Final Cut Pro X HELP!!

[sstevens]

Everytime I work or create a project/event and use the media files I'm importing, it eats away at my HD space. I have a 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD and of course FCPX is on my SSD so it says I have 11.8GB left (large wedding video). I have done this multiple times before and I clear it up once I'm done with the project by deleting the events and whatnot but is there a way to just work off the files on a said hard drive or even an external and not have duplicates?

This is highly annoying...!

 

[joema2]

FCP X must store some essential items in the library. However you can keep everything else outside the library. This includes media files, temp files, render files, analysis files, backup files, etc. Keeping everything outside the library makes the library file itself smaller. OTOH keeping everything inside the library makes it easy to backup or hand off to another editor, since you're confident all items are within that one library.

The location of the library itself is determined when you create it. If you give a different location (say on an external drive vs your SSD drive) it will remember that and all subsequent libraries will be created in that new location.

In general you can work off the external media files on an external drive, and they are usually not duplicated within the library or elsewhere. The exception is AVCHD and Sony XAVC media, which cannot be used "in place". They must be imported either to the library or a designated external location outside the library.

You can easily move a library to a new location by doing it in Finder with FCP X shut down. Here's an article on that: https://larryjordan.com/articles/fcp-x-move-libraries-events-and-projects/

Media Management Improvements in FCP X (how to control what media goes where):

A good inexpensive tool to manage library space is Final Cut Library Manager. It can quickly and safely clean up lots of space: http://www.arcticwhiteness.com/finalcutlibrarymanager/

MacBreak Studio discusses Library File Manager:

 

[ChrisA]

.is there a way to just work off the files on a said hard drive or even an external

When you import the video files they go into a library. You can create a library on the external disk and then select that library when you import.

 

[sevoneone]

I keep all media within Libraries and keep the libraries on secondary drives that are not my system volume. Even if you keep the media separate, FCP keeps a lot of cache and render files in the library by default, and even if you move those too, other items like motion tracking analysis files for stabilization and optical flow can take up a ton of space really quick.