FCPX - Deleting render files, advice

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FCPX - Deleting render files, advice

I'm starting a new film. I need to make space on my SSD RAID drive setup. I'm making the new film from media/material pulled from about four other films (already on the drive).

I've never really had to delete render files before ... just let them sit there on the drives of completed work.

So, my question: I'm assuming that the render files are all the colour grading and effects adjustments etc. etc. done on a project. And that if I delete them, everything is still sitting there on the original project timeline, and if I use a scene or sequence in my new film ... FCPX will automatically generate the new render files when I move that scene to my new project/film. Right?

I know it's a rather dumb question, but am looking for advice. I want to make as much space available on this RAID setup as possible, without moving any of the original films to a new drive. I'm fine with the scenes I need for the new film needing to be re-rendered.

Anything I need to watch out for? Or be aware of?

Aha! So I'm deleting the render files from one particular Library ... and the FCPX popup box seems to be frozen, saying: 'Loading ...' (but nothing seems to be happening, and the minutes, 10-15, are going by). I wonder if FCPX is unhappy and has frozen itself?

MacBook Pro 16″

Posted on Oct 21, 2024 10:00 AM

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Answer 1

Ben Low Author

Level 1

110 points

Oct 21, 2024 10:15 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Hey Luis,

Thank you kindly. Thought so. But am having an odd issue here. See screenshot. When I go to delete the render files the pop-up box does its thing for a few seconds ... the blue line moving across ... but then seems to freeze with this image (see screenshot). I'm wondering if something funky is happening. Or if there is a way to see if anything is actually being deleted. Nothing is showing up in my Trash folder. And I don't seem to be making space on the drive. And the beach ball keeps spinning.

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Answer 2

Oct 21, 2024 10:09 AM in response to Ben Low

There is absolutely no reason to hold on to these generated files. They just sit there wasting space in your drive.

The key word here is “generated” - all of render files, proxy media and optimized media files are created by the application and, in the unlikely event that they ard needed again, the can be REgenerated.

It is standard practice to remove all generated files before archiving a project that is finished. Hundreds of GB can be recovered…

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Answer 3

Oct 21, 2024 10:40 AM in response to Ben Low

I'd try leavingh this be for a while. I don't know how big this is, or how fast the drive is, but if there are thousands of files (which very well may be the case with render files), deleting may take a relatively long time.

By the way, you won't immediately see any difference in space.

It will only be visible once you either close the affected library, or quit FCP.

But by then you are likely to see a huge difference.

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Answer 4

Ben Low Author

Level 1

110 points

Oct 21, 2024 10:45 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

I notice if I delete the 'render' files from an Event, everything works fine. It's only when I try to delete 'render' files from the Library that FCPX hangs and beachballs.

Mmmm. I also deleted my 'Preferences', so maybe I'll try to delete the render files out of my Library again.

Right now I'm working with the separate Events, rather than the Library.

I still don't notice anything showing up in my Trash folder though. Am I supposed to I wonder. I also don't see changes in the overall drive space (but the Thunderblades relationship with Mac APFS format is funky, I need to keep deleting the Thunderblade snapshot files in Disk Utility. Mmm. Maybe I should try that again, deleting those files - so as to see if the render files are actually disappearing.

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Answer 5

Ben Low Author

Level 1

110 points

Oct 21, 2024 10:47 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Aha! Thank you Luis. I will do that.

Is there a way to set the posts in this discussion in chronological order? For some reasons the posts are all over the map in their order, so I'm not responding to your posts in the right order. Confusing.

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Answer 6

Ben Low Author

Level 1

110 points

Oct 21, 2024 12:49 PM in response to terryb

Thank you kindly terryb. Ha ha ha, now that you are telling me this I have the strangest half memory that Tom Wolsky told me this two years ago and I had forgotten.

Or maybe it was, in fact, you.

Much appreciated.

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