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BUG - Scene Removal Mask Crashes Final Cut Pro

The Scene Removal Mask crashes Final Cut Pro for me A LOT. I'm wondering if anyone with a somewhat similar Mac and version of FCP and Sonoma to me has the same issue when recreating the workflow listed below:


  1. Create a new timeline with 4K (3840x2160), 25 FPS, ProRes 4444 rendering.
  2. Import a 4K (3840x2160), 25 FPS MP4 video into the timeline containing the actor.
  3. Apply the video Noise Reduction (grain removal) effect to the video and create Compound Clip 1 from it.
  4. Import a clean plate (the same background but without the actor) as a JPG or PNG.
  5. Make the clean plate 1 frame long and put it before Compound Clip 1.
  6. Add a Gaussian Blur with the default values to the clean plate image.
  7. Select the clean plate image and Compound Clip 1 and create Compound Clip 2.
  8. Add the Scene Removal Mask effect to Compound Clip 2.
  9. Select Compound Clip 2 and make it into Compound Clip 3.
  10. Add curves color to Compound Clip 3 and adjust the Luminance curve so the actor is a white silhouette.
  11. Add Compound Clip 2 below Compound Clip 3.
  12. Add the Image Mask effect to Compound Clip 2.
  13. Set the Image Mask source to Compound Clip 3 and the channel to Luminance (brightness).


The purpose of this workflow is to create a Luminance Matte that can be tweaked using the curves to change the resulting alpha channel of the original video's actor cutout/rotoscoping from the Scene Removal Mask. This is good for, for example, eliminating noisy areas in hair details by adding a dip in the Luminance curve that crushes the lowest levels of luminance (and therefore alpha). If the actor has hair details that pops in and out of visibility, this will eliminate that. This is comparable to a manual way of enabling After Effect's "Reduce Chatter"-function in the "Key Cleaner" effect that is good for cleaning up keys and rotoscopings.


For me I can't get through this workflow without Final Cut Pro crashing. Overall, the Scene Removal Mask usually causes Final Cut Pro to crash when it is inside of a Compound Clip and that Compound Clip has some sort of effect applied. My CPU, GPU, RAM and SSD is not even close to being fully used according to Activity Monitor. I'm wondering if anyone can recreate these crashes?


MacBook Pro 16" M1 Max 32 GB RAM, Final Cut Pro 10.6.9., macOS Sonoma 14.0.

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 14.0

Posted on Oct 3, 2023 2:25 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 9, 2023 4:19 PM

I'd suggest reporting this to Apple here:


Feedback - Final Cut Pro - Apple


Similar questions

2 replies

Nov 9, 2023 3:31 PM in response to FilipOfficial

YES, I am having the identical issue. Soon after adding the effect to a clip and beginning to scrub through it, my GPU crashes and goes into thermal protect mode. The Mac then follows and reboots when the GPU cycles out of protection mode.


The first time it happened I was rendering something at the same time, and figured I’d asked too much, but then observed same behavior on a clean restart only opening Final Cut and adding the effect to the clip.

BUG - Scene Removal Mask Crashes Final Cut Pro

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