "copy to library" as it is "copy to library location".

Now many times the settings are such that the location is indeed inside the library.

Changing it to some folder outside the library is what apparently happened at some point.


Unfortunately, not knowing where media is stored, or not understanding how a hierarchical file system works, is all too common these post-iPhone days... and then data loss occurs. This is totally human error - first by using an unsupported disk format, and second not taking note of where media is stored...

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User profile for user: Tom Wolsky
Tom Wolsky
User level: Level 10
152,327 points

Mar 3, 2025 10:36 AM in response to Malikes

Import means to connect the files to the application so it can read them and work with them.


For an excellent introduction to FCP start with Steve Martin’s 60 minute intro. 

Learn FCP in Under 60 Minutes - YouTube

There is also Final Cut Bro getting started 

 https://youtu.be/L3bZ-ETKZ8U

For a more in depth introduction use the Izzy video tutorials. The version is a bit dated but the principles are the same.

Final Cut Pro Tutorial | Izzy Video


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FCP Missing Files and original media

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