Why can I only export once?

Question

Level 1

4 points

Why can I only export once?

Hey, here's what i'm doing

Create Event
Create Project
Add a short video
Add Radial Effect to video
Add Alien Lab effect to video
Add a generated white image
Add a Shape Mask to the white image
Export the video

When I do everything in this order, the export works as expected. But when I make changes after exporting, the next export will not reflect those changes. (Only the preview in FCP as well as the preview image of the video file will look as it should; the actual video itself won't)

Or for example when I make an export between steps 5 and 6, it will work fine. But if I continue with the rest of the steps, the export at the end will be the same as the previous one, without the shape mask that I just added.

Deleting the render files (or the other cached files) for the event (or each clip) does not have any effect at all. I also reinstalled FCP but all my settings including the issue were all still there.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Posted on Mar 3, 2023 6:48 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

HRPL Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 4, 2023 6:44 AM in response to HRPL

Solved this within 2 minutes by asking ChatGPT.

If anyone runs into the same issue, you have to mess with the output settings. Not sure if in my case it was the color space or video codec or whatever but using the default export mode with H264, Rec.709 fixed it.

IMO that's a serious design issue (if not a serious bug) which must have wasted so many hours of FCP newbies like myself... I'm still in the process of getting used to having something amazing like ChatGPT

Reply

Answer 2

HRPL Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 4, 2023 8:06 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

I can now say with 100% certainty that the issue is caused when using the "Apple Devices 1080p" mode (I think 720p too but I haven't checked that one again). Everything works as it should when using "Export file (default)".

To clarify my issue: The first export made after creating a new project works fine with the "Apple Devices 1080p" export mode. However, any export after making additional changes will not reflect those changes when using the apple mode, while the default export mode works fine.

Even though ChatGPT did not pinpoint the exact issue including solution, its replies and explanations were helpful enough and made me aware of what's going on below the hood in FCP for exports. Its very last suggestion in our chat that I attached here nailed it though, since it was the export settings that I had to change.

Reply

Answer 3

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,825 points

Mar 4, 2023 6:49 AM in response to HRPL

What did ChatGPT say? Did you change any settings between the first export and other exports? If it can't export you should get an error message or dialog. It's not a problem I've seen or heard of before. Would be good to know what triggered it.

Reply

Answer 4

Davis_

Level 2

219 points

Mar 4, 2023 9:38 PM in response to HRPL

I've used ChatGPT and it is somewhat clueless, at times. It lacks an ability to include the proper context in many cases. Its suggestions are often general and often incorrect when applied to specific instances.

In this case, it _is_ correct about there being a playback quality setting. I don't recall ever seeing it in the main View menu, but it's been in the Viewer's View menu for as long as I've used FCP(X).

ChatGPT is not AI. It's a Machine Learning model/system. Garbage in, garbage out. It's only as good as the training data that the programmers used when building/training the system. If ChatGPT was more on the ball, it would have clarified the point about the playback quality setting (but it didn't).

As far as the export is concerned, different preset choices have different underlying settings. Some of the underlying settings can be changed to make different presets similar or the same (in some cases). If you can create a test case that is easily repeatable and can share that with us (and we can confirm it), then it may be a candidate for a bug report...

Reply

Answer 5

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,825 points

Mar 5, 2023 5:51 AM in response to HRPL

The use of Apple Devices presets has nothing at all to do with this problem. It's just an MPEG-4 export with an extension for Apple devices to detect, .m4v instead of .mp4. It uses the same codec as the master H.264, though I think at a lower data rate.

Reply