Save your project from revision chaos! Use snapshots, smart collections, & compound clips, in Final Cut Pro X to implement a good versioning workflow.

A look at some best practices when incrementing project versions in Final Cut Pro X. Lean when and how to use snapshots, duplicates, and compound clips to quickly, safely and efficiently address versioning. We’ll deal with project versioning and client changes in a fictional show Outdoor Explorer.

Learn how to create smart collections and use them to organize project versions and snapshots. We’ll also take a look at what it means to “reference a new parent clip” to duplicate a compound clip and replace it automatically.

There’s no right or wrong way to do project versioning, but hopefully we can agree on a few best practices outlined in this video.

Jump directly to a section or topic:

Project Versioning in FCPX
00:00 Overview / Intro
00:46 Setting up a new Library & Events in FCPX
01:24 Compound clips to create a graphical open
01:53 Animated 3D Text
02:10 Using BretFX Reflect to create a reflection effect
02:48 Using a draw mask to isolate elements in a video
03:49 Problems duplicating projects in a FCPX versioning workflow
05:09 Changing compound in duplicate, changes previous versions
05:56 Use snapshots to increment project versions in FCPX
06:26 Don’t ever edit a snapshot in Final Cut Pro X
07:00 Creating smart collections to organize snapshots and projects
09:51 Using a project duplicate for a derivative project
11:50 Making graphic changes to a derivative project
12:37 Use”reference new parent clip” to duplicate compound
13:37 Use “reference new parent clip” on internal compounds as well
14:13 Change graphic in a compound in a derivative work
15:09 Closing comments