User Guide

32 Chapter 2 Uploading Files to Final Cut Server
In the Upload window that appears, you have many options. You can choose a
metadata set for the new asset. You should also add several types of metadata to the
file at upload.
You can also choose to convert the file being uploaded to another codec (using the
transcode settings for video and audio files from Compressor) during upload, and
group the asset in a production.
When you upload a file, the filename is entered, by default, in the Title field in the
Upload window. You can choose to enter a new name in the Title field; however, it is
important to understand that the Title field is used exclusively in Final Cut Server. The
asset’s title will not appear in the asset’s metadata if you export a copy of the asset.
Important: If you are uploading large project or media files, turn off your computer’s
sleep function. If the computer on which the Final Cut Server client is running goes to
sleep during an upload, the upload will be canceled.
Uploading Media Files
When you upload a media or project file to Final Cut Server, the asset that is created
contains the original media file, which Final Cut Server calls the primary representation.
At upload, Final Cut Server creates proxy files for certain types of media assets. Proxy
files are copies of the primary representation that are used for certain operations within
Final Cut Server.
If the file being uploaded is a graphics or video file, Final Cut Server creates two proxy
graphics files: a Poster frame and a Thumbnail. These are used to represent the asset’s
media within Final Cut Server.
If the file being uploaded is a video asset, Final Cut Server also creates a Clip Proxy file.
The Clip Proxy file is created by transcoding the primary representation file to a
lower-resolution codec. The Clip Proxy is used for viewing the file in Final Cut Server.
About Uploading QuickTime Reference Movies
A QuickTime reference movie can contain a list of references to movies having different
data rates, allowing an application to choose the best-looking movie that can play
smoothly as it downloads over the Internet, based on the user’s connection speed.
When you upload a QuickTime reference movie, a dialog appears advising you that the
movie has one or more external alias files and asking you if you want to flatten the file
before uploading it. Flattening the file creates a new file that contains all of the media
that was previously in the external alias file or files. It is recommended that you choose
to flatten any QuickTime reference movies that you upload to Final Cut Server.