Can't relink media? Moving external media into FCPX Library

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Level 1

110 points

Can't relink media? Moving external media into FCPX Library

I took a Library that had originally stored its media on a separate drive -- and I modified its 'Storage Settings' to move all that media INTO the actual Library, so it would be easier to move and keep track of.

When I open the Master Project, quite a number of the clips are un-linked. I can find the placer in the Browser (but no thumbnail image, just a black frame), and the 'Reveal in Finder' is greyed out.

When I go into the Library (Show Package Contents) I see that those un-linkedclips are not actually IN the Library, but have become Aliases. I go looking on the original Media drive, and the clips are all there. So it looks like when I moved and consolidated all the media over into the Library, for some reason it made Aliases of many of the clips instead of actually copying or moving the files over.

NOTE: I also notice that the folder structure has changed. When the media is stored on a separate drive FCPX automatically makes a Folder called Final Cut Original Media; and in that Folder all the clips are stored in scores of Folders based on the dates they were originally imported into FCPX. But in the Library there is a Folder called 'Master' and in that Folder is a Folder called 'Original Media' ... where all the clips are stored, no separate Folders for each of the ingestion dates.

SEE ATTACHMENTS BELOW: When I redo 'Consolidate' FCPX, and select 'Original/Optimized/Proxy Media' FCPX has a pop-up that says 'Original media does not exist for some clips.' (though all the clips I need are sitting on the original external drive). I click 'Continue' to 'Consolidate available media'. And FCPX gives me the pop-up: 'Optimized and proxy media do not exist for some clips.' I don't want to transcode new optimized or proxy media, so I click 'Continue'. Then FCPX gives me another pop-up that says: 'There are no files to consolidate.' But a whole bunch of clips have been replaced by aliases, not moved to the Library.

I'm at a loss... any suggestions?

Aie yie yie!! And if I go back to a backup of the original Library -- which is supposedly still linked to the external Media on another drive. When I try to relink the clips to the Original Media (which I can SEE on the drive!) the Relink Original Drive pop-up box doesn't show any missing original files. See last attachment below.

Ben

MacBook Pro 16″

Posted on Oct 23, 2024 2:47 PM

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Answer 1

terryb

Level 4

2,620 points

Oct 23, 2024 3:21 PM in response to Ben Low

You've got another strange one Ben. Have you quit and relaunched FCP? Sometimes when I move a library from an external SSD onto the NAS, it's confused and although all footage is offline, nothing shows under Missing when relinking. If I relaunch FCP and re-open the library that seems to jog its memory and I can then relink to the footage on the NAS. We always use external media, so it might not be the same as your situation.

Have you tried deleting the cache?

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Answer 2

Ben Low Author

Level 1

110 points

Oct 23, 2024 3:30 PM in response to terryb

Terryb, I've relaunched FCPX a few times, rebooting the computer, trashed the Preferences. Yeah, me too, I usually work with external Media. I'm making a film that draws from half a dozen other films -- thought I could streamline things a bit. Right now I'd be happy to get back to where I was before.

I'm going to try Tom's suggestion of 'delinking', as soon as I can figure out how to do it.

Will report back ...

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Answer 3

Ben Low Author

Level 1

110 points

Oct 23, 2024 4:13 PM in response to terryb

Which 'cache' do I delete?

What I'm seeing is that FCPX has brought many clips into the Library, but didn't bring some, and for those it created 'aliases' in the Library. Duh?

And Consolidating isn't solving the issue.

I could technically find all the missing clips and replace the aliases with copies of the original clips ... one by one, or group by group...

I think I'm going to make myself a nice dinner and not think about this for awhile...

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Answer 4

terryb

Level 4

2,620 points

Oct 23, 2024 4:41 PM in response to Ben Low

Select the library in the browser, then choose File->Delete generated library files... and remove all render files. I'm not optimistic this will solve your issue, but it's an easy thing to try. I'm not familiar with a delink function.

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Answer 5

Ben Low Author

Level 1

110 points

Oct 23, 2024 6:55 PM in response to terryb

I think that's what got me into the issue in the first place. I was trying to clean off space on my SSD Thunderblades, so was removing all the render files etc. BEFORE moving everything to the Library.

I found, in the end, that it was only, touch wood, about twenty clips that went black, and no way to relink them.

I could find them all in the original media folders. So I re-imported them ... grind grind ... and then matched them up to the black clips: by pulling the black clips out to their very end, and syncing the new versions from the end back, and then cutting the incoming clip to fit where it was originally. Got another 10 to do. Mmmm. I'm going to see if there is any effects (color grading) info on the black clips, which I'll then copy over to the new and improved clips.

Will report back when it's all done ... and if I find out anything interesting in the doing of it.

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Answer 6

Ben Low Author

Level 1

110 points

Oct 24, 2024 11:34 AM in response to Ben Low

I've got it all working. But it would take forever to figure out how I did it. I think when I moved the media (stored externally) INTO the Library I was moving issues/problems with the original Projects ... meaning missing clips etc.

I went back and found and reconnected the missing clips (couldn't do a relink because there was some kind of corruption that happened way back) ... I had to re-import the messed up clips.

Then when I did a 2nd attempt to move everything into the Library it almost worked. There were about 6 clips that were NOT moved into the Library, only aliases for those clips (and the aliases stored in a weird secondary folder???). Instead of trying to figure out what FCPX had done I simply replaced the aliases with actual clips.

And then everything seemed to line up. Touch wood. Now I can actually work on the film itself.

Thank you for your help gentlemen, unless terryb is of the female persuasion (a multidimensional name), but the thanks will be the same. Thank you...

Ben

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