This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Deleting Footage
As you continue to edit your footage, you may decide to delete footage from an event. Unlike previous versions of Final Cut Pro (and most other nonlinear editing tools), deleting a clip from an event actual does move the source media to your computer’s trash.
Deleting Media
If you want to remove individual clips, just select them in an event. Then choose File > Move to Trash (or press Command+Delete). If you’re sure you want to permanently get rid of them, switch to the Finder and choose Finder > Empty Trash.
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It’s important to note that only media inside events will be trashed. If you did not copy the data into the event on import, the original media remains on your disk. For this reason, we do not select the Copy files to Final Cut Event folder option on import. In this workflow you’ll delete the aliases that point to the media, but your original camera files will remain on disk. This workflow works well because the media might be in use in another project or another editor may need it (also, there’s no danger of trashing your original media files).
If you’re not sure you want to commit to deleting media, just reject it, and then choose Hide Rejected. You can easily recover rejected clips by removing the rating from the clip.
Deleting Events
Another option when cleaning up is to delete an entire event. This technique should not be used often because it is a quick way to clear off several clips that you no longer need. Typically, you’ll want to back up or archive your media first, however. Be sure to read Chapter 11 to learn about managing projects and media before you start throwing away events or clips.
- Select an event or multiple events in the Event Browser for deletion.
- Choose File > Move Event to Trash (Command+Delete).
Danger! Danger!
If you move items to the trash and then empty the trash, those clips (and all their metadata) are gone for good. After you empty the trash, the deleted clips or event and all their source media files that previously resided in the Final Cut event cannot be recovered.