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This is how I’m doing it today:

• Local System Disk
  • Render Files
  • Thumbnail Cache Files
  • Waveform Cache Files
• Local RAIDs (One stationary, one portable)
  • _App_Specific
    • Final_Cut
      • _Projects (just for misc [.fcp] files)
      • Audio Render Files
      • Autosave Vault
      • Capture Scratch
      • Render Files
  • _Media
    • _Library
    • _Projects
      • 2010-04-30 (Client) Event
        • 010 Preparation
        • 020 Source
        • 030 Projects
          • FCP
            • EventTitle v001.fcp

Notes:

• I would have put everything on the RAID but for the Final Cut Settings interface, which only allows the first three items above to be on one location.  In contrast, the other items can be specified in a small set of possible locations, each of which can be toggled (enabled/disabled).
• The structure below [Projects] should mainly branch by function then by application.  But it will vary from (real-world) project to (real-world) project.

From [http://support.apple.com/kb/TA27694?viewlocale=en_US] and own experiences, my own advice to myself is as follows.  Note however:

• It is not guaranteed to be correct or complete!  Just my own best-practice, so far.
• It will only delete from scratch areas it actually knows about i.e. as defined in FCP’s System Settings.
•  Even then, it doesn’t seem to delete everything.  After allegedly deleting all render files of all projects, I went through afterwards and found (and deleted) a number of files under [Render Files/Constant Frames].  Maybe a result of my messy initial novice practices - who knows!

My process:

• Open the project in Final Cut Pro
• Delete Project’s Render-Files:
  • Tools > Render Manager.
  • Use checkbox in the Remove column next to the name of the project whose render-files you wish to remove.
    • Warning: Do not check other projects or those projects’ render files will also be removed.
  • Click OK.
• Delete Media Files in the Browser:
  • Activate the Browser window.
  • Select everything you want to delete (e.g. Select All).
    • Warning: Don’t select any clips, images, audio or anything else that is used in another project, or is used by another application (a photo that you are also using in a DVD project, for example), , as you will not want them to be deleted.
  • Modify > Make Offline.
  • Click the Move Them to the Trash button.
  • Click OK.
  • Close your Final Cut Pro project (and don’t bother saving!)
• Delete the Project File
  • Drag it to the Trash after you have quit Final Cut Pro.
    • But how do I know where it is located, e.g. if it was the latest project, auto-loaded into FCP, I might not remember where it is.
      • Save Project As reveals the project file name e.g. [LenWed RecepLine Expt 001 copy.fcp].  Expanding the Save..As Finder reveals it is in a directory called [FCP Projects].  But not obvious where that folder is located.
  • There may also be project files in the AutoSave Vault(s).
    • In my case, this vault is on the System drive, because I save my main project files to real-world-project -specific folders on a separate Media drive (a local RAID).
• Check any scratch areas etc. on other disks, e.g. System disk, in case anything got (accidentally) written there, e.g. if system was accidentally powered-up when RAID was not running.
• Empty the Trash

What’s a good folder structure for FCP?  I read and heard lots of tips from great sources, but some of them (e.g. keep [.fcp] files on local drive not Media drive) sounded questionable, at least from my context, and anyway I always want to know the underlying reason for anything.  So it’s research-time again…

• .

There are several aspects:

• .

Context

• Participants
  • Individual, small team or large team
  • Standards-based, methodical or haphazard
• Application(s)
  • Apple (FCS etc.) -centric?
  • Combination of several apps e.g. several makes of NLE
• Media
  • File size and value.
• Storage system(s)?
  • Local
    • Normal or (relatively) slow drive
    • Fast drive e.g. RAID
  • Remote (probably shared).
    • Exceedingly Slow (e.g. web via standard broadband)
    • Slow (e.g. NAS such as WD MyBook)
    • Fast but with possible latency (e.g. “Fibre Channel” / SAN)
  • Integrated
    • Final Cut Server giving seamless access to all storage including near-line (easily-retrievable archive)?
      • Near-line storage is any medium that is used to copy and store data from the hard drive to a source that is easily retrieved [http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-near-line-storage.htm].

Requirements

• Tidy organization
  • Easy to find stuff, including serendipitously.
  • Easy to manage stuff, e.g. archiving / shelving and reinstating.
• Performance
  • User-level.
    • Keep
  • System-level
• Security

My Conclusions (so far):

• The typical professional situation involves multiple users on a SAN.   In this case:
  • Each user should configure their apps (e.g. FCP) to save small and transient files to local disk.
    • Local disk has less latency and minimization of small-file traffic on SAN improves its performance to all users.
  • An individual (or item) -specific project file, which counts as a “small and transient file”, should not be saved routinely or automatically to shared media server but only saved there on an occasional basis (e.g. at end of day or project).
    • Restricting this operation to end-of-project might “discourage” users from corrupting each other’s files, though really that’s what Permissions are for (in Mac OS X / unix).
• Much advice relates to the “typical professional situation”, not all of it is appropriate to other situations.
• .

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Based on [http://www.bresink.com/osx/sha1.html] as of 2010-05-15:

• Apple recommends the use of the so-called SHA1 standard (Secure Hash Algorithm Version 1). Apple is using this method for their own security updates as well. For more information please also refer to Apple Support Article HT1652.
• Perform the following steps:
  • Make sure you have the downloaded file displayed somewhere in the Finder.
  • Open the Terminal application.
  • Enter the command: [/usr/bin/openssl sha1 ] with a space at the end (not a Return).
    • Note the last character of ‘openssl’ is a small ‘L’ not a ‘1′
  • Drag the target file from the Finder window into the Terminal window. A path specification will appear in the Terminal window.
  • Now press the Return key (Enter).
  • You will see output similar to the following example:
    • SHA1(path specification)= 2eb722f340d4e57aa79bb5422b94d556888cbf38.

Reading book “Final Cut Pro Workflows” by Osder & Carman, 2008.  On page 284 it relays advice that it is best to put Project Files [.fcp] on a separate drive to the Media Drive (e.g. Media Drive= XSAN), due to:

• Safety - not all on one drive
• Avoid fragmenting the media drive (project files, cache and to a lesser extent render files) are written often (transient files?)

I’m not immediately convinced by these arguments:

• Media drive should be backed-up in any case.  I use (slower) USB drives and file-synch.
• Fragmentation may be an old-school issue, less of an issue on Mac’s HFS +.
  • Example: article at [http://www.macmousecalls.com/files/1f6efbb25f58d77390499af1f984d2c7-33.html] linking-on to [http://www.kernelthread.com/mac/apme/fragmentation]
  • Example: Larry Jordan, “Final Cut Pro Power Skills” 2010, page 34, Chapter 2, “Defragmenting Your Hard Drive”: Once popular, this technique is no longer recommended.

How to view degree of fragmentation on an HFS volume:

• [http://osxbook.com/book/bonus/chapter12/hfsdebug/fragmentation.html]
  • Command-line app to report a variety of storage-volume statistics, including fragmentation.
  • After download, can check the sha1 checksum, but this is of the executable, not the download itself ([.dmg] file).  The ’sha1′ command is inbuilt to Mac OS, as: [/usr/bin/openssl sha1].  Note the last character of ‘openssl’ is a small ‘L’ niot a ‘1′.

Sometimes the media files for a project are stored in several folders on one or more scratch disks. This happens if you selected a different scratch disk each time you captured media files, or when the name of the project file changes (this often happens when you save often to different filenames).  It would be tidier to consolidate all the media files for a project into one folder.Of course it may be better to avoid making a mess in the first place, as per this person’s advice: <<<I set up each project in its own folder so and then set up capture scratch render files and everything else. This way if I need to move anything you can move the folder onto the hard drive and you dont have to worry about what stuff to move.  >>>There are two approaches (I am aware of):

• Manually copy/move the relevant files (project, source media, renders) then Reconnect the consequently offline media.
  • May only have to reconnect one file, provided the reconnect all files in this relative path option is checked.
• Use Media Manager.  This is more efficient, because all of your clips are reconnected automatically after the media files are moved.

The Manual Approach:

• The Project file.
  • This is the most important file.
    • If all the media in your project came from external media or generated media like titles or color mattes, this is the only file you actually need to move to another computer.  Everything else can be re-imported (e.g. batch-captured) or re-created (e.g. re-rendered).
    • But usually you’ll want to bring other files with you, as below.
• Source Media files.
  • Recordings e.g. captured video and audio clips. These are usually stored in your Capture Scratch folder in a folder with your project name (unless you saved them elsewhere or moved them). If you move these to another computer, you should only have to reconnect one file, if you have the reconnect all files in this relative path option checked.
  • Other media/project files - you might have Motion or LiveType projects, Photoshop graphics, After Effects animations, or any number of other media files for your project- obviously you’ll want to move these over to the new system, and you might want the original project files also.
• Render-files.
  • There are exceptions, but it is best not to move render files - this can lead to problems.
  • It’s better to rerender on the new system. If you must move them, they are in the “Render Files” folder.

The Media Manager Approach:

• OS X:
  • Ensure there is a destination folder for the project.
• FCP:
  • In the Browser, select all items in the project.
  • Make sure the Browser window is active.
  • Menu: [File > Media Manager]
  • Set the required options e.g. handles (margins), select the destination folder (mentioned above) and press [OK].
  • Files created by the Media Manager:
    • [<Destination Folder>]
      • Project File [<projname>.fcp].
      • [Media]
        • [<projname>]
          • <Media Files>
  • This structure is a bit mad but it’s the FCP convention…

Refs:

• [http://www.dvcreators.net/how-do-you-move-a-final-cut-project-from-one-computer-to-another]
• [http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/200/880525]
• [http://documentation.apple.com/en/finalcutpro/usermanual/index.html#chapter=94%26section=9]

Remove large items e.g. video files (to separate storage or delete).[http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/last-minute-spring-cleaning-of-your-windows-xp-system]

•  Windows: [Start > Run > Cleanmgr.exe]
• Defrag (registry as well as volumes)
  • No slowness problems so didn’t try that.  If it ain’t broken…
• …

Resulting filespace usage:

• Windows 7
  • System Disk (Boot Camp) 41 GB
  • …includes Documents 175 MB
• XP SP3
  • Initially:
    • System Disk 42 GB
    • …includes My Documents 21 GB, mostly large downloads.
  • Finally (once these downloads were migrated elsewhere):
    • System Disk: 20 GB
    • My Documents 370 MB