A reader recently asked:
I sometimes have to use low-res footage from a stock library in an initial edit [in Final Cut Pro X]. When I then need to replace the footage with the hi-res footage I cannot use File > Relink Media as the low-res is generally .MP4 and the hi-res is .MOV and FCP X does not let me replace footage with a different file format despite both clips being the same length.
I then have to replace the footage ‘from start’ and then re-trim on a clip-by-clip basis, which is very time-consuming.
I’ve run into this problem myself and decided to find out more. Here’s what I learned.
Final Cut Pro X doesn’t care about changing the file formats, but, rather, matching timecode and number of audio channels. The files can use different codecs and frame size and still relink.
What Apple is concerned about is to make sure that people don’t relink to the wrong files by accident, which can create a serious headache to undo.
Keep in mind that if you are creating proxy files manually, most compression presets assume that you are only creating stereo audio. If you change the number of audio channels in the proxy, when compared to the source media, your files won’t relink. It is very easy to overlook this change when you are in a hurry to compress media.
As always, let me know if your experience is different.
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32 Responses to FCP X: Why Files Won’t Relink
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Mark Kopecky says:
December 2, 2020 at 3:37 am
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Patrick says:
June 29, 2023 at 1:44 pm
← Older CommentsI found out, that if I am wotking with CAF, than it is working OK (replacing original audio files with processed ones from Logic). However in case of WAV files thare is a mess with Time Code, which probably makes the problem with relinking. Nathan, did you use CAF, AIFF or WAV. As Logic uses Broadcast wave natively > but in my case embedded TC (or Time Stamp)in bounced files from Logic differs from original files and I believe that is the problem.
Having the same problem. But with Stock Footage. About 80-90% of the footage can’t be relinked. It would be nice if we could get on override option from Apple.
Man I really hate resetting all these manually now… 🙁