Syncing Up Your Photos to Final Cut Pro X

In this post, we’ll take a look at how to set image folders in Final Cut Pro, as well as customizing the look of this browser window.

One feature that Apple included in the new version of Final Cut Pro is the ability to set media folders on your system so you can quickly preview files in the application (see our earlier post on integrating your production music library into FCPX). FCPX automatically detects a few locations for images (iPhoto, Photo Booth, Aperture for instance), but don’t be limited by these defaults!  Syncing

1. Open the Photos Browser by clicking on the camera icon in the browser bar.
2. If the folder drop-down shows as the default, drag that window down to reveal multiple folders.
3. Drag a folder from anywhere on your computer (Finder) into the browser’s folder window.
   
4. Once your folder has been “linked” with FCPX it will auto-update in the program when you add or delete files in the Finder.
   

FCPX trick:  Keep your folders organized on your system!  I prefer to create a folder for each project I work on (a supporting edit files folder).  I’ll keep music and images in this folder specific to a project – and connect the folder both in the FCPX Photos and Music/Sound browsers.

Here’s two tips for working with the Photo Browser in FCPX:

If you have a ton of pictures in the Photos browser you may want to zoom in or out to get a closer or broader view of your images. With the Photo Browser open and the active window, hold down OPTION and zoom in or out with either the trackball of your mouse or two finger up/down on a Mac laptop. You can also jump between icon and list view in the FCPX Photo Browser by right clicking anywhere in the browser window and choosing which view you prefer.

One addtional note about “linking up folders” in FCPX… If you link up a folder to FCPX and then move or delete it, FCPX will keep the folder listed in the application. However, your media will disappear and the folder icon will go gray.  Clean up the Browser by removing these obsolete folders.  Right click on the folder name and choose “Remove..”

Dynamically updated folders is one long-awaited FCP feature that goes a long way for keeping your edits organized & efficient!