Blackmagic Forum

I'm coming from FCPX, and there all I have to do is create my "Project" and import my clips. From that point on my clips are stored in the project and it's a one time clean and easy way to get clips from the card to the computer where FCPX stores them and knows where to find them.

Now DR's way of managing media. Please let me know if I am doing this the hard way as I can't find any straight up info on the DR way of doing this.

1. So I need to first transfer my clips from the card to a file somewhere in my storage system.

2. Then I need to open a project and import the media from that location wherein I placed the clips, which I can do only if I have gone into DR Preferences and designated that location as a source because there's very limited file browsing capabilities from within the media tab in DR.
So if I want to store clips across various locations for whatever housekeeping reason I choose, then I need to designate each one of those locations within Preferences in order to see them from within DR.

Do I have this right?

It seems so much easier in FCPX to just drop a card in the reader and the import utility can take that media and place it right in the project where it's going to be used and moves with that project as well. Where it seems to me that DR requires the movement of not only the project but a separate step of moving the media as well if it's not going to be accessible from the computer that the project was moved to.

Pro's and con's in each programs way I'm sure.

* you can drag clips directly from the finder
* there is a browser window built into the interface
* There is a media management window that lets you copy, move, transcode footage
RTFM

George, thanks for the response, just getting some of the terms for the tools helps because to me the manual is written in a manner that assumes a certain level of prior understanding. It's probably just me

When I get into a new (to me) program, especially something that is similar in purpose to what I already know, I will begin by trying to get to work and see if the software is "user friendly" or "intuitive".

So when I start using the software, and one of the first steps in any project like this is "Media Management", and I run into a situation that I can't figure out I go to the manual. Yes I can actually RTFM.

So I start at the beginning, and not knowing what nomenclature DR has chosen for what I am trying to do, I suspect that this task (being what one would think is part of the initial aspects of working a project) will be found in a logical order in the beginning of the manual. It's on page 489. Yes it (Media Management) is referred to in the beginning of the manual, but I'm coming at this with a preconceived expectation from my FCPX experience, and therefor just didn't see it for what it was.

So when you provided me with the nomenclature, then what do you know, I saw the light and know what to look for

George Deierling wrote:* you can drag clips directly from the finder

Yes, that's a given, standard computer practice.

However, as I stated, unless I'm missing something, DR will not move the item to the project's location but merely link to the file. So if you drag and drop from an SD card and then pull the card the project in DR is now lost as to what happened to the files. OK, it is what it is.

George Deierling wrote:* there is a browser window built into the interface

Again, unless I'm missing something, it's a browser that must be programmed from the preferences in order to see anything. Am I looking at the wrong thing? Is there a browser that sees all of the computer's accessible drives?

George Deierling wrote:* There is a media management window that lets you copy, move, transcode footage

I've got that now thanks.


So...........
In the end it still appears to me that DR does not have a means of storing media files directly in a Project "package"? I don't see anything in Media Management that creates a package of Project and Media wrapped up in one bundle. Am I still missing something?

Thanks

FCPX is unique in the way it stores media inside a "package" file. All other editing systems only link to the media files on the drive. Just drag and drop from the drive to Resolve Media page. If you need to move the project to another computer you will also need to move the media and keep the drive directory structure intact to avoid media relinking issues. For more info the User Manual has everything you need. Try to avoid comparisons with FCPX as the workflows are completely different.

Peter Cave wrote:FCPX is unique in the way it stores media inside a "package" file. All other editing systems only link to the media files on the drive. Just drag and drop from the drive to Resolve Media page. If you need to move the project to another computer you will also need to move the media and keep the drive directory structure intact to avoid media relinking issues. For more info the User Manual has everything you need. Try to avoid comparisons with FCPX as the workflows are completely different.

Thanks, and yes, different they are.

I look forward to further development in DR as for now I see things that I still need to go back to FCPX in order to get, but DR Studio is incredible already!

DR does not force any particular workflow.
In my case I copy media from the cards to a fixed location I call MEDIA.

Subdirectories of MEDIA are the PROJECT names and then deeper down I have music, graphics etc folders.

As DR uses its own type of database, depending on the users choice, I export a project file at the end of each day. This is saved into the PROJECT folder.

When the job is finished I can archive the entire PROJECT folder and know that all the media and project file are within. There is also an archive command in DR that does much the same thing.

I could never get my head around FCPX and its weird file placement activity.

DR14 for me any day of the week. It really is super easy.

DR does not have a means of storing media files directly in a Project "package"? I don't see anything in Media Management that creates a package of Project and Media wrapped up in one bundle. Am I still missing something?

In the Project Manager, please look at the Archive option in the context menu

Jack Swart wrote:DR does not force any particular workflow.

Jack, thanks so much for this description of your media management techniques!

Very helpful to me and I will most certainly take into consideration how you go about this.

Much appreciated

Shrinivas Ramani wrote:In the Project Manager, please look at the Archive option in the context menu

Shrinivis, thanks for the pointer, I will most certainly look into this!



Yes, I can see now more clearly that FCPX has forced me into a way of doing things that is far more restrictive in regards to how one manages media.

There's an old saying in the world of teaching, "First learned, best learned".

Teaching an old dog new tricks can be a challenge at times

Jack Swart wrote:I could never get my head around FCPX and its weird file placement activity.

DR14 for me any day of the week. It really is super easy.

Jack, I've been experimenting with the options that I now see more clearly and have to agree, DR14 any day of the week!

My problem was that I had very much so gotten my head around the way that FCPX did things.

Old dog learning new tricks

I love the archive feature. If I only want to copy over one timeline, or several, I save my project as another name, drag my timeline into a new bin – which puts all my clips into this bin. move my timeline into the same bin and delete everything outside this bin, and then archive my project. It even keeps the files in the original directories, just on the new drive. Great for taking something to color to a different location!

seanross67 wrote:I love the archive feature. If I only want to copy over one timeline, or several, I save my project as another name, drag my timeline into a new bin – which puts all my clips into this bin. move my timeline into the same bin and delete everything outside this bin, and then archive my project. It even keeps the files in the original directories, just on the new drive. Great for taking something to color to a different location!

Can you elaborate better your workflow? It's something I've tried on Win10, but didn't work at all.
If I drag my timeline in a new bin it goes there alone, without any clips following it.
I need to send only one timeline with its clips to another editor, but Media Management is too buggy...

when i archive a project;

i make a new project, matching raster & FPS, named xxxxx_v_x.xx Archive
make a bin called "media"
make a bin called "Timeline"
make a bin called "CTM"
turn on dynamic project switching
return to the master project
ctl-c to copy the timeline
return to the "Archive project", open media bin
ctl-v to paste the master timeline into the archive project
the bin will populate with only the media used for the master timeline
move the master timeline into the Timeline folder, leaving media in the media bin
check to make sure the timeline is accurate
in the color page create a still for every shot
in the "CTM" bin import the color timed masters

in the project manager select Archive, point to target volume and go do something else on another machine while it grinds away

when it's done, restore the archive and check timeline
insert into the archive folder;
- a text doc discribeing color science, sw version, ofx versions
- an exported XML of the timeline
- a seperate DRP with stills and LUTs

all this take maybe an hour or less of my time, ties up a machine for a few days to copy the media, limited by the speed of the target volume usualy

one more good reason to have more than one machine and a NAS

Thank you Dermot, I'd missed the passage about "copy the timeline IN a new project"...



[UPDATE]

II've done as Dermot suggests, but almost half of the synced clips don't brought along the audio files.