Apple Final Cut Express 4 - Manual (Page 291)

Chapter 21 Working with Projects, Clips, and Sequences 291
VI
Viewing and Changing the Properties of a Project
Each project has a set of properties, including global timecode display options and
custom Master Comment column names. You can change these properties at any time.
To view or change the properties of a project:
1 Click the project’s tab in the Browser, then choose Edit > Project Properties.
2 Choose or enter your options, then click OK.
 Time Display: Choose a global time display option for all clips in your project—
timecode or frames.
 Reset Time Display checkbox: This is a global checkbox that updates the time display
option for all clips in your project. If this option is selected, all clips in your project are
updated to the timecode display option you chose in the Time Display pop-up menu.
This overrides custom time display options in individual clips in your project.
 Time Mode pop-up menu: Choose whether all clips in the active project are displayed
in source time or clip time.
 Comment Column Headings: This allows you to customize the four Master Comment
property names in the active project. For example, you can change “Master Comment 1”
to “Director’s Notes”.
To choose new project properties each time you create a new project:
1 Choose Final Cut Express > User Preferences (or press Option-Q).
2 Select the “Prompt for settings on New Project” option.
Backing Up and Restoring Projects
Regularly backing up your project file is an important part of the editing process. If
your media files are lost, they can easily be recaptured, but losing a project file could
mean re-creating hundreds of edit decisions made over weeks or months.
You should back up your projects on a regular schedule, regardless of what phase of
the project you are in. You can back up hourly, daily, or even weekly, depending on the
scope and pace of your project. It’s also a good idea to back up at important project
milestones, such as a completed rough edit or just before sending your project out for
the final sound mix.