How to Use Footage Manager

How to use it

1. 1Launch the app to load saved Library entries and analysis records for media folders.
2. 2After restore completes, use the Library, Media Folders, and Media Transfer tabs.
3. 3For signed-in users, the app also refreshes account and Pro access state.

What this feature does

• Free features are available without signing in.
• During restore, the user sees progress, status text, and detail lines.
• Pro access is checked for delete, transfer, repair, and relink actions.

How to use it

1. 1Use the upper-left plus button to add an FCP library directly, or open Auto Library Search, select the volumes to scan, and start the search; then select the library from its full-path folder group.
2. 2Review Library Info in the lower-left panel.
3. 3Filter by media type or event.
4. 4Inspect Original Media and External Media.
5. 5Select a file to preview it and read metadata.

What this feature does

• Auto Library Search scans the volumes you choose for FCP libraries, shows progress by volume, and can be cancelled before it finishes.
• Libraries are grouped by parent folder, whose header shows the full path so identically named libraries remain distinguishable. The sort menu also supports sorting by size.
• Each library row can be refreshed, revealed in Finder, removed from Footage Manager, or opened in Final Cut Pro with a double-click.
• The media toolbar filters by video, audio, or image and sorts the shared Original Media and External Media lists.
• External Media separates valid links, files on an unmounted volume, and links whose target is genuinely missing.
• Selecting a file synchronizes the preview and Media Info; supported media can also be inspected in the full-screen viewer.

How to use it

1. 1Verify the library name and parent path.
2. 2Compare total size and original media size.
3. 3Check render cache status.
4. 4Click Video, Audio, or Image cards to filter.
5. 5Select events to narrow the file list.

What this feature does

• Basic Info reports total size, original-media size, event and project counts, creation date, and the latest detected modification date.
• Generated Library Files separates render cache, render files, analysis files, optimized media, and proxy media so rebuildable data can be evaluated independently.
• Cleanup controls target individual generated-media categories instead of treating the whole library as disposable.
• Video, audio, and image cards are toggle filters; event rows add an event-level filter and display their media counts.
• Changing either filter immediately narrows the shared file lists on the right.

How to use it

1. 1In the Library tab, click the Media Management button in the media toolbar, then open Auto Relink.
2. 2Review the complete inventory in Media Status.
3. 3In Externalize Original, choose the folder row you need and check its selected/available count before selecting internal originals to externalize.
4. 4In Change Media Link, choose the folder row you need and check its selected/available count before selecting new link targets.
5. 5In Repair Links, confirm the candidates, choose the folder row you need, check its selected/available count, and run the repair.

What this feature does

• Link Status is a read-only inventory that groups original media and symbolic links by state and shows their current drive distribution.
• Externalize Original replaces an internal original with a link only when a usable external copy is available; if no copy exists, create one with Media Transfer first.
• Change Media Link repoints an existing symbolic link to another verified location without moving the media file itself.
• Repair Links separates offline-volume links from genuinely missing targets and ranks exact and estimated replacement candidates.
• Each executable tab groups bulk choices by folder under its drive and shows selected/available for every row. Files at a branch point appear in a separate Files directly in … row.
• Filename search is shared across the tabs and also limits summaries, available folder rows, and the items that will be executed.

How to use it

1. 1Add media folders from the + button.
2. 2Wait for initial analysis to complete.
3. 3Select a folder or file.
4. 4Review Libraries in Use in Analysis Result.
5. 5Review Relinkable Libraries separately in the same panel.

What this feature does

• Folder access is saved with a security-scoped bookmark so registered media folders can be restored after relaunch.
• The folder tree supports sorting, expanding or collapsing a selected subtree, and keyboard navigation for large storage hierarchies.
• Analysis Result summarizes total, linked, relinkable, and unused files, then separates Libraries in Use from Relinkable Libraries. Both sections can appear together for a selected folder or file.
• Selecting a matched file synchronizes the preview and Media Info, and full-screen navigation stays within the current result set.
• Unused-file deletion is offered only when the current analysis qualifies; a confirmation sheet shows the exact candidates before anything is removed.

How to use it

1. 1Select the file or folder marked as unavailable.
2. 2Check whether its volume is disconnected or the path was actually renamed, moved, or deleted.
3. 3Reconnect the volume when the stored path should still exist.
4. 4If the structure changed intentionally, reanalyze the parent folder.
5. 5Confirm that the tree state and library matches now reflect the current storage layout.

What this feature does

• Missing files and missing folders have separate inline states and reanalysis actions.
• An offline SSD or NAS is treated differently from a path that is missing on an available volume.
• The previous snapshot remains visible until the user requests reanalysis, protecting useful historical evidence from an accidental overwrite.
• Reanalysis updates both the folder tree and the library-usage result for the affected selection.

How to use it

1. 1Select a file that shows no library match.
2. 2Confirm the no-match result in Analysis Result.
3. 3Add or refresh the FCP libraries that should be included in the check.
4. 4Select the file again and verify the updated result.

What this feature does

• No match means no reference was found in the libraries currently known to the app.
• A file can become matched after another library is added or refreshed.
• The result is based on the app's current reverse index, not every library that may exist elsewhere on your storage.
• Treat the result as cleanup evidence, not as an automatic deletion decision.

How to use it

1. 1Expand a folder group and select a library after checking its full parent path.
2. 2Choose media files.
3. 3Pick Library Embed, Media Transfer, or External to External.
4. 4Assign files to a queue or destination folder.
5. 5Review conflicts and result sheets.

What this feature does

• Media Transfer uses the same folder-grouped library list as the Library tab, so the parent path distinguishes libraries with the same name.
• Library Embed filters the list to External Media and turns selected symbolic links into real files inside the library.
• Media Transfer filters to Original Media and copies or moves those files to one or more external destinations.
• External to External filters to external targets and backs up, relocates, or moves them between storage locations.
• Files can be assigned to destination queues by drag and drop; destination folders can also be added from Finder.
• Before execution, the app scans destination conflicts and lets you choose overwrite or skip per file or for the whole batch.
• Progress can be cancelled, and the result sheet reports completion while affected libraries are reanalyzed.

How to use it

1. 1Select the library in Media Transfer.
2. 2Choose Media Transfer.
3. 3Pick Backup or Move.
4. 4Add a destination folder.
5. 5Assign files and start transfer.

What this feature does

• Backup keeps originals in place.
• Move relocates internal originals and replaces their former library locations with symbolic links to the destination.
• Multiple destination folders can hold independent queues, so media can be split by storage purpose in one workspace.
• Conflict resolution compares source and destination and supports overwrite or skip for each collision.

How to use it

1. 1Select a library with symlink files.
2. 2Choose Library Embed.
3. 3Review symlink candidates.
4. 4Add items to the embed queue.
5. 5Run embed and verify the result in Library Analysis.

What this feature does

• This mode targets symbolic-link files only and is copy-only when the external source must remain intact.
• Copy places a real file inside the library and replaces its symbolic link; Move & Delete can remove the external source after validation.
• Before destructive cleanup, the app warns when other libraries still reference the source or when a safe replacement cannot be confirmed.
• If validation or recovery fails, an integrity alert offers to open the affected library in FCP for direct inspection.

How to use it

1. 1Select a library with external symlinks.
2. 2Choose External to External.
3. 3Pick backup, relocate, or move.
4. 4Add a destination folder.
5. 5Confirm affected libraries and run transfer.

What this feature does

• Backup copies the external target and leaves existing links unchanged.
• Relocate copies the target and can repoint the reviewed libraries to the new copy while keeping the source.
• Move transfers the target, removes the source after validation, and updates the reviewed library links.
• Because multiple libraries can reference the same external file, an affected-libraries sheet appears before link-changing operations.
• A result sheet summarizes copied or moved files and the libraries queued for reanalysis.

How to use it

1. 1Open Settings.
2. 2On first launch, choose Don’t Allow or Allow in the analytics prompt. Sharing stays off until you opt in, and you can change the choice later under General.
3. 3Review update, startup, and analytics preferences under General; analytics sharing remains off until you opt in.
4. 4Check the access level, subscription status, expiry or renewal date, and account actions.
5. 5Set language, text size, color-vision mode, or reset the panel layout under Display.
6. 6Configure warning resets and NAS deletion behavior under Advanced.
7. 7Use Delete All Cache or Factory Reset under Advanced only when the narrower recovery steps are not enough.
8. 8Use Support & Info to replay the tutorial, open legal documents, or contact support with diagnostics.

What this feature does

• The first-launch prompt asks whether to send anonymous feature usage, operation outcomes, app and OS versions, and crash diagnostics. No analytics are sent before you make a choice.
• General controls automatic update checks, automatic loading of the last library, opt-in analytics sharing, and the exact app version and build. Analytics is off before consent, and filenames, paths, email addresses, and account IDs are never sent.
• Account shows access level, plan, subscription status, state-specific dates, and device activation. There is no in-app Delete Account button; Manage Account opens the web account page for subscription management, data export, and account deletion. Sign Out remains in the app.
• Display provides language, app-wide text size, a color-vision palette with a live status-color preview, and layout reset.
• Advanced can restore dismissed confirmations and defines how deletion requests on NAS storage are handled.
• Support & Info can schedule the onboarding coach marks for the next launch, open privacy, terms, refund, EULA, and open-source documents, and compose a support email with app and system diagnostics.
• Delete All Cache clears analysis data and caches. Factory Reset additionally clears the database, registered libraries and folders, signs out of Pro, and then quits the app.