Apple Final Cut Server 1.5 User Manual

Final Cut Server

User Manual

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Welcome to Final Cut Server7Preface

About Final Cut Server7 About the Final Cut Server Documentation7 Additional Resources8

An Introduction to the Final Cut Server Client9Chapter 1

About Final Cut Server9 The Final Cut Server Client Workflow10 Installing the Final Cut Server Client11

The Final Cut Server Interface13Chapter 2

The Final Cut Server Main Window13 Views for Assets and Productions Panes17 Search Options and Saved Searches19 Asset Info Window20 Final Cut Pro Project Asset Info Window21 Final Cut Studio Project Asset Info Window21 Production Info Window22 Annotations Window23 Downloads & Uploads Window24 Search All Jobs Window25 Search Devices Window25 Preferences Window26 Using Shortcut Menus in Final Cut Server27 Using Keyboard Shortcuts in Final Cut Server28

Uploading Files to Final Cut Server29Chapter 3

About Creating Final Cut Server Assets29 Types of Files That Can Be Uploaded to Final Cut Server30 About Metadata and Metadata Sets30 Strategies for Uploading Media and Project Files31 Uploading Media Files32 Uploading Image Sequences35 Uploading Final Cut Pro Projects37

Uploading Final Cut Studio Projects40 About the Asset Info Window47

Organizing and Searching the Final Cut Server Catalog53Chapter 4

Organizing Assets in Final Cut Server53 Searching in Final Cut Server62 Displaying Search Results69 Tracking the Status of an Asset or Production with Metadata69 Adding and Changing Asset Metadata71 Searching Devices and Jobs72

Working in Final Cut Server77Chapter 5

Final Cut Server Client Actions77 Viewing an Asset79 Adding Versions for a Media or Project Asset80 Locking and Unlocking an Asset82 Writing Annotations on a Video Asset86 Duplicating an Asset88 Using the Edit-in-Place Feature89 Monitoring Jobs89 Setting Final Cut Server Client Preferences92

Working with Media Assets95Chapter 6

About Caching95 Checking Media Assets In and Out97 Preparing Media Assets to Be Used on an Offline Computer99 Exporting Media Assets102

Working with Final Cut Pro Projects103Chapter 7

About Final Cut Pro Projects103 Using Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Server Together104 Resolving Offline Media Issues105 Moving Projects Between Final Cut Server and Final Cut Pro106 Checking Out a Final Cut Pro Project106 Editing a Checked-Out Project in Final Cut Pro108 Checking In a Final Cut Pro Project109 Making Versions of Final Cut Pro Project Assets110 Working on Projects While Away from the Final Cut Server Network111 Exporting a Final Cut Pro Project114

Working with Final Cut Studio Projects117Chapter 8

About Editing Final Cut Studio Project Assets117 Checking Bundle Assets In and Out118 Checking Projects and Media Files In and Out119

4 Contents

Exporting a Project Asset and Its Media124

Using Status Metadata in the Final Cut Server Workflow127Chapter 9

Using Status Metadata to Track Assets and Productions127 About the Review and Approve Feature131 Using the Review and Approve Feature132

Exporting, Archiving, and Deleting Completed Assets and Projects137Chapter 10

Outputting a Final Project137 Archiving and Restoring Media Assets140 Deleting Assets from Final Cut Server141

Solving Problems143Appendix

Resources for Solving Problems143 Contacting AppleCare Support143

145Glossary

5Contents

Welcome to Final Cut Server

Final Cut Server is extremely flexible and configurable. It is also designed to become fully functional quickly, allowing you to expand its capabilities as your needs grow.

This preface covers the following:

• About Final Cut Server (p. 7)

• About the Final Cut Server Documentation (p. 7)

• Additional Resources (p. 8)

About Final Cut Server

Final Cut Server is powerful media asset management and workflow automation software. Final Cut Server makes it easy to manage large collections of media files. Its capabilities also extend to tracking job status, orchestrating reviews and approvals, and automating complex sequences of tasks—all in a single product designed to work with Final Cut Pro.

Preface

About the Final Cut Server Documentation

Final Cut Server comes with various documentation that will help you get started as well as provide detailed information about the application.

• Final Cut Server Setup Guide: The printed installation document provided in the Final Cut Server box describes how to install and configure Final Cut Server.

• Final Cut Server User Manual: This user manual describes how to use the Final Cut Server client for the day-to-day use of the system, such as browsing assets, managing jobs, and managing productions.

• Final Cut Server Administrator Guide: The administrator guide describes how to administer most components of the Final Cut Server system. It does not describe day-to-day use of the system, such as browsing assets and managing jobs, productions, and orders, which are described in the Final Cut Server User Manual.

Important: An understanding of the material in the Final Cut Server User Manual is

assumed in the Final Cut Server Administrator Guide.

Additional Resources

Along with the documentation that comes with Final Cut Server, there are a variety of other resources you can use to find out more about Final Cut Server.

Final Cut Server Website

For general information and updates, as well as the latest news on Final Cut Server, go to:

• http://www.apple.com/finalcutserver

Apple Service and Support Websites

For software updates and answers to the most frequently asked questions for all Apple products, go to the general Apple Support webpage. You’ll also have access to product specifications, reference documentation, and Apple and third-party product technical articles.

• http://www.apple.com/support

For software updates, documentation, discussion forums, and answers to the most frequently asked questions for Final Cut Server, go to:

• http://www.apple.com/support/finalcutserver

For discussion forums for all Apple products from around the world, where you can search for an answer, post your question, or answer other users’ questions, go to:

• http://discussions.apple.com

8 Preface Welcome to Final Cut Server

An Introduction to the Final Cut Server Client

This chapter provides an overview of the Final Cut Server, including information about the Final Cut Server workflow and how to install the Final Cut Server client.

This chapter covers the following:

• About Final Cut Server (p. 9)

• The Final Cut Server Client Workflow (p. 10)

• Installing the Final Cut Server Client (p. 11)

About Final Cut Server

Final Cut Server works similarly to other client/server computer networks. A client computer sends a request to the server computers. Upon receiving the request, the server computer performs a job to process the request and then sends the result (or message of completion of the job) back to the client computer. Jobs can include uploading, copying, transcoding, cataloging, and otherwise tracking media files. Media can be stored on the server computer’s internal and external drives as well as on many supported network devices. Larger facilities may use an Apple Xsan storage area network (SAN) for asset and production storage.

The Final Cut Server client is the focus of this user manual. The Final Cut Server client is software that communicates with the Final Cut Server server. The client allows you, one of multiple users, to access the assets shared across your organization’s system. In your Final Cut Server client, you can quickly search your organization’s asset catalog and transfer media files between your local computer and the devices on which the assets are stored. You can run the Final Cut Server client on Mac OS X and Windows XP or Windows Vista operating systems. For information about system requirements, see the Before You Install Final Cut Server and the Final Cut Server Setup Guide documents.

The Final Cut Server client provides many features to help you manage your media. These features all use Final Cut Server assets. When you upload a media or project file to Final Cut Server, an asset is created for it. This asset contains metadata, the original file (called the primary representation file), and proxy copies of the primary representation file that are used within Final Cut Server.

Final Cut Server can help you do the following tasks:

• Find the assets you need: As the number of assets in your Final Cut Server catalog increases, creating and managing searches becomes more important. Final Cut Server provides multiple ways to search and organize the assets in your organization’s Final Cut Server catalog.

• Have immediate access to media: Final Cut Server provides immediate access to media from the Final Cut Server client software. You can easily get information and view a media asset from the client software. If you want to edit the media asset, you can check out a Final Cut Server–managed copy of the file to your local computer, edit it, and then check it back in to Final Cut Server. Because Final Cut Server is managing the checked-out file, the new edits are tracked by Final Cut Server.

• Track the status of media: Final Cut Server provides metadata fields and saved searches to help you track assets as they move through your organization’s workflow. Your Final Cut Server administrator can further customize the metadata fields to increase the effectiveness of asset tracking for your organization.

• Perform powerful media conversion: Final Cut Server uses Compressor, a powerful transcoding application that is part of Final Cut Studio, to convert media from one video format to another when uploading, exporting, and copying media files.

• Work while not connected to the Final Cut Server network: You can check out Final Cut Server–managed project and media files and then edit them while not connected to the Final Cut Server network. When you later connect to the Final Cut Server network, you can check the edited files back in to Final Cut Server. When you check in the files, the assets that track the files are updated with the new files.

The Final Cut Server Client Workflow

Final Cut Server makes it easy for users to find, access, and track media and project files, as well as transcode media and easily check assets in and out for editing.

Although different organizations perform each of these tasks slightly differently, the typical Final Cut Server workflow involves four stages:

Stage 1: Organizing Existing Media and Uploading New Media

The project you’re working on might use media that has already been uploaded to Final Cut Server, or it may require new media. Media can be uploaded using an automated scan set up by your administrator or uploaded manually by any person in your organization.

10 Chapter 1 An Introduction to the Final Cut Server Client

Stage 2: Editing the Media and Project

This stage of editing within your organization can include creating and editing a Final Cut Pro project, creating and revising artwork and graphic overlays or motion effects, or other workflows your organization uses to create projects for client review. The final part of this stage involves putting all the finished pieces together into a review copy of the project.

Stage 3: Reviewing and Approving the Project

This stage may involve your coworkers or clients logging in to Final Cut Server and viewing the project or sending copies of the project out for review. If your Final Cut Server administrator has configured your system to automatically send out Review and Approve emails, they are used in this stage.

Stage 4: Outputting and Archiving the Final Media and Project

This stage includes creating backup copies of the assets and archiving the final assets in Final Cut Server.

Final Cut Server can be customized to meet the specific needs of your organization’s workflow. For more information, contact your Final Cut Server administrator.

Installing the Final Cut Server Client

Your Final Cut Server administrator will provide you with a URL from which you can download a copy of the Final Cut Server client to your computer. Your administrator will also give you a user name and password for the Final Cut Server client.

After the Final Cut Server client is downloaded, a login screen appears. You can log in to Final Cut Server using the user name and password provided by your Final Cut Server administrator.

You can log out of the Final Cut Server client by choosing Log Out from the Server pop-up menu, or by clicking the close button in the Final Cut Server main window.

After the Final Cut Server client is installed on your computer, you can open it by double-clicking the application icon that appears in the location where you installed the application.

11Chapter 1 An Introduction to the Final Cut Server Client

The Final Cut Server Interface

This chapter provides descriptions of the Final Cut Server user interface. You can use this chapter to orient yourself while learning to use Final Cut Server. You’ll find more information about the features described in this chapter in the following chapters.

This chapter covers the following:

• The Final Cut Server Main Window (p. 13)

• Views for Assets and Productions Panes (p. 17)

• Search Options and Saved Searches (p. 19)

• Asset Info Window (p. 20)

• Final Cut Pro Project Asset Info Window (p. 21)

• Final Cut Studio Project Asset Info Window (p. 21)

• Production Info Window (p. 22)

• Annotations Window (p. 23)

• Downloads & Uploads Window (p. 24)

• Search All Jobs Window (p. 25)

• Search Devices Window (p. 25)

• Preferences Window (p. 26)

• Using Shortcut Menus in Final Cut Server (p. 27)

• Using Keyboard Shortcuts in Final Cut Server (p. 28)

The Final Cut Server Main Window

After logging in to Final Cut Server, you see the Assets pane of the Final Cut Server main window. The Assets pane may be empty or filled with media that has been scanned by your Final Cut Server administrator or uploaded by other Final Cut Server users.

Note: The screen shots shown in this manual show a default Final Cut Server system. Because your Final Cut Server administrator can configure different media types and metadata fields, your system may look different from the system shown on these pages.

14 Chapter 2 The Final Cut Server Interface

The Assets pane and Productions pane are the two views of the Final Cut Server main

Move through multiple

pages of assets using

these controls.

Assets are here.

The Information pane shows information about the selected asset.

The New Production from Selection button

Lock button

The Check Out button

window. An asset is used by Final Cut Server to track every file that is uploaded to the server or scanned. The Assets pane shows all the assets that Final Cut Server is managing. Productions are used to group assets. The Productions pane shows all the productions that have been created by you or other people who use your Final Cut Server system.

You switch between the Assets and Productions panes by clicking either Assets or Productions at the top-left area of the Final Cut Server main window.

Assets Pane

After you click Assets, all of the assets that exist in Final Cut Server are listed in the main part of the window. You can move through the assets by clicking the page controls in the top-right corner of the Assets pane. The Toolbar includes the Lock button, the Check Out button, and the New Production from Selection button. After an asset is selected, these buttons become active.

15Chapter 2 The Final Cut Server Interface

See Working with Media Assets to learn more about media assets. See Working with

The information pane shows information about the selected production.

Click Productions to see the Productions pane.

Productions are shown here.

The Production Toolbar has a New Production button.

Final Cut Pro Projects to learn more about Final Cut Pro project assets. See Working with Final Cut Studio Projects to learn more about Final Cut Studio project assets.

Productions Pane

After you click Productions, all of the productions that exist in Final Cut Server are listed in the main part of the window. The Productions pane varies somewhat from the Assets pane. Its Toolbar has a New Production button.

See Organizing Assets in Final Cut Server to learn more about productions.

16 Chapter 2 The Final Cut Server Interface

Views for Assets and Productions Panes

List View button

Thumbnail View button

Thumbnails view

selected

This video asset is represented with a thumbnail image.

This Final Cut Pro project

asset is represented with

a Final Cut Pro icon.

The Assets and Productions panes can be displayed as lists or thumbnails. You can change the view by clicking the Thumbnail View button or List View button.

Thumbnails View

Thumbnails view displays a thumbnail image of the assets or productions. The thumbnail image can be a frame from the video file that was uploaded, the graphics or image file that was uploaded, or an icon representing the type of asset or production. Thumbnails view is useful when you want to browse a number of assets or productions in a compact format without other information.

17Chapter 2 The Final Cut Server Interface

List View

List view selected

List view displays the assets or productions titles and other metadata in columns. This view is useful when you want to view asset or production information or sort by any field.

Final Cut Server marks assets and productions with icons to identify them. In Thumbnails view, the icons appear on the asset or production tile, just above the Thumbnails image or icon. In List view, the icons appear to the left of the Title column and in the State column.

The icons you see on assets and productions include:

DescriptionIcon

Final Cut Pro project asset

Video clip asset

18 Chapter 2 The Final Cut Server Interface

Image asset

Audio asset

Asset (unknown) or bundle asset (if the asset is a Final Cut Studio project, the application’s icon will be displayed on the thumbnail)

An asset alias, used in productions to link from a production to the original asset

A production

DescriptionIcon

Open the disclosure triangle to show the advanced search settings.

Smart searches that you create are listed under the My Smart Searches heading.

Asset checked out by me

Asset checked out by another user

Asset locked by me

Asset locked by another user

Asset archived (yellow) indicates you can restore this asset from its archive

Asset archived (white) indicates you do not have permission to restore the asset from its archive

Unlinked Final Cut Pro project element

Primary representation for this asset is missing from its device

Final Cut Server cache is out of date

For specific information about these icons, see the chapter that describes the type of asset or the state that the icon describes.

Search Options and Saved Searches

A search field is at the top of the Assets and Productions panes. You can use this search field to find a specific asset or production, or to limit the number of assets or productions shown. Clicking the search disclosure triangle reveals advanced searching options. The Assets and Productions panes have different advanced search options.

19Chapter 2 The Final Cut Server Interface

You can save searches you create as smart searches. Final Cut Server comes with several

The asset’s thumbnail image and general asset metadata

Click the Metadata button to display the Metadata pane.

The Metadata pane

default smart searches listed under the My Smart Searches heading on the left of the main Final Cut Server window. These smart searches, as well as any you create, are unique to your Final Cut Server client. Other smart searches that are configured and managed by your Final Cut Server administrator and that appear on every Final Cut Server client in your system may appear under Smart Searches. If your administrator has not created smart searches for your organization, you will not see the Smart Searches heading in your Final Cut Server client. See Organizing and Searching the Final Cut Server Catalog for more information.

Asset Info Window

The info window contains a large amount of information about the asset. When you double-click an asset that is listed in the Assets pane or in a production (or Control-click an asset and then choose Get Info from the asset’s shortcut menu), the asset’s info window appears.

The left side of the asset info window displays the asset’s thumbnail image and general asset metadata. The right side of the asset is organized into multiple panes that list specific types of information. You can view the information in each pane by clicking the pane’s button.

• Metadata pane: This pane lists metadata for the primary representation file (the file that was originally uploaded to Final Cut Server) and metadata for the asset.

• Resources pane: This pane lists information about the primary representation and proxy files that were generated for the asset. It also displays other information about where the asset is used.

20 Chapter 2 The Final Cut Server Interface

• Versions pane: This pane lists information about versions of the asset that have been

The Elements pane lists the media that is used in the Final Cut Pro project.

Click Elements to view the Elements pane.

saved.

• Locks pane: This pane lists locks that have been applied to the asset.

• Review & Approve pane: This pane shows the asset’s status and is used for the Email Notification feature.

See About the Asset Info Window for more information about the Metadata, Resources, Versions, and Locks panes. See About the Review and Approve Feature for more information about the Review & Approve pane.

Final Cut Pro Project Asset Info Window

You can view a Final Cut Pro project’s info window by double-clicking a Final Cut Pro project asset (or Control-click the asset, then choose Get Info from the shortcut menu).

When Final Cut Pro projects are uploaded to Final Cut Server, an asset is created for the project file. In addition to the panes included in the asset info window, the Final Cut Pro project asset info window includes an Elements pane. This pane lists the media assets that are used in the Final Cut Pro project file.

See Working with Final Cut Pro Projects for more information about Final Cut Pro project assets.

Final Cut Studio Project Asset Info Window

You can view a Motion, Soundtrack Pro, or DVD Studio Pro project asset’s info window by double-clicking a Final Cut Pro project asset (or Control-click the asset, then choose Get Info from the shortcut menu).

21Chapter 2 The Final Cut Server Interface

When Final Cut Studio project files are uploaded to Final Cut Server, the asset that is created for the Final Cut Studio project represents only the project file. Unlike Final Cut Pro project assets, the Final Cut Studio project asset does not contain a list of the media linked to the project.

A Final Cut Studio project asset info window includes Metadata, Resources, Versions, Locks, and Review & Approve panes. You can view the information in each pane by clicking the pane’s button.

See Working with Final Cut Studio Projects for more information about Final Cut Studio project assets.

Production Info Window

In Final Cut Server, you can use productions to group related assets. If you click to open the Productions pane at the top-left area of the Final Cut Server main window and then double-click one of the productions (or Control-click the production, then choose Get Info from the shortcut menu), that production’s info window is displayed.

22 Chapter 2 The Final Cut Server Interface

The Assets and Productions pane shows all of the assets contained in the production; the

The path describes the

production’s location.

Click a button to display more information about the production.

This production contains two alias files.

Metadata pane shows the production’s metadata.

See Organizing Assets in Final Cut Server to learn more about productions.

Annotations Window

You can mark a single video asset with comments in the Annotations window. Because comments added in the Annotations window stay with the video asset in Final Cut Server, annotations are useful for internal reviews and communication with other Final Cut Server users.

23Chapter 2 The Final Cut Server Interface

To view the Annotations window, open a video asset’s info window and click the Annotate

Click the Annotate button in a video asset’s info pane to open the Annotations window.

You can preview the clip here.

You can add text in the Annotation field.

Annotations that have been added to a video asset appear here.

button.

Downloads & Uploads Window

This window helps you more closely monitor the status of files that you are uploading to or downloading from Final Cut Server.

24 Chapter 2 The Final Cut Server Interface

You can open the Downloads & Uploads window by clicking the Downloads and Uploads

The Search All Jobs window shows a list of the most recent jobs initiated by all Final Cut Server users.

button in the Final Cut Server main window (or by choosing Downloads & Uploads from the Window pop-up menu).

See The Downloads & Uploads Window for more information.

Search All Jobs Window

The Search All Jobs window is opened from the Server pop-up menu (located at the top-left corner of the Final Cut Server main window). It shows a list of recent jobs that were initiated by all Final Cut Server users.

See Searching for a Job for more information about the Search All Jobs window.

Search Devices Window

The Search Devices window is opened from the Server pop-up menu in the Final Cut Server main window. In it, you can search a device directly, viewing all the assets (files that have been uploaded to Final Cut Server) as well as other files that have not been uploaded to Final Cut Server and are stored on the device.

25Chapter 2 The Final Cut Server Interface

Warning: Use the Search Devices window with caution. Devices can contain files that

both have and have not been added to the Final Cut Server catalog. Working with files in the Search Devices window could result in making duplicate copies of an asset in your Final Cut Server server system, or in deleting all copies of a file from a device.

See Searching Devices for more information about the Search Devices window.

Preferences Window

Your Final Cut Server administrator is responsible for configuring most of the preferences that affect you while working with your Final Cut Server client. However, there are a few settings that you specify for your Final Cut Server client. These include search display preferences, the location and size of the Final Cut Server cache, and the location to which you can save alias copies of prepared media files.

26 Chapter 2 The Final Cut Server Interface

You can open the Preferences window by choosing Preferences from the Server pop-up

The asset shortcut menu

window.

See Setting Final Cut Server Client Preferences for more information about the preferences for your Final Cut Server client.

Using Shortcut Menus in Final Cut Server

You can take many actions in Final Cut Server by making choices from shortcut menus. You can view a shortcut menu’s items by Control-clicking an asset, a Final Cut Pro project, or another area of Final Cut Server.

Mac users using a multibutton mouse can also use right-click to access shortcut menus.

Note: If you’re a Windows user, note that a right-click on a Windows system is the equivalent of a Control-click on a Mac. To display the shortcut menu on your Windows system, right-click.

27Chapter 2 The Final Cut Server Interface

Using Keyboard Shortcuts in Final Cut Server

Many of the standard Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts are available in Final Cut Server. In addition, application-specific keyboard shortcuts are available for the Final Cut Server Annotations window.

28 Chapter 2 The Final Cut Server Interface

Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

Before you can manage and track your files in Final Cut Server, you first need to upload the files. This chapter describes how to upload three different types of files to Final Cut Server: media files, Final Cut Pro project files, and Final Cut Studio projects and their linked media files.

This chapter covers the following:

• About Creating Final Cut Server Assets (p. 29)

• Types of Files That Can Be Uploaded to Final Cut Server (p. 30)

• About Metadata and Metadata Sets (p. 30)

• Strategies for Uploading Media and Project Files (p. 31)

• Uploading Media Files (p. 32)

• Uploading Image Sequences (p. 35)

• Uploading Final Cut Pro Projects (p. 37)

• Uploading Final Cut Studio Projects (p. 40)

• About the Asset Info Window (p. 47)

About Creating Final Cut Server Assets

The first step in building a Final Cut Server asset catalog is to upload media to Final Cut Server. You can manually upload media files, Final Cut Pro projects, and other Final Cut Studio project files to Final Cut Server. Additionally, your Final Cut Server administrator can set up automated processes to automatically upload files. Even if your Final Cut Server administrator has created useful automated upload workflows, you will often manually upload files to Final Cut Server.

When a file is uploaded to Final Cut Server, an asset is created. The asset is used by Final Cut Server to track the media or project file that you uploaded. The asset contains the original file (called the primary representation file) and the metadata from the file. Depending on the type of file that has been uploaded, the asset may also contain several proxy files, including a Clip Proxy (for video files) and a Thumbnail and Poster frame proxy (for all media files). More information about proxy files is included later in this chapter.

Because media assets, Final Cut Pro project assets, and Final Cut Studio (Motion, Soundtrack Pro, and DVD Studio Pro) project assets are managed differently in Final Cut Server, how to work with each type of asset is explained throughout this manual.

Types of Files That Can Be Uploaded to Final Cut Server

Final Cut Server can manage many types of files, including the following:

Supported file typesMedia category

Video

Image Sequence

Still images and graphics

Audio

Text files

Final Cut Pro projects (.fcp) and many of the video file formats available for output from Final Cut Pro and Compressor, including .mov and .mpeg

Image sequences can be uploaded as a single video/image sequence asset. A QuickTime movie clip proxy is automatically created so you can view the image sequence within Final Cut Server.

Photoshop files (.psd) and other graphic and image files including .tif, .jpeg, .png, .bmp, and .gif

Motion projects (.motn)Motion graphics

Soundtrack Pro files (.stap and .stmp) and other audio files, including .aif, .ac3, uncompressed audio files, .mp3, .mp4, .m4a, and .wav

DVD Studio Pro project files (.dspproj), iDVD (.dvdproj) projectsDVD

Pages files (.pages), Keynote files (.key), and other document files including .doc, .txt, and .pdf

About Metadata and Metadata Sets

When you import an asset, it comes in with a variety of metadata. The specific metadata that a file brings with it into Final Cut Server varies depending on the type of file that the asset is and the application or applications with which the asset was created and edited. Some asset types include standard metadata, such as XMP or EXIF metadata.

Metadata is an important part of the assets and productions included in the Final Cut Server catalog. Because you search for asset and production metadata, it is important that you add as much metadata as possible when you are uploading the original file. The metadata fields that are available depend on the metadata set that you choose in the Upload window.

Common metadata, including XMP and QuickTime, is supported by Final Cut Server. If you have specific questions about the metadata supported by Final Cut Server, contact your Final Cut Server administrator.

30 Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

Note: If you’ve added metadata to a QuickTime file using the default QuickTime annotation fields, that metadata appears in the QuickTime metadata group of the Media metadata set. You must assign the asset’s metadata set to Media to view the QuickTime annotation information; if you apply any other metadata set, the QuickTime metadata is not visible in the Final Cut Server asset.

Final Cut Server comes with default metadata sets to describe your assets. If the default metadata sets do not meet the needs of your organization’s workflow, your Final Cut Server administrator can add metadata fields to existing sets or create entirely new metadata sets.

When you’re working in Final Cut Server, you can use the metadata that an asset contains to search for, sort, and identify assets and productions in Final Cut Server, and to track information within your workgroup. After a file is uploaded, you and others can manually add and change the metadata that describes the asset at any time. For example, keywords can be added to identify the project or production that an asset is part of. Similarly, any metadata you add to a production when or after it is created can be used in a search.

Strategies for Uploading Media and Project Files

Your Final Cut Server administrator may have set up scans that automatically upload files to Final Cut Server. When you want to upload media and project files manually, you can do it in two ways:

• You can drag files from your system or a connected device to Final Cut Server. This is the option to use when you have a few pieces of media you want to add to your asset catalog.

• You can open the Upload window from the Server pop-up menu in the Final Cut Server main window, navigate to a folder of media files, and then select the ones to be uploaded. This is the option to use if you are uploading multiple media files.

Important: It is recommended that you include file extensions on all files uploaded to

Final Cut Server.

In the Upload window that appears, you have many options. You can choose a metadata set for the new asset. You should also add several types of metadata to the file at upload.

You can also choose to convert the file being uploaded to another codec (using the transcode settings for video and audio files from Compressor) during upload, and group the asset in a production.

When you upload a file, the filename is entered, by default, in the Title field in the Upload window. You can choose to enter a new name in the Title field; however, it is important to understand that the Title field is used exclusively in Final Cut Server. The asset’s title will not appear in the asset’s metadata if you export a copy of the asset.

31Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

Important: If you are uploading large project or media files, turn off your computer’s

sleep function. If the computer on which the Final Cut Server client is running goes to sleep during an upload, the upload will be canceled.

About Uploading QuickTime Reference Movies

A QuickTime reference movie can contain a list of references to movies that have different data rates. This allows an application to choose the best-looking movie that can play smoothly as it downloads over the Internet, based on the user’s connection speed. When you upload a QuickTime reference movie, a dialog appears advising you that the movie has one or more external alias files and asking you if you want to flatten the file before uploading it. Flattening the file creates a new file that contains all of the media that was previously in the external alias file or files. It is recommended that you choose to flatten any QuickTime reference movies that you upload to Final Cut Server.

Uploading Media Files

When you upload a media or project file to Final Cut Server, the asset that is created contains the original media file, which Final Cut Server calls the primary representation.

At upload, Final Cut Server creates proxy files for certain types of media assets. Proxy files are copies of the primary representation that are used for certain operations within Final Cut Server.

If the file being uploaded is a graphics or video file, Final Cut Server creates two proxy graphics files: a Poster frame and a Thumbnail. These are used to represent the asset’s media within Final Cut Server.

If the file being uploaded is a video asset, Final Cut Server also creates a Clip Proxy file. The Clip Proxy file is created by transcoding the primary representation file to a lower-resolution codec. The Clip Proxy is used for viewing the file in Final Cut Server.

32 Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

Here’s an example. When you upload an uncompressed HD video clip to Final Cut Server,

Media file

Media asset

Clip Proxy

Thumbnail

Poster frame

Metadata

Primary

representation

Upload video clip to Final Cut Server

You can see proxy files created for the asset in the Resources pane of the asset info window.

a Final Cut Server asset is created. This asset holds the original file (the primary representation). The original file is also transcoded to create the Clip Proxy file, and JPEG images are created to be used as Thumbnail and Poster frame proxy files for the asset.

After the upload is complete, you can view a list of the proxy files created for the asset in the Resources pane of the asset’s info window.

You can upload one or more media files to Final Cut Server. When you upload multiple media files, keep in mind that any setting you define in the Multiple Upload window, including metadata, will apply to all the files being uploaded. For example, if you specify a transcode format, all of the files being uploaded will be transcoded.

Important: It is recommended that you include file extensions on all files uploaded to

Final Cut Server.

33Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

To upload one or more media files

The Upload window includes an editable Filename field.

1 Do one of the following:

• Drag the media file or files that you want to upload from the Finder, the desktop, or a connected volume to the column on the left of the Final Cut Server main window, the Assets pane, or a production.

• Choose Upload File from the Server pop-up menu, select the media file or files in the file browser that appears, then click Upload.

Depending on the number of files you uploaded, the Upload, Link Upload, or Multiple Upload window appears.

The Upload windows are very similar. In the Upload and Link Upload windows, you can enter a filename for the asset (the filename is entered automatically). In the Multiple Upload window, the filename field is hidden, and each asset being uploaded is automatically named with the filename.

Note: You can change an asset’s title at any time after uploading in the asset info window’s Metadata pane.

2 Some of the information and metadata in the Upload or Upload Multiple window is

automatically entered. You can change the metadata set from the Metadata set pop-up menu and add metadata for the new asset or assets.

Important: If you are uploading a file that you previously added metadata to using the

default QuickTime annotation fields, you must choose the Media metadata set for the asset. When you do this, the metadata that was assigned to the file in QuickTime appears in Final Cut Server in the QuickTime metadata group of the Media metadata set. If you apply any other metadata set to the asset, the QuickTime metadata will not appear in the Final Cut Server asset.

Remember that all the metadata you apply for a multiple upload will be attached to each of the assets being created.

34 Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

3 If necessary, choose a new destination device from the Destination pop-up menu. This

specifies the device on which the file will be stored. If you have questions about which device to choose, contact your Final Cut Server administrator.

Note: Media and Library are the primary Final Cut Server devices. Talk with your Final Cut Server administrator about which other configured devices are appropriate for media file storage.

4 If you want to group the media asset or assets in a production, click Choose at the right

of the Associate with Production field and specify a production. (If you dragged the file into a production in step 1, this field will automatically display the path to that production.)

See Organizing Assets in Final Cut Server for more information.

5 If you want to convert the original media file or files to a different codec, click the Choose

button and then select a new transcode setting in the window that appears.

6 Click Begin Upload to create assets from the media file or files.

The upload begins. The upload progress is displayed above the Information pane in the bottom-left corner of the Final Cut Server main window.

7 To monitor the progress of the file upload, click the Downloads and Uploads button to

display the Downloads & Uploads window.

8 After the file is uploaded, click “Assets created by me” listed under the My Smart Searches

heading to view the new asset or assets that you just uploaded.

For information about how to get information about the asset that was just created, see

About the Asset Info Window.

Uploading Image Sequences

An image sequence is a movie exported as a series of numbered image files, stored in a folder. When you upload a folder of image files, Final Cut Server presents a dialog asking if you want to create an image sequence asset. If you choose to create an image sequence asset, the folder of individual numbered image files is uploaded and stored as the primary representation. A Clip Proxy QuickTime video is created using the image files; this video is used to view the image sequence in Final Cut Server. Two proxy graphics files, a Poster frame and a Thumbnail, are also created; these are used to represent the asset’s media.

When you export the asset, the folderof numbered image files is exported to the location you provide in the export dialog.

To upload a folder containing an image sequence

1 Do one of the following:

• Drag the folder to the column on the left of the Final Cut Server main window, to the Assets pane, or to a production in the Productions pane.

35Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

• Choose Upload File from the Server pop-up menu (the pop-up menu in the Final Cut Server main window that appears when you click the Server button), select the folder in the file browser that appears, then click Upload.

2 In the dialog that appears, choose to create an image sequence asset, then click Create.

Important: By clicking Create, you state that the folder you are uploading contains only

a series of image sequence files. Any other file types included in the upload, such as Final Cut Pro projects or media files, must be uploaded independently from the image sequence.

3 The Link Upload window appears. Specify any other upload settings including the

following:

• The Video Frame Rate is set by default to 29.97. If necessary, choose a different video frame rate from the Video Frame Rate pop-up menu, or choose Auto to use an automatically generated frame rate gleaned from the media’s metadata or use the system default Video Frame Rate setting. Talk to your administrator to learn more information about the default Video Frame Rate setting.

Note: The video frame rate settings are provided by Compressor. If the video frame rate you need is not listed in the pop-up menu, talk to your Final Cut Server administrator.

• If necessary, choose a new destination device from the Destination pop-up menu.

Important: It is recommended that image sequences be uploaded to a device set up

for image sequences only. Talk with your Final Cut Server administrator about which configured devices are appropriate for image sequence file storage.

• If you want to group the Final Cut Pro project asset in a production, click Choose at the right of the Associate with Production field and specify a production.

See Organizing Assets in Final Cut Server for more information about productions, including creating a new production.

• Choose a metadata set for the asset from the Metadata Set pop-up menu, and add metadata to one or more fields, defining this as a bundle asset.

4 Click the Upload button to create the asset.

The file is uploaded and the image sequence asset is created.

For information about how to get information about the asset that was just created, see

About the Asset Info Window.

36 Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

Uploading Final Cut Pro Projects

Project assetFinal Cut Pro project

Upload Final Cut Pro project to Final Cut Server

List of linked

media elements

.mov

.jpeg

.aif

.mov

.jpeg

.aif

Clip Proxy

Final Cut Pro project assets have a different structure than media assets. When you upload a Final Cut Pro project to Final Cut Server, the Final Cut Pro project file is the primary representation for the asset. Final Cut Server discovers the video and other media files that are linked to the Final Cut Pro project and uploads each of the media files as a unique media asset. Final Cut Server then lists each of the project’s linked media files as an element of the Final Cut Pro project.

Note: If your Final Cut Server administrator has turned on Edit Proxy file creation, an Edit Proxy will also be created for every video file that is linked to the Final Cut Pro project. This Edit Proxy is used for checking out Final Cut Pro projects for editing. For more information about the Edit Proxy feature, talk to your Final Cut Server administrator.

The illustration below shows a Final Cut Pro project at upload. Notice that the elements list is inside the asset, but the media assets that the elements list references are independent media assets. Any of the media assets can be found by double-clicking the element in the Elements pane; when you do this, the media asset’s info window opens.

37Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

After a Final Cut Pro project has been uploaded, you can get information about the

The linked media is shown in the asset info window’s Elements pane.

An instance of this media asset is used in the Final Cut Pro project titled “3133_Motorbikes.”

The production “Motorbikes1” includes this media file.

project’s linked media files in the Elements pane of the Final Cut Pro project’s asset info window.

Alternately, you can look at the Resources pane of a media asset’s info window to see if a media asset is linked to a Final Cut Pro project.

38 Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

Considerations When Uploading Final Cut Pro Projects

Keep the following things in mind when uploading Final Cut Pro projects:

• Uploading a Final Cut Pro project that contains a SmoothCam filter: If you upload a Final Cut Pro project that uses the SmoothCam filter, the analyze file created from it is not uploaded to Final Cut Server. When you check out the project asset from Final Cut Server for editing, Final Cut Pro automatically re-analyzes the SmoothCam filter to re-create the project’s analyze file. This analyze process could take some time.

• Uploading a Final Cut Pro project that contains render files: If you upload a Final Cut Pro project that contains render files, the render files are not uploaded to Final Cut Server. After checking out or exporting a Final Cut Pro project, you will need to rerender the files in Final Cut Pro.

• Uploading a Final Cut Pro project that uses a Motion master template: It is recommended that you upload Final Cut Pro projects that contain a Motion master template only to edit-in-place devices.

• Include file extensions on all files uploaded to Final Cut Server: It is recommended that you include file extensions on all files uploaded to Final Cut Server.

To upload a Final Cut Pro project file

1 Do one of the following:

• Drag the Final Cut Pro project file to the column on the left of the Final Cut Server main window, to the Assets pane, or to a production in the Productions pane.

• Choose Upload File from the Server pop-up menu (the pop-up menu in the Final Cut Server main window that appears when you click the Server button), select the Final Cut Pro project file in the file browser that appears, then click Upload.

The Upload Final Cut Pro Project window appears.

39Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

2 Some of the information in the Link Final Cut Pro Upload window is automatically entered.

You can change the metadata set and add any metadata for the new Final Cut Pro project and the linked media.

Important: Any metadata you enter for the project asset will be applied to the new project

asset and to each asset being created for the linked media files.

3 If necessary, choose a new destination device from the Destination pop-up menu.

This specifies the device on which the file will be stored. If you have questions about which device to choose, contact your Final Cut Server administrator.

Note: Media and Library are the primary Final Cut Server devices. Talk with your Final Cut Server administrator about which other configured devices are appropriate for media file storage.

4 If you want to group the Final Cut Pro project asset in a production, click Choose at the

right of the Associate with Production field and specify a production.

See Organizing Assets in Final Cut Server for more information about productions, including creating a new production.

5 Click Upload.

The upload begins. The upload progress is displayed above the Information pane in the bottom-left corner of the Final Cut Server main window.

6 To monitor the progress of the file upload, click the Downloads and Uploads button to

display the Downloads & Uploads window.

7 After the file is uploaded, click the “Assets created by me” Smart Search listed under the

My Smart Search heading to view the new asset or assets that you just uploaded.

For information about how to get information about the Final Cut Pro project asset that was just created, see About the Asset Info Window.

Uploading Final Cut Studio Projects

Final Cut Pro project assets are unique in that the relationship between a Final Cut Pro project and its linked media files is managed by Final Cut Server. Final Cut Studio project files can also be uploaded as assets and tracked by Final Cut Server, but the references between the project file and the media files are not automatically managed by Final Cut Server.

It is recommended that you upload a folder containing the Final Cut Studio project file and all of the media files linked to the project to Final Cut Server.

40 Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

Important: It is possible to upload only a Motion, Soundtrack Pro, or DVD Studio Pro

project file to Final Cut Server. When you upload only the project file, an asset will be created for only the project file. Unlike a Final Cut Pro project file, the Final Cut Studio project file will not include a list of elements. Instead of uploading a single project file, it is recommended that you upload a folder containing the Motion, Soundtrack Pro, or DVD Studio Pro project file and all of the media files linked to the project file to Final Cut Server.

When you upload a folder containing the Motion, Soundtrack Pro, or DVD Studio Pro project file and all of the media files linked to the project file, a dialog appears asking if you want to upload the folder and the files it contains as a bundle asset or as individual assets.

If you select Create Bundle Asset, the project file and each of the media files are uploaded as a bundle asset. Uploading the folder as a bundle asset guarantees that when you check out or export the bundle asset, all of the media files that were checked in with the project will still be there. The bundle asset can be checked out, edited, and checked back in; it can also be exported. However, when you upload a folder of files as a bundle asset, the files that the bundle asset contains are not available as separate assets in Final Cut Server.

If you select Create Individual Assets, the project file and each of its linked media files are uploaded to Final Cut Server as single and unique assets. Because Final Cut Server does not manage the references between the project and media files, it is advised that you group the project asset and media assets in their own production, and that you add unique metadata to the project asset and media assets. You can perform both these tasks in the Upload window that appears after selecting Create Individual Assets. Although uploading a folder of files as individual assets requires some planning, it is useful because each of the files in the folder is uploaded as an individual asset and can be accessed from within Final Cut Server.

Important: It is recommended that you include file extensions on all files uploaded to

Final Cut Server.

Uploading a Project and Its Media Files as a Bundle Asset

If you upload a Final Cut Studio project and its media files as a bundle asset, a single asset is created in Final Cut Server. This bundle asset is easy to work with: after checking out or exporting the bundle asset, the folder becomes visible and you can open the project file contained in the folder in the appropriate Final Cut Studio application. Assuming that the media was linked to the project file when the folder was uploaded to Final Cut Server, the project file will open with all its media connected and ready to use.

41Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

The illustration below shows a Final Cut Studio project being uploaded as a bundle asset.

Bundle asset

Folder

Project

BikeBlur.motn

Road_3232.mov

Music_3225.aif

Rider_322.jpg

Quill_5344.jpg

Motorbikes.aif

Upload folder to Final Cut Server

The bundle asset appears in Final Cut Studio as a single generic asset, with no indication of its project file or its linked media files.

If you upload a Final Cut Studio project and its media files as a bundle asset, the media and project files are not available to be viewed from within Final Cut Server. To access the media assets, you must check out the bundle asset and access the media files from inside the folder.

Important: If a Final Cut Studio project and its media files are uploaded as a bundle asset

to a device that has been automated by your Final Cut Server administrator to scan for new assets, the files in the bundle asset will be analyzed and new assets will be created for each file in the bundle. If you upload a Final Cut Studio project and its media files as a bundle asset and then notice new assets have been created for the files in the bundle, contact your Final Cut Server administrator.

To upload a Final Cut Studio project file and its media files as a bundle asset

1 In the Final Cut Studio application, save the project and choose to collect the media. In

Motion and Soundtrack Pro, you can do this by choosing File > Save As and choosing to collect the media in the Save As dialog. In DVD Studio Pro, you need to manually place the project and media files in a folder.

For specific information about using Motion, Soundtrack Pro, or DVD Studio Pro, see the application’s user manual.

Important: When uploading a DVD Studio Pro project file and its linked media files, there

is no need to upload .par files. When you check out and open the project in DVD Studio Pro, the .par files will be automatically re-created.

42 Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

The project file and its media files are saved in a folder at the location you specified.

A Motion project

The Motion project’s media files

Add metadata to define the type of project being uploaded.

The name of the production that you dragged the folder to appears here.

2 In Final Cut Server, create a new production for the project and its assets by following

these steps:

a Open the Productions pane by clicking Productions in the column at the left of the

main Final Cut Server window.

b Click the New Production button in the Toolbar.

c Choose a metadata set for the new production from the Metadata Set pop-up menu.

d Depending on the production type you chose, a number of production metadata fields

appear. Enter a title and other unique metadata for the project in these fields. Fields marked with an asterisk (*) must be filled in.

e Click Save Changes to save the new production.

3 Drag the folder that contains the project file and its linked media from the Finder to the

new production in the Final Cut Server Productions pane.

4 In the dialog that appears, choose to upload a bundle asset and then click Create.

The Link Upload window appears. Note that the Associate with Production field shows the production that you dragged the folder to.

43Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

5 Choose a metadata set for the asset from the Metadata Set pop-up menu, and add

The bundled Motion project asset has a generic project icon in the top-left corner and a Motion application icon as its thumbnail.

Use the metadata you added at upload to identify the bundle asset.

metadata to one or more fields, defining this as a bundle asset.

6 If necessary, choose a new destination device from the Destination pop-up menu.

This specifies the device on which the file will be stored. If you have questions about which device to choose, contact your Final Cut Server administrator.

Note: Media and Library are the primary Final Cut Server devices. Talk with your Final Cut Server administrator about which other configured devices are appropriate for media file storage.

7 Click the Upload button to create the asset.

The file is uploaded and the bundle asset is created.

8 After the bundle asset is created, select the Productions pane, click the production you

created, and click the Search button to view the new asset in Final Cut Server.

If you need to identify the bundle asset later, you can open the asset’s info window and view the metadata you added at upload.

To learn how to get information about the asset that was just created, see About the

Asset Info Window.

44 Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

Uploading a Project and Its Media Files as Individual Assets

Upload Final Cut Studio project to Final Cut Server

Note: Each item in the production

is an individual asset.

Final Cut Server production

Folder

Project

.mov

.jpeg

.aif

Clip Proxy

BikeBlur.motn

Road_3232.mov

Music_3225.aif

Rider_322.jpg

Quill_5344.jpg

Motorbikes.aif

If you upload a Motion, Soundtrack Pro, or DVD Studio Pro project and its media files as individual assets, an asset for each of the files in the folder is created. The project file uploads in a manner similar to the Final Cut Pro project file; the big difference is that unlike a Final Cut Pro project asset, the project’s media files are not referenced to the project file.

To keep the project and its media together, you can add unique metadata to the assets, perhaps adding the project name or other useful labels. To conveniently store your project and media assets together, you can upload the files to a new or existing production.

The illustration below shows a Final Cut Studio project and its media being uploaded as individual assets within a Final Cut Server production.

Important: It is recommended that you upload a Final Cut Studio project file and its media

files into a common production. It is also recommended that you add unique metadata to the project asset and each of its media assets. This metadata should be used only on the project asset, media assets, and the production. Adding unique metadata and creating a production gives you two ways to connect the project asset and its media assets.

To upload a Final Cut Studio or other project file and its media files as individual assets

1 In the Final Cut Studio application, save the project and choose to collect the media. In

For specific information about using Motion, Soundtrack Pro, or DVD Studio Pro, see the application’s user manual.

45Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

Important: When uploading a DVD Studio Pro project file and its linked media files, there

Add metadata to differentiate the files being uploaded.

The name of the production that you dragged the folder to appears here.

is no need to upload .par files. When you check out and open the project in DVD Studio Pro, the .par files will be automatically re-created.

The project file and its media are saved in a folder at the location you specified.

2 In Final Cut Server, create a new production for the project and its assets by following

these steps:

a Open the Productions pane by clicking Productions in the column at the left of the

main Final Cut Server window.

b Click the New Production button in the Toolbar.

c Choose a metadata set for the new production from the Metadata Set pop-up menu.

d Depending on the production type you chose, a number of production metadata fields

appear. Enter a title and other unique metadata for the project in these fields. Fields marked with an asterisk (*) must be filled in.

e Click Save Changes to save the new production.

3 Drag the folder that contains the project file and its linked media from the Finder to the

new production in the Final Cut Server Productions pane.

4 In the dialog that appears, choose to upload individual assets and then click Create.

5 A dialog appears, advising that Final Cut Server is unable to manage references that may

exist in the project file you are uploading. Click Continue.

The Multiple Link Upload window appears. Note that the Associate with Production field shows the production that you dragged the folder to.

6 Choose a metadata set for the assets from the Metadata Set pop-up menu.

Add unique metadata to the files being uploaded. Adding project-related metadata will help you keep track of the assets that are linked to the project asset.

7 If necessary, choose a new destination device from the Destination pop-up menu.

46 Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

This specifies the device on which the file will be stored. If you have questions about

The icons displayed in the Assets pane also appear in the individual asset info window.

Clicking any of these buttons displays specific information about the asset.

which device to choose, contact your Final Cut Server administrator.

Note: Media and Library are the primary Final Cut Server devices. Talk with your Final Cut Server administrator about which other configured devices are appropriate for media file storage.

8 Click the Begin Upload button to create assets for the project file and its linked media

files.

The files are uploaded. The upload progress is displayed above the Information pane in the bottom-left corner of the Final Cut Server main window. If you want to monitor the progress of the file upload, click the Downloads and Uploads button to display the Downloads & Uploads window.

9 After the files are uploaded, select the Productions pane, click the Search button, and

double-click the production to view the asset aliases.

The Final Cut Studio project file and each of its media files have been uploaded as assets. The assets also appear in the Assets pane of the Final Cut Server main window.

To learn how to get information about the assets that were just created, see About the

Asset Info Window.

About the Asset Info Window

When you double-click any asset, including an image sequence, bundle asset, or Final Cut Pro project asset, in the Assets pane or click the asset’s alias that is inside a production, the asset’s info window appears. Final Cut Server uses the information in the info window to track and manage the asset.

47Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

About Media, Image Sequence, and Bundle Asset Info Windows

Media asset info windows contain panes for information about metadata, resources, versions, locks, and the Review and Approve feature.

• Metadata pane: This pane shows the metadata for both the asset and its primary representation file. You can update any field in this pane by typing text or a value and then clicking the Save Changes button.

• Resources pane: This pane shows information about the primary representation and proxy files created for the asset. It also shows other places the asset is used and other assets that this asset is linked to.

48 Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

• Versions pane: This pane shows different versions that have been created for the asset. See Adding Versions for a Media or Project Asset for more information about creating versions.

• Locks pane: This pane shows information about any locks on the asset. See Locking

and Unlocking an Asset for more information.

49Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

• Review & Approve pane: If your Final Cut Server administrator has set up the Review

Video assets have an Annotate button.

The Action

pop-up menu

The Refresh button

and Approve feature, the Review & Approve pane is used for sending out review notification emails. Your Final Cut Server administrator must set up this feature for it to work properly. See About the Review and Approve Feature for more information.

The info window for a media asset also contains a Refresh button that you can use to update the asset info window, and an Action pop-up menu that contains commonly used actions. The info window for a video asset also contains an Annotate button that opens the Annotations window.

50 Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

About the Final Cut Pro Project Info Window

The Elements pane shows the items that are part of the Final Cut Pro project.

A Final Cut Pro project asset info window

A Final Cut Pro project info window is slightly different than other types of asset info windows. A Final Cut Pro project info window’s Action pop-up menu does not have all of the items that are in the Action pop-up menu for other types of assets because certain actions cannot be performed on a Final Cut Pro asset. It also contains an additional pane, the Elements pane.

Final Cut Pro project elements are representations of the clips that are used in the Final Cut Pro project. Final Cut Server creates the elements from the media assets that are created when the Final Cut Pro project is uploaded to Final Cut Server. See Uploading

Final Cut Pro Projects for more information about elements.

51Chapter 3 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

Organizing and Searching the Final Cut Server Catalog

When you upload assets, they are added to your Final Cut Server catalog, along with the other assets uploaded by you and other Final Cut Server users that make up the Final Cut Server catalog. As the number of assets in your catalog increases, creating and managing searches becomes more important. This chapter covers ways you can use Final Cut Server to organize and search for your assets.

This chapter covers the following:

• Organizing Assets in Final Cut Server (p. 53)

• Searching in Final Cut Server (p. 62)

• Displaying Search Results (p. 69)

• Tracking the Status of an Asset or Production with Metadata (p. 69)

• Adding and Changing Asset Metadata (p. 71)

• Searching Devices and Jobs (p. 72)

Organizing Assets in Final Cut Server

Before you can organize or search for assets in the Final Cut Server catalog, you must understand how the Assets and Productions panes are structured.

When you click Assets in the Final Cut Server main window, all of the assets that have been uploaded to Final Cut Server are displayed. All assets remain on this single level in the Assets pane.

Similarly, when you click Productions in the Final Cut Server main window, all of the

Click Assets or Productions to choose the type of items to display.

top-level productions are displayed. Unlike assets, productions can be nested inside of each other, creating hierarchical levels. Productions are used to organize asset alias files, small reference files that link to the original asset. For example, if you upload a Soundtrack Pro project file and the audio files used in that project, you can create a production to hold the Soundtrack Pro project asset and media files during the upload process. After the upload is complete, the production will contain the Soundtrack Pro project’s asset alias and aliases to each of the project’s media files. Productions are also used to group related projects; for example, you can create a production that contains aliases to all of the Final Cut Pro project assets in progress for a particular client.

You can create many levels of productions to organize asset aliases. To find a particular asset or production, you can browse the productions by clicking through them, or you can perform a search to narrow the number of productions and assets that are displayed. The simplest search you can perform is to enter a search term in the search field and click the Search button. You can also perform an advanced search, which allows you to search for a term in a particular metadata field. See Searching in Final Cut Server for more information.

If you want to keep a search, you can save it. Searches you save are listed under the My Smart Searches heading in the column at the left of the main Final Cut Server window. See Creating a Smart Search for more information.

Your Final Cut Server administrator can customize the advanced search metadata fields in your Final Cut Server system. For more information, contact your Final Cut Server administrator.

About Assets

54 Chapter 4 Organizing and Searching the Final Cut Server Catalog

Assets can be divided into three general categories: media assets, Final Cut Pro project assets, and Final Cut Studio or other project assets.

Media assets are created when audio, video, graphic, or other media files are uploaded

An audio asset alias

A Final Cut Pro asset alias

to Final Cut Server. Final Cut Pro project assets are created when Final Cut Pro projects are uploaded to Final Cut Server. The Final Cut Pro project asset info window contains an Elements pane that lists the media assets that are used by the Final Cut Pro project file. Final Cut Studio project assets are created when Motion, Soundtrack Pro, and DVD Studio Pro project files are uploaded to Final Cut Server. Unlike Final Cut Pro project assets, these project files require you to manually organize the project’s linked media assets. (Note that a Final Cut Studio project and its media can be uploaded as either a bundle asset or as individual assets.) See Uploading Files to Final Cut Server for more information about the assets you can upload to Final Cut Server.

Many assets display an icon (video, audio, and graphic icons, for example) or an application symbol on their thumbnails (Final Cut Studio project files, for example) to help you identify the type of asset.

55Chapter 4 Organizing and Searching the Final Cut Server Catalog

You can also get information about an asset by looking at its MIME type. The MIME type

The MIME type for this image asset is shown here.

describes either the type of information contained in the primary representation file or the application in which the primary representation file was created.

You can search for a specific MIME type; if you use that search often, you can save it as a Smart Search. See Searching in Final Cut Server for more information.

About Productions

Productions are containers you can use to organize asset aliases and other productions. You can nest productions inside each other to create complex hierarchies of productions.

The assets that are available through the Assets pane in the main window of Final Cut Server cannot be copied or moved into a production. Instead, when you upload, move, or copy an asset into a production, an alias that points to the original asset appears in the production. An alias looks very similar to an asset; its distinguishing feature is the alias icon that appears on the top-left corner of the asset (in Thumbnails view) or in the leftmost column (in List view). For more information about asset icons and thumbnail and list view, see List View.

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When you click the Productions pane, all of the top-level productions are listed in the

The path describes the

production’s location.

Click a button to display more information about the production.

This production contains two alias files.

main part of the window. You can double-click any of these productions to open the production’s info window and see its contents. A path describing the location of the production is shown in the top-left corner of the production. If you click any blue linked production shown in this path, that production willopen in a new production info window.

Creating Productions

You can create a new, empty production at the top-level of the Productions pane or inside any existing production. You can also create a production that contains one or more selected assets, saving you the step of manually putting an alias of an asset in the production.

To create a production

1 Do one of the following:

• In the Assets pane of the main window, select one or more assets and click the New Production from Selection button in the Toolbar.

This will create a new production at the top level of the Productions pane that contains aliases for the selected assets.

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• In the Productions pane of the main window, click the New Production button in the

Click the New Production button to create a new production.

Choose a metadata set.

Toolbar.

This will create a new, empty production at the top level of the Productions pane.

• In an open production info window, click the New Production button in the Toolbar.

This will create a new, empty production inside the existing production.

The Production window appears.

2 Choose a metadata set for the production from the Metadata Set pop-up menu.

3 Depending on the metadata set you chose, a number of metadata fields appear. Enter

information for the production, including a title and priority status, and parent production if applicable, in these fields.

Note: Fields marked with an asterisk (*) must be filled in.

4 Click Save Changes.

The Production window closes.

After you create a production, it appears in the Productions pane if it is a top-level production, or nested inside a production. You can view productions in several ways.

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Browsing and Searching for Productions

After you create a production, it can be located in the top level of the Productions pane, or nested inside a production. You can browse the production hierarchy; you can also search for specific productions within the Final Cut Server catalog. How you choose to search for the production you are looking for can depend on the number of productions that exist in your organization’s Final Cut Server catalog and the depth of the production, as well as your workflow.

To view all the top-level productions in the Productions pane

Click Productions. All of the existing top-level productions are shown in the display area.

After viewing a top-level production, you have more ways to navigate the production hierarchy.

To browse the contents of a top-level production within a single production info window

Do one of the following:

Double click any top-level production to view its contents.

A new production info window appears, displaying the asset aliases and productions it contains. A count of the items shown is displayed at the bottom of the production info window.

From within a production info window, double-click any production to view its contents.

The production info window refreshes, displaying the asset aliases and productions it contains. A count of the items shown is displayed at the bottom of the production info window.

As you browse a production hierarchy by double-clicking productions, the production info window continues to refresh and display new production information. The path of each open production is displayed in the top-left corner of the production info window. You can keep track of where you are in the production hierarchy by watching the path at the top.

Final Cut Server remembers productions that have been viewed. You can click any part

of the blue linked production path to go to that production, or click the left or right arrow to move to previously viewed productions.

Control-click any portion of the production path to display a shortcut menu containing

all the components of the path. Choose one of the components to display it.

As you navigate, you may find it helpful to open additional production info windows.

To open a new production info window

Control-click a production, then choose New Window or Get Info from the shortcut menu.

Double-click an arrow buttonor a production to open that production in a new production

info window.

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You can also search productions. For information about searching, see Searching in

Final Cut Server.

Organizing Assets and Productions

When organizing assets and productions, it is important to remember that assets appear only in the Assets pane of the main window of Final Cut Server. Aliases to the assets in the Assets pane are used within productions.

The following sections explain how to move, copy, and delete asset aliases and productions.

Organizing Asset Aliases

You can add asset aliases to productions either from within Final Cut Server or when uploading new files to Final Cut Server. For instructions on how to add a media or project asset to a production during the upload process, see Uploading Files to Final Cut Server.

To create an asset alias in a production

1 Browse to the production you want to create the alias in and double-click it to view the

production info window.

2 Browse to the asset in the Asset catalog.

3 Drag the asset into the production info window.

You’ll see a green plus sign near the cursor in the production info window that you are copying to.

The asset alias appears in the production info window.

To move or copy an asset alias from one production to another

1 Browse to the production you want to move or copy an asset alias to, either by clicking

Productions in the main window and browsing to the production or by searching for the production.

Then double-click the production to view its production info window.

2 Browse to the asset alias in an existing production.

3 Do one of the following:

• Drag the asset alias into the open production window to move it from one production to another.

• Option-drag the asset alias into the open production window to copy it to the open production.

The asset alias appears in the production info window you moved or copied it to. The title and production info for the asset alias is shown on the asset in both Thumbnails view and List view; this information becomes useful when looking at search results.

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After you add an asset alias to a production, Final Cut Server tracks the asset as a linked

This asset is linked to two productions.

Click Resources in the asset info window.

asset. You can find out what productions an asset is linked to by opening the asset’s info window and clicking Resources. A list of productions that the asset is linked to is displayed in the bottom-right area of the asset info window.

To remove an asset alias from a production

1 Open the production’s info window.

2 Select the asset that you want to remove from the production.

3 Control-click the asset, then choose Remove from Production from the shortcut menu.

The asset alias is removed from the production.

Organizing Productions

At certain points in your workflow, you may need to move, copy, and delete productions. Keep in mind that unlike assets, productions do not have aliases.

To move a production to the Productions pane (top-level) of the main window

1 Locate the production you want to move.

2 Open the production’s info window by doing one of the following:

• Double-click the production.

• Control-click the production, then choose Get Info from the shortcut menu.

3 Click the Action button and, in the pop-up menu that appears, choose Move to TopLevel.

The production appears as a top-level production.

To move a production to another location within a production hierarchy

1 Locate the production you want to move.

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2 In a new window, browse to the nested production you want to move the other

production to.

3 Drag the production to its new location.

You will see the production folder move to its new location; however, the production folder will also remain in the old location.

The production is in its new location.

To copy a production to another location within a production hierarchy

1 Locate the production you want to move.

2 In a new window, browse to the nested production you want to move the other

production to.

3 Option-drag the production to its new location.

You’ll see a green plus sign near the cursor in the production info window that you are copying to.

The production folder appears in both locations.

When you delete a production, any productions or asset aliases that it contains will be deleted.

To delete a production and all of its contents

1 In the Productions pane, Control-click the production that you want to delete, then choose

Delete from the shortcut menu.

2 In the delete dialog that appears, click Delete to continue.

The production and its contents are deleted.

Searching in Final Cut Server

Final Cut Server provides several ways to search for assets and productions. You can search the Assets and Productions panes in Final Cut Server, searching by various metadata including title, creation date, location, keywords, and more. For example, you can create a keyword and then create a saved search in Final Cut Server to locate all assets and productions that contain that keyword. You can save frequently used searches under the My Smart Searches heading, or use system-wide Smart Searches that are set up by your administrator and listed under the Smart Searches heading. Finally, you can perform specific searches on available devices and search for jobs performed by Final Cut Server.

Important: Search results will include every alias for an asset. Depending on the amount

of aliases used in your catalog, a search could return many aliases pointing to the same asset.

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After configuring a search, you can save the search, making it available to you with one click of your mouse.

Doing a Simple Search

To perform a simple search of the Assets or Productions pane in Final Cut Server, you choose a search type and enter a term. Final Cut Server searches for that term in every metadata field on every asset or production. Searching is not case sensitive.

In the Simple Search field, you can choose between two simple search types:

• Choosing Contains finds the term you enter within a single metadata field. If, for example, you enter the term se, Final Cut Server searches for all terms that include se, including serenade, sunset, and dense, in a single metadata field.

• Choosing Matches Word searches for a particular word or words in every available metadata field. Matches Word searches are based on stemming, a process that identifies the root of the word, which gets modified by the grammatical requirements of the English language. For example, the stem of work, works, worked, and working is work. Therefore, if you enter the search term working, Final Cut Server stems the term to work and then returns all assets with a stemmed term of work in any of the asset’s metadata fields.

Note: In stemming a phrase, common words such as the, a, and, and but are ignored.

You can make simple searches more specific by using a search delimiter.

ReturnsExampleSearch limiter

hurricane wind waterMultiple search terms

“Hurricane Alma”Search terms in quotation marks

“Hurricane-Alma”Negative (-) search term

Assets with the terms hurricane, wind, and water

Assets with the entire search phrase Hurricane Alma

Assets with the term Hurricane, (and without the term Alma)

To perform a simple search

1 In the Assets or Productions pane, choose a search type (Contains or Matches Word) from

the Search pop-up menu.

2 Enter one or more search criteria in the search field.

For example, if you want to search for a specific MIME type, enter the complete MIME type in the search field.

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3 Click the Search button.

Then click Search.

Choose a search type

from the pop-up menu.

Enter a search term.

The Assets pane’s advanced search fields

The Productions pane’s advanced search fields

Every asset and production that contains the search criteria you entered is returned, and the number of assets found appears in the bottom of the main window.

Important: After entering a search term, the search field remembers the term you last

entered. This makes it simple for you to repeat the search you entered previously. To clear the search field, you must click the delete button on the far right of the search field or delete the search term.

Doing an Advanced Search

When you click to openthe search disclosure triangle, you see the advanced search fields. These fields let you search specific metadata fields in an asset or production for the term or terms you enter.

The Assets and Productions panes have different advanced search fields.

Note: If the advanced search fields in your copy of Final Cut Server are different than the fields shown above, your Final Cut Server administrator has customized the advanced search fields. Talk to your administrator about how to use fields specific to your organization.

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The pop-up menu next to each metadata field provides an appropriate search filter. A search filter sorts the search returns by the filter criteria.

Text filtering criteria are used to search Title, Filename, Location, Stored On, and other metadata fields. You can use the following filters to search these metadata fields:

DefinitionFilter

Returns all text entered.All

Returns only the text entered.Equals

Not Equals

Any Of

Returns assets that do not contain the text entered, including the absence of text.

Returns assets that do not contain the text entered.Not Equals and Not Blank

Returns all assets that include the text entered.Contains

Returns assets that begin with the text entered.Begins with

Returns assets that end with the text entered.Ends with

Returns the entire text string.Matches Word

Returns assets that matchany of thetext strings enteredin the field. (Separate individual text strings with commas.)

Date-filtering criteria are used to search Creation Date, File Creation Date, Deadline, and other date-related metadata fields. Note that date filtering is relative to the time you used it; if you create a Smart Search using a date filter, it retains the date on which you created the Smart Search.

You can use the following filters to search these metadata fields:

DefinitionFilter

Returns all numbers.All

Last 2 hours

Last 24 hours

Last 7 days

Last 31 days

Returns all assets that were uploaded or modified within the last two hours of the last search.

Returns all assets that were uploaded or modified within the last 24 hours of the last search.

Returns all assets that were uploaded or modified within the last seven days of the last search.

Returns all assets that were uploaded or modified within the last 31 days of the last search.

Returns all assets that were modified before the date you enter.Before

Returns all assets that were modified after the date you enter.After

To perform an advanced search

1 In the Assets or Productions pane, click the search disclosure triangle to reveal the

advanced search terms.

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2 Enter one or more search criteria in the metadata field or fields that you want to search.

3 Click the Search button.

Every asset and production that contains the search criteria you entered is returned, and the number of assets found appears in the bottom of the main window.

Important: Like the search field used for a simple search, the advanced search fields retain

the information you last entered. This makes it simple for you to repeat the search you entered previously. To clear the advanced search fields, you must click the delete button on the far right of the search field.

Search Examples

Find an asset or production by using its location in one of the following searches:

• Enter the name of the device on which the asset is stored in the Stored On advanced search field, and the asset’s relative path (starting from the device on which it is stored) in the Location advanced search field.

• For assets stored on a device that uses a Contentbase file system, enter the name of the device on which the asset is stored in the Stored On advanced search field.

Find a production or asset by searching the Productions pane using one of the following searches:

• Choose All Nested Items from the Search Depth pop-up menu, and optionally enter all or a portion of the production’s title in the search field.

• Navigate several levels deep in the production hierarchy, choose Single Level from the Search Depth pop-up menu, and optionally enter a creation date, Created By criteria, or other metadata criteria.

Limit search results to include only assets or only productions by doing the following:

• Choose Assets Only or Productions Only from the Search type pop-up menu.

After you’ve entered the search criteria, click the Search button to return the search results.

Using Smart Searches

Smart Searches can be created by you or your system administrator. Smart Searches created and maintained by you are listed under the My Smart Searches heading in the column on the left of the main Final Cut Server window, and only appear in your copy of the Final Cut Server client. Several common Smart Searches are available after you first install the Final Cut Server client; you can edit or delete these Smart Searches if you do not need them.

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System-wide Smart Searches are created and maintained by your Final Cut Server

Smart Searches created by your Final Cut Server administrator

Your personal Smart Searches

Assets Smart Searches

Productions Smart Searches

administrator. After your administrator creates one and you quit and restart your Final Cut Server client, the Smart Search will appear under the new Smart Searches heading in the column on the left of the main Final Cut Server window.

To search the Assets or Productions pane using a Smart Search

Click a Smart Search listed under the My Smart Searches or Smart Searches heading in

the column on the left of the main Final Cut Server window.

The search results appear in the main part of the window.

Creating a Smart Search

If you want to save a simple or advanced search that you have configured, you can create a Smart Search. Smart Searches are useful because you can customize them for your local computer and personal workflow. Once you create a local Smart Search, you can use it again and again.

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Note: A Smart Search is only saved for the user who created it. The Smart Search is not

After you click Save as Smart Search, a new Smart Search appears.

The new Smart Search is added to the Smart Searches list in alphabetical order.

saved to other users’ or the administrator’s Final Cut Server clients.

To create a local Smart Search

1 After configuring a search, click the Save as Smart Search button in the bottom-right

corner of the Final Cut Server main window.

The Smart Search appears in the Smart Searches list in the column on the left of the window. It is titled “Untitled” and is selected.

2 Enter a name for the Smart Search, then press Return.

The Smart Searches name is saved in Final Cut Server.

After you have created a Smart Search, you cannot modify it. You can, however, delete a Smart Search at any time.

To delete a Smart Search that you created

Control-click the Smart Search, then choose Delete from the shortcut menu.

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The Smart Search is deleted.

Choose Thumbnail or List view.

Choose a sorting option from this pop-up menu.

Choose the order to sort by (ascending or descending).

Move through the pages of search results.

Choose a specific page of search results.

Displaying Search Results

In the Assets and Productions panes, you can view your search results in Thumbnails or List view and change the display order of items using the Toolbar buttons and controls.

To change the view of your Assets or Productions pane (filtered or otherwise)

Click the Thumbnail View or List View button.

To change the order in which the items are displayed in the Assets or Productions pane

Choose a sorting option from the Sort By pop-up menu.

To move between pages of search results

Use the page navigation buttons to move to the previous or next page or to choose a

different page to display.

Note: The number of items shown per page is set to 25 by default. You can change the number of items shown per page in the Preferences window.

Tracking the Status of an Asset or Production with Metadata

Final Cut Server comes with several default Smart Searches and metadata sets that you can use to determine the status of an asset. The Status metadata set, for example, was designed to help you track the status of assets and productions in Final Cut Server. Assets and productions have a slightly different set of Status metadata fields.

See Using Status Metadata to Track Assets and Productions for more information about tracking the status of assets and productions.

Important: Your Final Cut Server administrator may have modified the Status or other

metadata available for assets or productions to meet the needs of your organization’s workflow. If you have questions about the metadata available on an asset, contact your Final Cut Server administrator.

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As your work progresses, you can search for assets that are in a particular phase of your

Click this Smart Search to see all assets with Status set to Ready for Review.

workflow by searching for their status or other metadata. Final Cut Server comes with several preconfigured Smart Searches that make it easy for you to find recently modified assets or assets marked with the Status metadata field set to “Ready for Review.”

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You can configure your own search using the advanced search options. For example, you

Set the Status field to In Progress to search for those assets.

Click this button

to save the current

search setting as a

Smart Search.

The assets area highlights to indicate that the search configuration does not match a Smart Search.

can search for all assets that have a Status metadata field set to In Progress. After setting up a search, you can save it as a Smart Search.

Adding and Changing Asset Metadata

As an asset moves through your organization’s workflow, you may want to add or change the metadata associated with the asset. For example, when an asset has been edited and is ready to be reviewed by a client, you can set the asset’s Status metadata field to “Ready for Review.”

To add or change the metadata associated with an asset

1 Double-click the asset in the Assets pane or in a production.

2 In the asset info window, click Metadata.

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3 Choose a metadata group to view.

Click Metadata to view the asset’s or production’s metadata.

Click a metadata

group to view.

When you’ve made the necessary changes, click Save Changes.

4 Enter new details in any of the metadata fields or make choices from the pop-up menus.

5 When you’ve finished modifying the metadata, click Save Changes.

The changes you made are saved.

Note: Make sure you click the Search button after updating asset metadata to refresh the Assets pane.

Searching Devices and Jobs

Two advanced user searches, Search Devices and Search All Jobs, are available in the Final Cut Server client. Depending on your permissions, these searches may or may not be available for your use. If you have questions about when it is appropriate for you to use these searches, contact your Final Cut Server administrator.

Searching Devices

If your Final Cut Server administrator has given you permission, you can search for a file on any device connected to Final Cut Server. This allows you to examine the contents of a device, including items that have not been added to the Final Cut Server catalog.

The devices that you, as a client user, have access to are determined by your Final Cut Server administrator. Consider speaking to your Final Cut Server administrator

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before searching for or working with a file on a device.

Warning: Use the Search Devices window with caution. When you search a device, you

are searching for files, not Final Cut Server assets. Devices can contain files that both have and have not been added to the Final Cut Server catalog. From the Search Devices window, you can add a media file to your Final Cut Server catalog, and copy, delete, and download the file to your local system; taking some of these actions could result in making duplicate copies of an asset in your Final Cut Server server system or deleting all copies of a file from a device.

To search a device

1 Click the Server button, then choose Search Devices from the Server pop-up menu.

2 In the Search Devices window that appears, choose the device to search from the Device

pop-up menu.

3 Click the Search button to search from the device’s root level. You can also click the

Choose button to open a dialog that allows you to specify a folder to search.

4 If you want to limit the search, enter a term in the search field or click the search disclosure

triangle to reveal advanced searching options.

Important: Be sure to enter entire words in the search field. Unlike the search field in the

Final Cut Server main window, the Search Devices search field does not return full words if you search for a partial word. For example, if you want to find all assets that contain the word frame, you must search for the entire word. Searching for fra only finds assets with the characters fra and the word frame is not found.

5 Click the Search button.

After you select one or more items, you can choose to do the following actions by Control-clicking the filename in the list of search results and choosing one of these options from the shortcut menu:

• Catalog asset: Adds the file to the Final Cut Server catalog.

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• Get Info: Displays an info window that summarizes information and metadata for the file.

• View: Displays the file in the appropriate application (often the location in which the file was created).

• Export: Exports the file.

• Duplicate: Duplicates the file.

• Delete: Deletes the file from the device.

Searching for a Job

Final Cut Server uses jobs to perform actions like uploading, downloading, and transcoding files. You can search for a specific job that is running or has been run on Final Cut Server using the Search All Jobs window.

The number of jobs that run depends on the type of action being performed. Some examples of jobs include:

• Copying a file from one location to another runs one job.

• Creating a new asset runs jobs to perform the initial copy and then creates the asset.

• Analyzing an asset uses multiple jobs to create the asset’s proxy files.

Each job creates multiple log entries for each step of the operation.

If you want to monitor the Final Cut Server jobs that are being performed, you can open the Jobs window. In it, you can search for specific jobs and then see the job’s details.

To search for a specific job or jobs

1 Choose Search All Jobs from the Server pop-up menu (the pop-up menu in the

Final Cut Server main window that appears when you click the Server button).

The Search All Jobs window appears.

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2 Enter your search criteria by doing one of the following:

• Enter a word or value in the search field.

• Click the search disclosure triangle to reveal the advanced search options. Choose a limiter from the pop-up menu and enter a value in one or more search fields.

3 When you’ve entered the criteria by which you would like to search the jobs, click the

Search button.

The jobs that match your search criteria appear in the main part of the window. Remember that your search results may span several pages; you can navigate through the search results using the page controls at the right of the window.

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Working in Final Cut Server

This chapter explains how to work with all types of assets in the Final Cut Server client. It explains how to interpret the information that is contained in a project or media asset info window. It also includes descriptions of all the actions available in Final Cut Server.

This chapter covers the following:

• Final Cut Server Client Actions (p. 77)

• Viewing an Asset (p. 79)

• Adding Versions for a Media or Project Asset (p. 80)

• Locking and Unlocking an Asset (p. 82)

• Writing Annotations on a Video Asset (p. 86)

• Duplicating an Asset (p. 88)

• Using the Edit-in-Place Feature (p. 89)

• Monitoring Jobs (p. 89)

• Setting Final Cut Server Client Preferences (p. 92)

Final Cut Server Client Actions

This section gives an overview of the actions you can perform from the Toolbar, shortcut menus, and other locations in the Final Cut Server client.

This table describes the various actions you can perform in Final Cut Server:

DescriptionAction

Get Info

View

Provides information and metadata for the selected asset or production.

See About Assets or About Productions for more information.

Provides a view of the asset in an appropriate media viewer; the viewing application could be QuickTime Player, Preview, or another media application.

See Viewing an Asset for more information.

Add to Cache

Check In/Check Out/Cancel Check Out/Reveal Checked Out Media

Prepare for Disconnected Use

Lock/Unlock

Archive To/Restore

New Production from Selection

New Window

Duplicate

Export

Delete

DescriptionAction

Adds a copy of the asset to the local computer’s cache. This is the first step in performing many operations in Final Cut Server.

See About Caching for more information.

Checking out the asset allows you to edit the primary representation being tracked by the asset and prevents the asset from being modified by all other users.

See Checking Media Assets In and Out for more information about checking out a media asset.

See Checking Out a Final Cut Pro Project for more information about checking out a Final Cut Pro project.

See Working with Final Cut Studio Projects for more information about checking out a Final Cut Studio project asset or checking out a bundle asset.

When an asset is checked out, you can discover the location to which the files were checked out by Control-clicking the asset and choosing Reveal Checked Out Media.

Creates alias copies of media assets. You can use this action to create copies of video assets, and then use those assets to create a new Final Cut Pro project while you are disconnected from the Final Cut Server network.

See Working on Projects While Away from the Final Cut Server

Network for information on working with an existing Final Cut Pro

project when not connected to the Final Cut Server network.

Prevents other users from editing the file contained in the asset. See Locking and Unlocking an Asset for more information.

Archiving an asset creates a restorable copy of an asset. See Archiving and Restoring Media Assets for more information.

Creates a new production for the selected asset or assets. See Organizing Assets in Final Cut Server for more information.

Opens the selected production in a new window. See Browsing and Searching for Productions for more information.

Creates a copy of an asset. See Duplicating an Asset for more information.

Creates a copy of the asset to the local file system or an external volume.

See Outputting a Final Project for more information.

Deletes the asset, its primary representation file, and all of its proxy files from the Final Cut Server catalog.

See Deleting Assets from Final Cut Server for more information.

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Viewing an Asset

Click an asset’s icon to view the asset.

You can view many video, audio, and image assets. For video and image assets, you can choose to view the file’s original media, or one of several proxy files. After you choose a type of file to view, it opens in QuickTime Player or in another appropriate application (this could be the application in which the file was created).

Note: Keep in mind that Final Cut Server cannot preview any bundle assets or Final Cut Pro or other project files.

To view an asset

Do one of the following:

Click the media icon in the asset thumbnail.

Control-click the asset, then choose View and a viewing format from the shortcut menu.

The asset you selected appears in an appropriate viewing application. The video clip shown in this example appears in QuickTime Player.

When you view an image, the full-sized image appears.

All of the information and metadata for a media file and its asset are displayed in the asset info window.

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Adding Versions for a Media or Project Asset

The version checkbox is selected, indicating that version control is turned on for this asset.

Three versions exist for this asset.

Select the versions checkbox to be able to create versions for this asset.

Click Versions to enable versions for this asset.

If an asset’s version control feature is turned on, Final Cut Server creates a version every time the asset is checked in. Final Cut Server numbers the versions in the order they are created; therefore, the version with the highest number represents the asset that was most recently checked in.

Any user can turn on version control for an asset. Your Final Cut Server administrator may have also turned on asset control for all assets in the catalog. You can see if version control is turned on for an asset by looking at the version checkbox in the Versions pane in the asset’s info window. When the version control feature is turned on, you can view an asset’s versions in an asset’s info window.

Important: When an asset’s version control feature is turned on, Final Cut Server creates

a version every time an asset is checked in. Before enabling Final Cut Server to track versions of an asset, check that you have sufficient disk capacity. If you have questions about whether you should turn on the version control feature for a particular asset, contact your Final Cut Server administrator.

To verify that version control is turned on for an asset

1 Double-click the asset.

2 Click the Versions button.

3 If the “Store and track versions of this asset” checkbox is not selected, select it.

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To check out and edit an asset

1 Select the asset, then do one of the following:

• Click the Check Out button in the Toolbar.

• Control-click the asset, then choose Check Out from the shortcut menu.

2 In the Check Out window that appears, enter a checkout location and click Check Out.

3 Edit the asset.

4 When you’re finished editing, save the asset.

To check in an edited asset as a new version

1 Select the asset, then do one of the following:

• Click the Check In button in the Toolbar.

• Control-click the asset, then choose Check In from the shortcut menu.

2 If you want, you can add a comment in the Version Comment field in the Check In window

that appears.

3 Click the Check In button.

When you check in the asset, a version appears in the version list.

Important: You will not see the comment you just added to the version you checked in

because it is the current version and the Versions pane only shows older versions.

You can perform several actions to a specific version of an asset. When you Control-click a version in the Versions pane, the shortcut menu that appears includes:

• Get Info: Choose this option to view information about the version.

• View: Choose this option to view the version in an appropriate viewer.

• New Asset from Version: Choose this option to create a new asset from the version or to copy the selected version of an asset to another device.

• Revert to this Version: Choose this option to delete the assets that were created after the selected version. When you revert to a previous version, the current version is replaced with the selected version.

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Your Final Cut Server administrator has configured the version control feature to meet

The yellow lock icon indicates that you have locked the asset.

Select an asset, then click the Lock button to lock or unlock an asset.

A white lock icon

indicated someone else

has locked the asset.

your organization’s needs. To get more information on other ways to configure version control, contact your Final Cut Server administrator.

Locking and Unlocking an Asset

In Final Cut Server, locks function to protect the primary representation file, proxy files, and metadata in the asset.

There are several types of locks. The User lock is the most obvious lock because it is the only lock that you apply manually. The User lock is applied to an asset from the Toolbar or from the asset’s shortcut menu. You can tell an asset is locked when you see the “locked by me” or “locked by other” icon on an asset’s thumbnail.

Checkout and Reference locks are not applied manually. They are applied when you check out a Final Cut Pro project asset.

The following sections describe the types of locks you will find in Final Cut Server.

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User Lock

The Locks pane shows the lock details.

The Lock Type shows that this is a Checkout lock.

You or another user can put a User lock on an asset by clicking the Lock button in the Toolbar or by choosing Lock from the asset’s shortcut menu. After a User lock has been applied to an asset, a lock icon (either “locked by me” or “locked by other”) appears on the asset’s thumbnail. Also, the lock that was applied is noted as a User lock in the Locks pane of the asset info window.

When you lock the asset, the primary representation of the file cannot be edited, checked out, deleted, or archived by another user.

Important: A User lock does not prevent the asset’s metadata and proxy files from being

edited by you or another user.

Checkout Lock

A Checkout lock is applied when an asset is checked out by you or another user.

When an asset is checked out, no part of the asset, including the primary representation of the file, proxy files, or metadata, can be edited, and the asset cannot be edited, checked out, deleted, or archived.

See Checking Media Assets In and Out for more information about checking out a media asset. See Checking Out a Final Cut Pro Project and Reference Lock for more information about checking out a Final Cut Pro project. See Working with Final Cut Studio Projects for more information about checking out a Final Cut Studio project asset.

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Reference Lock

The Lock Type shows that this is a Reference lock.

Note that there is no indication that this asset is locked.

When a Final Cut Pro project asset is checked out, the project asset is locked with a Checkout lock. In addition to the Checkout lock, each of the media assets linked to the project are locked with a Reference lock. Reference locks are not indicated on the media asset’s thumbnail; you can only find evidence of a Reference lock in the Locks pane in the asset’s info window.

Important: A Reference lock does not prevent the Final Cut Pro project or a media asset’s

metadata from being edited by you or another user, or prevent a media asset from being used in another Final Cut Pro project.

Locking and Unlocking Assets with a User Lock

This section explains how to lock and unlock an asset using the User lock.

To apply a User lock to an asset

Do one of the following:

Select the asset in the Assets pane, then click the Lock button in the Toolbar.

Control-click the asset, then choose Lock from the shortcut menu.

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After locking an asset, a lock icon appears on the asset, indicating that the asset is locked.

The yellow lock indicates that you have locked the asset.

The white lock indicates that another user has locked the asset.

The Locked By field shows who locked the asset.

This icon indicates this asset is locked by someone else.

In other Final Cut Server clients, the lock icon looks different, indicating that another user has locked the asset.

To unlock an asset that you locked

Do one of the following:

Select the asset in the Assets pane, then click the Unlock button in the Toolbar.

Control-click the asset, then choose Unlock from the shortcut menu.

The icon disappears, and the asset is unlocked.

Only the person who locked the asset and your Final Cut Server administrator can unlock a locked asset.

If an asset is locked by another user, you can open that asset’s info window and view the Locks pane to find out which user has locked the asset.

If you need access to a locked asset, talk to the person who locked it or to your Final Cut Server administrator.

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Writing Annotations on a Video Asset

The Viewer window

Add annotations here.

Annotations that have been entered

Click the Annotate button in a video asset’s info window.

You can add annotations to a video asset. In the Annotations window, you can view a video clip and then add text at different points in the video clip. Because the annotations stay with the clip asset in Final Cut Server, annotations are useful for making notes for yourself or others in your workgroup. You can easily view these annotations in Final Cut Server. They stay with the asset until you manually clear the annotation.

To annotate a video asset

1 Locate the video asset you want to annotate in the Assets pane, in a production, or in a

Final Cut Pro project asset’s Elements pane.

2 Double-click the clip asset to display the asset’s info window.

3 Click the Annotate button in the asset info window.

The Annotations window appears.

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You must mark an In point or an Out point for each annotation.

Drag this slider to locate frames of video.

Click the Mark In and Mark Out buttons (or press your keyboard’s I or O key) to mark In and Out points.

Use these controls to play and navigate through the video.

Click this button to open the asset’s info window.

Click the Add Annotation

button to save the

annotation.

The annotation

The In and Out points associated with the annotation

The annotation you added appears in this list.

4 Position the playhead at the In point, either by dragging the playhead or using the

navigation controls. Then click the Mark In button or press I on your keyboard.

You can set an Out point using the same process.

Important: The keyboard commands are not available whenthe Annotation field is active.

This allows you to type annotations in the field.

5 Type a comment in the Annotation field below the viewer window.

6 Toadd the annotation to the Annotation list at the right, click the Add Annotation button.

The annotation is added to the list.

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To replace the text of an existing annotation

The In Point button The Out Point button

You can also click the delete button to delete a single annotation.

Control-click an annotation to open this shortcut menu.

1 Click the In or Out Point button in the Annotation list.

2 In the Annotation text field, enter new text for the annotation.

3 Click Add Annotation.

4 A dialog appears, asking if you want to replace the annotation. Click Yes.

The annotation is replaced.

To delete one or more selected annotations from the Annotation list

1 Select one or more annotations you wish to delete.

2 Click the delete button or Control-click the annotation and choose Delete Selected from

the shortcut menu.

The selected annotation or annotations are deleted.

To delete all the annotations on an asset

1 Select any annotation you wish to delete.

2 Control-click the annotation, then choose Delete All from the shortcut menu.

3 A dialog appears, asking you to confirm that you want to delete the annotations. Click

Yes.

All of the annotations are deleted.

Duplicating an Asset

Choosing to duplicate an asset creates a copy of the asset in Final Cut Server. If you want to create two distinct iterations of a media or project asset, you can easily do so by duplicating the asset.

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To duplicate an asset

1 Control-click the asset, then choose Duplicate from the shortcut menu.

The Duplicate window appears.

2 Choose a destination device from the Destination pop-up menu.

If you want to place the duplicate file within the file structure of the device, click the Choose button and navigate to the appropriate location in the file browser.

The destination file path appears in the Destination field.

3 If you want to associate the new asset with a production, click the Choose button to the

right of Production, select a production, and click Open.

The production you selected appears in the “Associate with Production” field.

4 If you want to transcode the asset, change the metadata set, or add metadata to the

asset, click the Advanced Options disclosure triangle and make the necessary changes.

5 Click the Duplicate button to duplicate the file and create a new asset.

Using the Edit-in-Place Feature

Your Final Cut Server administrator can configure the edit-in-place feature and create copies of assets for editing directly on an Xsan server or other shared storage locations. When the edit-in-place feature is set up, you no longer need to download, cache, or check out the asset; instead, you can drag your asset directly from the asset catalog to an application for editing.

Important: Edit-in-place must be set up by your Final Cut Server administrator. Contact

your administrator to find out if edit-in-place is configured before you try to use the feature.

Monitoring Jobs

Files are constantly being uploaded and downloaded by Final Cut Server. The job progress indicator, Downloads & Uploads window, and Search All Jobs window all display information about the progress of files being uploaded to and downloaded from Final Cut Server.

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The Jobs in Progress Indicator

Click this button to display the Downloads & Uploads window.

The Jobs in Progress indicator

Open the disclosure triangle to view the files that are part of a job.

The Jobs in Progress indicator appears in the bottom-left corner of the Final Cut Server main window when files are being uploaded or downloaded. It looks like a spinning gear and indicates that a certain number of jobs are being performed.

The Downloads & Uploads Window

For more information about files being uploaded or downloaded, you can open the Downloads & Uploads window, which shows the specific files being downloaded and information about the status of each.

Note: The Downloads & Uploads window does not show details about files being transcoded to create proxy files. You can see the details about the transcoding of these files in the Search All Jobs window.

To open the Downloads & Uploads window

Click the Downloads and Uploads button in the bottom-left corner of the Final Cut Server

main window.

Note: If an upload or download fails, an error icon appears in the Downloads & Uploads window. You must clear the jobs listed in the Downloads & Uploads window to make this icon disappear.

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To clear the jobs listed in the Downloads & Uploads window

Click this button to see advanced search options.

Enter a search term.

Click Clear in the bottom-left corner of the Downloads & Uploads window.

The Search All Jobs Window

You can get detailed information about each of the files being uploaded or downloaded in the Search All Jobs window. Unlike the Downloads & Uploads window, the Search All Jobs window contains a detailed history of the jobs Final Cut Server has performed. Jobs are shown for copying a file from one location to another, uploading files, creating the new asset’s proxy files, and more. Each job also creates multiple log entries for each step of the operation.

To narrow the jobs shown in the Jobs window, you can search the Jobs window.

To search for a specific job or jobs

1 Choose Search All Jobs from the Server pop-up menu.

The Search All Jobs window appears.

2 Enter your search criteria by doing one of the following:

• Enter a word or value in the search field and limit the search to find files that contain

• Click the search disclosure triangle to reveal the advanced search options. Choose a

3 When you’ve entered the criteria by which you want to search the jobs, click the Search

button.

the search term as part of the title using the “Contains (more results)” option or that match the search term exactly using the “Matches Word (faster)” option.

limiter from the pop-up menu and enter a value in one or more search fields.

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The jobs that match your search criteria are listed in the Search All Jobs window.

You can define the location and size of your cache memory.

You can change how the search results in your client are displayed.

Remember that your search results may span several pages; you can navigate through the search results using the page controls at the far right.

Setting Final Cut Server Client Preferences

To open the Preferences window

Do one of the following:

Choose Final Cut Server > Preferences.

Choose Preferences from the Server pop-up menu (the pop-up menu in the Final Cut Server

main window that appears when you click the Server button).

To make changes in the Preferences window

Enter a number or enter a file path (by clicking the Choose button and then specifying

a file path) in the field you want to change, then click the Apply Changes button.

About Search Preferences

The search preferences control the number of results Final Cut Server finds and how many items are displayed per page. This can be useful if you have a large or small display.

Searching preferences include:

• Maximum # of Search Results: Enter a value that is the maximum number of items that

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appear after a search.

• Items Per Page: Search results are divided into pages to make viewing more efficient. You can enter a value that defines how many items appear on each page.

• Remember the last search: Select this checkbox to have Final Cut Server remember and run the last search that you performed the next time you log in.

About Local Media Preferences

The cache is where your local copies of media files are downloaded. It is not suggested that users view or move files that are in the cache. Instead, export copies of files that you want to use to your desktop or another convenient location.

However, you can decide where you want your cache to be located. In the Preferences window, you can change the location and size of the cache. You can also quickly clear the cache in the Preferences window.

Cache preferences include:

• Save cached files to: Click the Choose button to choose a location to use for storing your caches. The default locations are /username/Library/Caches/ when running the client on a Mac computer and the /username/AppData/ directory on a Windows computer.

Important: Changing the cache location results in all current caches becoming

unavailable. If you change the cache’s location, you will need to manually add assets that you need to the new cache location.

• Maximum Cache Size: Enter a value to define a maximum cache size.

• Clear Cache: Click the Clear Cache button to delete the files in the cache location.

• Saved aliases for prepared media files: Click the Choose button to choose a location to use for storing aliases to cache files. This location is used when you choose the Prepare for Disconnected Use option for assets.

Note: If your local cache exceeds the limit defined in the Preferences window, a message appears, advising you to clear the cache, cancel the action, or continue the action. It is recommended that you choose to clear your cache.

About General Preferences

These preferences affect how Final Cut Server displays productions and messages.

• Disable Resource Fork Warning checkbox: Select this checkbox to turn off “Disable Resource Fork” messages.

• Use Generic thumbnail for Productions: Select this checkbox to display a generic production icon to represent a production. By default, a still image contained in a production is displayed on the production thumbnail and in list view.

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About the Saved Aliases for Prepared Media Files Field

Preparing media assets for disconnected use allows you to create alias copies of a media file that is stored in your Final Cut Server cache on a portable computer. You can use the alias files to create a new Final Cut Pro project while you are disconnected from the Final Cut Server network. You can set the location where Final Cut Server saves alias copies of the prepared media files in the Preferences window. See Preparing Media Assets to Be

Used on an Offline Computer for more information about preparing media assets for

disconnected use.

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Working with Media Assets

This chapter explains how to edit media assets, including video clips, graphics, and image sequences, in applications other than Final Cut Server. You can edit a managed copy of a media asset by checking out the asset, editing the checked-out file, and then checking the edited file back in. A separate workflow is provided for preparing media files to be used in a new Final Cut Pro project that you create while disconnected from the Final Cut Server network. You can also copy or export an unmanaged copy of a media asset from Final Cut Server.

This chapter covers the following:

• About Caching (p. 95)

• Checking Media Assets In and Out (p. 97)

• Preparing Media Assets to Be Used on an Offline Computer (p. 99)

• Exporting Media Assets (p. 102)

About Caching

Caching an asset downloads the asset to the Final Cut Server cache on your local computer. After you’ve cached a media asset, you can check it out and work with that managed copy in another application, or you can drag a copy of the media asset from Final Cut Server or export a copy of the media asset and create an unmanaged copy.

After caching an asset, you can tell the asset is cached because the asset’s thumbnail changes to a lighter gray color.

Note: If your Final Cut Server system is connected to an Apple Xsan storage area network (SAN) device and the edit-in-place feature is enabled, your assets are always cached and ready to use. For more information, contact your Final Cut Server administrator.

Final Cut Server prompts you when you need to cache an asset, so caching often only requires you to click the Add to Cache button that appears in the dialog. However, you can also manually add an asset to your Final Cut Server cache.

To add an asset to your cache

Control-click the asset, then choose Add to Cache from the shortcut menu.

When the asset is cached, the asset’s background changes to a lighter gray color (in

Asset 4_2, with the lighter gray background, is cached.

3236_03-Camera B-Color, with the dot next to it, is cached.

This icon indicates that the file that is cached for this asset is expired.

Thumbnails view) or gets a dot icon (in List view).

In some situations, a file that is stored in your Final Cut Server cache may expire. When this happens, an icon appears on the asset, indicating that the file that is cached for that asset is expired.

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To correct an expired cache

Control-click the asset, then choose Remove from Cache from the shortcut menu.

The icon disappears, indicating that the expired file has been removed from your Final Cut Server cache.

You can change several settings for your Final Cut Server cache in Final Cut Server Preferences. See About Local Media Preferences for more information.

Important: Final Cut Server manages the files in your local computer’s cache. In most

situations, you do not need to manually work in your computer’s cache. If you want to modify your cache, talk with your Final Cut Server administrator.

Checking Media Assets In and Out

A media asset represents a single media file, and as such, is easy to work with. To edit a media asset, you can check it out, edit it, and then check it back in to Final Cut Server.

A media asset can also be exported, edited, and then uploaded to Final Cut Server as a new asset; however, when you export a media asset, the asset is no longer managed by Final Cut Server. If you make changes to the media file and want Final Cut Server to manage it again, you will need to create a new asset for the file by checking the file back in to Final Cut Server.

Although a media asset represents a single media file, a media asset is rarely unattached. Media assets can be referenced as elements of a Final Cut Pro project asset or referenced in other Final Cut Studio project assets. When you modify an asset, you could inadvertently be modifying how that asset appears in several different project assets. It’s good practice to always check the Resources pane of a media asset to verify which projects an asset is linked to.

If you know that the changes you are about to make to an asset apply to every one of the projects it is connected to, go ahead and edit the asset. If you don’t recognize the linked assets that are shown in the Resources pane, consider exporting the asset and then uploading it again as a new media asset, and manually replacing the asset in the necessary projects. Doing this might take a few extra minutes, but it could save you and your coworkers hours of backtracking later on.

Remember that when a media asset is checked out, the asset cannot be edited, checked out, deleted, or archived by another user.

To check out a media asset, edit it, and check the edited media file back in to Final Cut Server

1 Locate the media asset that you want to check out.

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2 Do one of the following:

Click the Check Out button.

• Select the asset, then click the Check Out button in the Toolbar.

• Control-click the media asset, then choose Check Out from the shortcut menu or click the Check Out button.

3 In the Check Out window that appears, choose a location to save the checked-out media

file.

4 Click the Check Out button.

5 To open the file in its original application, do one of the following:

• Drag the file from Final Cut Server to the application icon in your Dock.

• Drag the file from the checkout location to the original application icon in your Dock.

• Open the file in its original application by choosing File > Open.

6 Edit the file.

Tip: While you’re editing the media asset, you can update it in Final Cut Server. After saving the asset in its original application, locate the asset in Final Cut Server, Control-click the asset, then Choose Update Asset from the shortcut menu. If version control is turned on for the asset, you can optionally enter a comment in the Check In window that appears.

7 Save the new file to the checkout location.

Important: Saving to any location other than the original checkout location will prevent

Final Cut Server from managing the file.

8 In Final Cut Server, check the file back in by doing one of the following:

• Select the checked-out asset, then click the Check In button in the Toolbar.

• Control-click the asset, then choose Check In from the shortcut menu.

If version control is not turned on for the asset, the asset is checked in.

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9 If version control is turned on for the asset, a Check In window appears. If appropriate,

enter a version comment and click Check In.

See Adding Versions for a Media or Project Asset for more information about version control.

The updated media asset is checked back in to Final Cut Server, and the checkout icon disappears from the asset thumbnail.

Preparing Media Assets to Be Used on an Offline Computer

Sometimes you may want to make a selection of media assets available to be used in a new Final Cut Pro project that you create while you are offline and not connected to the Final Cut Server network.

Preparing media assets for disconnected use allows you to create alias copies of a media file that is stored in your Final Cut Server cache on your local computer. Later, when you are away from the Final Cut Server network, you can add those media files to a new Final Cut Pro project. When you return to work and connect to the Final Cut Server network, you can upload the new Final Cut Pro project to Final Cut Server. When you do this, a new asset is created for the Final Cut Pro project, but because the media assets already exist in Final Cut Server the media is not uploaded.

Important: You can only prepare files for disconnected use on a portable computer that

contains a Final Cut Server local cache. You cannot prepare files for disconnected use and put the files on an external drive.

To prepare media assets for disconnected use

1 Choose Preferences from the Server pop-up menu (the pop-up menu in the Final Cut Server

main window that appears when you click the Server button).

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2 In the Final Cut Server Preferences window, verify the location at which the alias files will

Click the Choose button.

Alias copies of the media files are placed in the location specified in this field.

be placed. If you want to change the location, click Choose and enter a new location on your local computer, then click Apply Changes to save the new location.

3 In the Assets pane, select the media assets that you want to prepare for disconnected

use.

• To select a series of items: Click an item, hold down the Shift key, and click the last item in the series.

• Toselect individual items: Hold down the Command key, and click discontinuous items.

4 Control-click one of the selected assets, then choose Prepare for Disconnected Use from

the shortcut menu.

The files are copied to the Final Cut Server cache, and alias copies of the files are put in the location you specified in the “Saved aliases for prepared media files” field in the Preferences window.

Now that the media assets have been prepared for disconnected use, you can use the files while your local computer is not connected to Final Cut Server.

To create a Final Cut Pro project using the files that have been prepared for disconnected use

1 Create a new project in Final Cut Pro.

2 Drag the alias files into the new project.

Important: Be sure to maintain the path of the media files in the Prepared for Disconnected

Use location. Do not move the aliases or change the filenames.

You can also add media files that are not being managed by Final Cut Server to the new Final Cut Pro project. When you upload the new Final Cut Pro project to Final Cut Server, these new files are uploaded as new media assets.

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Apple Final Cut Server 1.5 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Welcome to Final Cut Server

About Final Cut Server

About the Final Cut Server Documentation

Additional Resources

An Introduction to the Final Cut Server Client

About Final Cut Server

The Final Cut Server Client Workflow

Installing the Final Cut Server Client

The Final Cut Server Interface

The Final Cut Server Main Window

Assets Pane

Productions Pane

Views for Assets and Productions Panes

Thumbnails view

List View

Search Options and Saved Searches

Asset Info Window

Final Cut Pro Project Asset Info Window

Final Cut Studio Project Asset Info Window

Production Info Window

Annotations Window

Downloads & Uploads Window

Search All Jobs Window

Search Devices Window

Preferences Window

Using Shortcut Menus in Final Cut Server

Using Keyboard Shortcuts in Final Cut Server

Uploading Files to Final Cut Server

About Creating Final Cut Server Assets

Types of Files That Can Be Uploaded to Final Cut Server

About Metadata and Metadata Sets

Strategies for Uploading Media and Project Files

Uploading Media Files

Uploading Image Sequences

Uploading Final Cut Pro Projects

Uploading Final Cut Studio Projects

Uploading a Project and Its Media Files as a Bundle Asset

Uploading a Project and Its Media Files as Individual Assets

About the Asset Info Window

About Media, Image Sequence, and Bundle Asset Info Windows

About the Final Cut Pro Project Info Window

Organizing and Searching the Final Cut Server Catalog

Organizing Assets in Final Cut Server

About Assets

About Productions

Creating Productions

Browsing and Searching for Productions

Organizing Assets and Productions

Organizing Asset Aliases

Organizing Productions

Searching in Final Cut Server

Doing a Simple Search

Doing an Advanced Search

Using Smart Searches

Creating a Smart Search

Displaying Search Results

Tracking the Status of an Asset or Production with Metadata

Adding and Changing Asset Metadata

Searching Devices and Jobs

Searching Devices

Searching for a Job

Working in Final Cut Server

Final Cut Server Client Actions

Viewing an Asset

Adding Versions for a Media or Project Asset

Locking and Unlocking an Asset

User Lock

Checkout Lock

Reference Lock

Locking and Unlocking Assets with a User Lock

Writing Annotations on a Video Asset

Duplicating an Asset

Using the Edit-in-Place Feature

Monitoring Jobs

The Jobs in Progress Indicator