Final Cut Pro Organization - Libraries, Events, Projects EXPLAINED

[@spencerrollo297]

I've come from Premier, this is the first video that has simplified the process and explained exactly how it all works together, if you've come from the PC premier filing system and don’t fully understand the FCP pre designed filing system, this video is a must watch....thanks Ben!!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Glad it helped!

[@timetravelvictim]

I definitely agree.

[@kveditme]

Same such a perfect video to explain how to keep myself organized I was creating such a mess my first time this brings it into a whole other dimension on organized

[@lasldafkajff]

3 years since you published this video and its still helping people! Keep on going! Thank you!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Glad it helped!

[@jeffmarks3218]

Would have loved it if you explained what the various structure components are and the purpose of them (Project, Event, Library, Key Words). After watching your video I still have no idea what they are and what was Apple's intent each of them. I do understand how you are using them. It would be very helpful to have an explanation at a higher level. Perhaps some explanation on each of the hierarchies and how they relate to each other.

[@mrxinu]

I arrived here after searching for the same thing oddly enough, but it was super helpful for the other bit.

[@tigranmeliks]

Of all the videos I've watched on this topic finally an explanation that MAKES SENSE

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Glad it was helpful!!

[@davefoy7276]

I've waded through several videos about how to organise FCP which just got me more confused than before. Ben, yours is super clear, very easy to follow, and I'm off to the races. Thanks man. 🙏

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Thats great to hear Dave! I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@RomainBessong]

You just made my editing structure seamless. Thanks a lot. I will definitely start uploading content to my instagram and tiktok thanks to the multiple projects technique you just showed.

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Awesome glad the video helped!

[@Christo.J]

Same!

[@mrxinu]

Ditto to the above. I was struggling with the different platforms/formats.

[@muesliuk5551]

I have just changed from FCP 7 to FCP X. FCP X is totally counter-intuitive when you come from 7. Your video is clear and well-paced, both visually and the narration. It has made my day. Thank you:-)

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Awesome so glad it has helped!

[@adamkiefel79]

For a person like me learning how to use Final Cut Pro this is brilliant, Thank you :)

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Happy to help!

[@danceaholic90]

I get so excited every time you publish a video. And I’m not even a content creator 🤣. You’re amazing man. Really inspiring for all kinds of creatives. 🙏🏾

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Thanks coco! Appreciate the support!

[@EverydayApple1984]

Needed this video... thank you! My file/project organization in FCPX is the main thing that keeps me from enjoying it more, so I'm going to start using your method ASAP.

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Hope it works well for ya!

[@AndrewFulo]

Thank you for the short but super useful workflow that you do! I think I'll do it this way too.

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Here’s a follow up diving into my storage as well: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZeXdmCvo5h6ZtU

[@SoySauceSeal]

"Synchronise Clips" Function is so useful, thanks! File>New>Keyword Collection>Rename (as Sync or other names) Drag Video & Audio in it, Select the two Clip>Synchronize Clips

[@TinyTrackCars]

I've used FCP for 10+ years and have always been confused by this. For the past 2 years i've been on Divinci Resolve and I'm finally making the move back to Final Cut.. THANK YOU for simplifying this process. My brain thanks you hehe

[@rocus80m]

Fantastic, I love the way you organize it, I was always lost with the folder system of FCPX. Great! I love it.

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Thanks rocus!

[@TuckerPearce]

Dude this helped so much, coming from Premiere the way FCP is setup felt awful. This explains so much. Thanks!

[@rareforareasontv]

I use this to make my video edits SOOO much better. Thank you ✊🏾

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Glad I could help

[@noeticspringproductions]

Ive looked at several different videos online, and this has been the most helpful. Thank you.

[@benjohnsoncreative]

So glad this helped!!

[@nictlazotlamar5356]

Thanks so much for this video! Incredibly helpful and easy to understand

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Glad you liked it!

[@ralitza22]

Great video, exactly what I needed! Automatic keyword collections was not turned on for me in 10.6.3 - for anyone else experiencing this, go to Preferences > Import > Check "From folders" under "Keyword"

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Great tip someone else was asking about this

[@asiaburrills]

Finally somebody explains is plainly, thank you!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

You’re welcome!

[@peakandvalleymedia]

Last time I worked on FCP, was broadcasting college, 2008. I downloaded it recently thinking "oh, I know final cut, it was so easy" to only find "holy shit, it's all so different". Currently relearning everything I thought I knew, but it's been fun so far.

[@benjohnsoncreative]

It's definitely different from then but I love it

[@nayibeintl]

Thank you so much! I see the light at the end of the tunnel...

[@benjohnsoncreative]

I'm so glad you found some value here!

[@SamFigueroa]

Thanks for this. It really helps. I'm switching off of Premiere and this is pretty much an exact match to how I handled files in Premiere.

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Glad it helped!

[@jamarroot1536]

This video really helped. I have been making content and learning but my content just gets lost in the endless edits. You have no idea how much this helped!!!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Awesome Jamar! So glad it helped!

[@BobbyCrane]

WOW! I feel like I finally know how to stay organized with this confusing software. THANK YOU!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Glad it was helpful!

[@bymichlea]

This is a huge help! You explain things in a way that’s super easy to understand-thank you!!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

So glad this was helpful!

[@seantfullerton]

Thanks so much for this video. I always come back to this video when I have forgotten how to organize my projects! Great stuff

[@manimalfootgear]

Thanks brother, really cleared up a lot of stuff for me and my flow is much better now. You rock!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Amazing! So glad it helped!

[@norbu-t-lama]

Thanks a lot for making this!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Glad you liked it!

[@bao.n.nguyen]

This video helps me a lot in organizing my project. Thank for sharing. This is super useful.

[@benjohnsoncreative]

I'm so glad you found this helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@TrackDayChamps928]

Great explanation! Watched many other videos... garbage. This is exactly what I needed!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Awesome glad this helped!

[@clasicorides]

Thank You! This helped abunch

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Glad it helped!

[@Sparkmarz]

This was helpful, thanks Ben. It would be great to see a video on how you organise yourself with big projects and event multicam setups/ editing.

[@benjohnsoncreative]

It’s the same process :)

[@DarkBlueNutrition]

It feels like you literally read my mind with EVERY video you make. Hey... Maybe that's a good video topic for the future? I find one struggle I have is knowing the questions of my subscribers. Sometimes I get comments asking to do a specific video - but it can be few and far between. Maybe share how you come up with topics, and advice for smaller KZbinrs who maybe don't have a huge influx of subscriber questions just yet. As always - thank you for what you do Ben!!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

I’ll add that to my list! This video may help too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4TSYoiOr5d7Z7s

[@PushOnRecordings]

Really helpful! Thank you!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Glad it was helpful!

[@rafab754]

I was super confused by this. Thanks for great video, now I get it :D

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Glad this helped!!

[@StevenMichels]

I've never experienced a more confusing hierarchy. Thanks for some clarity!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Haha right? I tried to make sense of it best I could and make it work for me lol

[@ninadelgadomusic]

Cool! I didn't know about keyword collections and synchronize audio prior to your video! Very helpful, in my case especially for music videos! Thanks a lot :)

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Yes super helpful for music videos!

[@bmp6361]

Geez, I thought I knew what I was doing and that this tutorial was too basic based on the titled, but I've liked your tutorials so far, I had time to kill and going with the motto "you can always learn more"... boy, consider me subscribed.

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Thanks B MP! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@JillStrange]

Thank you so much for making this video. This makes so much more sense than how I organize my stuff.

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Glad it helped thanks for watching Jill!

[@JillSitnick007]

Thank you so much for this video! It is the first one that made sense to me. Very much appreciated!!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

I’m So glad to help!

[@gia_amsterdam]

this is super helpful! My library got super massive and I have a tiny storage (500GB) and everything kinda got messed up and it was super stressful for the last couple days. I'm going to try and follow your method. Thanks!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Hope it helps!

[@Anthony_Anthony_Anthony]

Ben! This video was incredibly helpful. The recap at the end was a good idea. Also the tip on audio synchronization was ironically the most helpful for me! Thanks

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Awesome glad it helped! And here’s a video dedicated to audio sync: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3mxnKajbN92q8k

[@mcfalcia]

Short and simple...awesome job. Thanks!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Glad it helped!

[@abellimages]

Nicely organized!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Thank you Paul!

[@abellimages]

@@benjohnsoncreative You are welcome! Well done!

[@DroseMr]

Intresting🎉.THANK YOU

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@LionelCartwright]

thanks so much for this. so helpful!

[@totallycheckthisout]

Thank you! 🙂

[@benjohnsoncreative]

You’re welcome 😊

[@bernstea0]

Finally… a rational way to deal with the unintuitive FCP org hierarchy! Thanks!!!

[@Lifeis...]

Still brand new to all this. Your video was super helpful. wait...wait...wait.... did I just hear him say "LUTs go!" lol

[@benjohnsoncreative]

LOL that’s awesome. I should start intentionally saying that way, to add some color to the video 😂

[@mbsrosenberg]

Literally Answering my exact question thanks brotha!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Awesome glad it helped!

[@ruthyunfiltered8638]

Oh wow I’ve been using FCPX for a year and this is my first time hearing about keyword collection

[@benjohnsoncreative]

It’s a game changer for sure!

[@damiantaylor896]

Thanks a million for this Ban, super useful!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Thanks for watching Damian!

[@coastalblueadventuresltd.1750]

Great vid! Thank you.

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Thanks for watching!

[@coastalblueadventuresltd.1750]

@@benjohnsoncreative Hi Ben, does FCP X have an indicator showing which footage from the library has been added to the timeline? Have you made a video showing this? Thanks Pete

[@BeatriceLouisa]

Ben, thank you for this wonderfully helpful tutorial! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us!😀

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Goyogawa]

nice video

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@hildekersten]

yeeees this was exactly what I needed, thanks for the help! cheers

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Glad it helped!

[@joneslu1377]

Thank you very much for the clear explanation. I've done my file structure the way you suggested in your video!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Awesome Jones! Hope it works well for you! Here’s a follow up video on storage: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZeXdmCvo5h6ZtU

[@advait.]

really useful video

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Glad you think so!

[@danielmahathir4001]

Ben, firstly the green t-shirt, LIT 🔥. what a fantastic video. like your 3 point lighting tutorial that makes me understand instantly, this is the same. the events in Final Cut is driving me nuts. Thank you for this video. Truly appreciate it. I adore your workflow as it is simple and straight forward. liked and shared.

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Thanks Daniel! I appreciate the feedback! 🔥

[@CNoel]

Great video, Ben!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Thanks Christian!

[@skiddlybatch]

I really fucking needed this video. Thanks, Ben! 🎉

[@zholnerchuk]

Thank you for the video Ben, it helped a ton!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Awesome Vlad! So glad it helped!

[@k.p.2706]

Thanks!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Thanks so much KP! Appreciate your support!

[@TeddyLange]

Mate, incredibly useful! (: You just helped someone start out on KZbin. (:

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Glad to hear it!

[@Iamjamaalwesley]

this is a major help bro thanks

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Awesome I’m glad it helped!

[@TheArtificialAnalyst]

Great video Ben! Huge inspiration:) Could you show how and what you move to external drives for maximum reusability? For example where do you store your intro, or main sound effects that are present in every video? Love to see more cheers!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

My intro and sound effects I use often are kept on my desktop or editing drive that’s always plugged in. I offload projects I’m finished with and all of that footage after the project is complete

[@TheArtificialAnalyst]

@@benjohnsoncreative thanks Ben, I like this structure. I’m going to give it a try! Cheers!

[@GhostShotKJ]

Hey Man! Great Video and exactly what I needed. Thanks and keep up the great work!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Awesome glad it helped!

[@spaya.papaya]

Thanks for the wonderful explanation! Does anyone know why I don't have a keyword collection matching my folder titles when I do the import?

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Make sure to drop a folder into an event

[@zhincic]

Hey Ben, may I know how it makes your life easier when you do 3 different types of project timelines: 1. One for YT, 2. One for IG, & 3. One for TikTok. - Is there a way you are able to see a single video show through all of the different resolutions or how do you actually use it? 😅

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Different projects and I rotate between them

[@zhincic]

@@benjohnsoncreative - Thank you for taking your time to answer, Ben! That would basically mean you are having to edit the same footage, all over again, not?

[@chrisjamesies]

Great vid really helped with my own organization as a Premiere convert! Bonus questions: What is that chain you're wearing? lol

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Haha here it is: amzn.to/3fXgq9Z

[@chrisjamesies]

@@benjohnsoncreative my duuude

[@lucasha7984]

Gday Ben !!!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Hey Lucas!

[@joshuaberrios]

Love this video. Definitely going to reorganize the way I use Final Cut Pro X. Currently the way I use a Library is as Client or Categorical Folder, then each event is a video project. I don’t use keywords but I think I will be after seeing how you take advantage of it. I really love how you use a Library as a project and then treat the events as subfolders, which to me makes more sense that way for organizational purposes. Thanks again for this video. God Bless!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

You can Definiltey do it both ways, but yes, this way just made more sense to me too haha

[@joshuaberrios]

@@benjohnsoncreative Glad I found your channel last night while in my endeavor of checking out lighting equipment reviews.

[@benjohnsoncreative]

I'm glad you found it too!

[@weliveincapetown]

Love FCP, HATE the filing system! SO overly complicated and confusing! I import my files by leaving them in place though as I'm on an Air so don't have the world's greatest amount of space. Going to go try edit my first video now with your structure, thank you Ben!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

It definitely can get complicated! I just made a system that works and makes sense to me! Hope it helps!

[@weliveincapetown]

@@benjohnsoncreative Makes total sense to me and, quite frankly, I don't know why FCP didn't do it the same way! Even Finder is like that so it's not a MAC / PC thing.

[@mhpreach]

Here’s the way I’ve been organizing mine on an external drive. I do two sermons a week up load to KZbin PE, rumble and Facebook. If knew of others would go their as well. Anyway. I put each in its own library, then event and the project. Series lesson I put in the same library with a different event / project for each individual lesson. Any suggestions?

[@NeshaBryant]

This was very helpful!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Thanks Nesha glad it was helpful!

[@trendwise1993]

thanks a lot

[@dspoet1]

Nice video

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Thanks Dewayne!

[@hellohogo]

This is excellent. I absolutely hate how apple decided to do this structure but this uses it to our advantage. Thanks! subbd

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Just gotta make it work for you! Glad this was helpful!

[@drdhruvagulur]

Very valuable content. Approaching things from an elementary aspect is so fruitful!! I wanted to try to get my titles, photos, logos from certain projects that are the same for various projects organized. Do you or anyone have any thoughts?

[@benjohnsoncreative]

I tend to keep things like title sequences, intros, etc. in a desktop folder that is easily accessible and labeled clearly so I can bring them into my projects quickly

[@Danyopharaoh]

Bro do you have a video how to send a project to another editor?

[@uutech7112]

I'm just watching eventhough I edit most of my videos on a phone

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Haha thanks for watching UU!

[@eduardodomingos2319]

Top notch content as usual Ben 🙌 For a typical YT video do you prefer to shot your A-roll in a single file, or stop recording every time you do a mistake, ending up with a lot of A-roll files? Cheers! 🤟

[@benjohnsoncreative]

I do one A role file for sure, because sometimes the mistakes can be reused for bloopers etc

[@eduardodomingos2319]

@@benjohnsoncreative thanks for your reply 🤜🤛

[@hinfinity]

Ima drop a like even tho i use Vegas 18 😂

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Haha! Use what you got it’s just a tool!

[@kennjoyce]

Very tight Depth Of Field - how do you achieve that?

[@aceent5145]

hi ben, do you create a new "library" for every single of your new youtube edited "video"? and after we exported the finalized video out of FCP, do you delete that particular "library" from your FCP's left tab, so every time you open FCP for a new edit, the FCP tab on the left always looks clean?(Hope you get what I'm saying) thx again, Ben, very helpful clips

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Yes, I make a new library for every youtube video (unless its a serious that I'm editing all at once, then I create a new project for each video within the same library). And yes, once the project is exported and completely finished I remove that library to keep it clean

[@michaelbattista1334]

@@benjohnsoncreative How do you remove the library?

[@jbssportsmedia]

I like these ideas - but becasue you already have footage on hard drive before importing to FCPX library, are you leaving it in place when you drag to library or copying? If the later would you not have two copies of the media?

[@StevenAlvarado]

thank you for the tips. question, do you have 'Leave files in place' active or do you have 'Copy to storage location' active? Final Cut Pro -> Settings -> Import

[@elgandahc]

Thank you for this useful video. I find I can't drag and drop folders onto an event and automatically create keyword collections. It doesn't let me. The thing never turns green. What I have to do is hit "Import Media" once I'm in the event, then navigate to the relevant folders. I wonder whether that's a facet of a new version of FCPX. Very minor issue however.

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Go to your preferences, import, and check to turn keywords into folders Someone else brought up this solution in another comment and I think it will solve your issue

[@StudioSooner]

My main question is: The edit window doesn't seem to 'keep' the last edited video...How do you recall the previously worked on video to make edits to it??

[@davidashleyonline]

Forgive me if this question was answered in the comments: If I use this organization method can you just drag the folder "A Typical KZbin Video" to an external drive and have everything you need backed up? Thanks!

[@julgoo_official]

Nice Video!

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Thanks Julgoo!

[@hippopictures]

Very helpful, thanks! How do we change the root location of where the footage is drawn from in FCP?

[@benjohnsoncreative]

You can change the folder if needed and then re-link the media later, I explain it here some: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZeXdmCvo5h6ZtU

[@meandyou537]

What's not clear to me as a beginner is what a FCP library looks like after working on many projects. Do professional always have a "clean" library, meaning they always delete FCP files/libraries when the final videos are created? Or do they somehow have all the projects, keywords etc etc all available at a glance within FCP?

[@Diamonddeath]

How do you organize multiple videos in one series?

[@benjohnsoncreative]

I haven't used that one

[@ThisIsHustleCentral]

In my situation I am simply trying to work on a project from a different device. I don’t necessarily want to work off of an external hard everyday as I move around a lot. Will this work if I copy this to a hard drive to use from another computer, w/o preventing me from using this on my main computer? Trying to see if there’s any credentials that are directly attached to the library, the same way that some programs only let you have one copy of a program active.

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Are you wanting to be able to edit the same project on multiple computers?

[@TheEncouragementKid]

so library > event > project

[@TheEncouragementKid]

thanks past me

[@coachnikkleclerc]

Hi Ben, I'm new to final cut pro x and I use the organization that you explained in this video. By the way it is very helpful. My question is if I want completely delete a project like ''a typical youtube video'', should I move to trash the main folder who contain the library, footages and audio? If I do that will it be remove entirely from my computer and from final cut? thanks a lot for your time and your content.

[@benjohnsoncreative]

Check out this video around 4:16 it should help give clarity to what I’d recommend kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZeXdmCvo5h6ZtU

[@juanh1093]

When you record your vidoes the software you use to record separates your video from your audio?

[@benjohnsoncreative]

I record video and audio separately

[@TheJab004]

This was very helpful. I still don't understand the projects. I'm a week into FCP, and am confused. I want to make a video of photos and videos, for my son's High School Graduation. Do I use multiple projects for different portions of his life, like "Friend" "Family" "Sports" etc., or do I do one long timeline? Thank you for the great video, it is helpful.

[@benjohnsoncreative]

The project is the final video that will be exported, so whatever you want that final video to be that you would actually watch is the project. If you want multiple end videos then you’d make multiple projects