To prepare for future macOS releases, complete Final Cut Pro projects that contain legacy media.

In Final Cut Pro, you might see an alert that legacy media files won't be compatible with future macOS releases.

Legacy media files are compatible with macOS Mojave, but they won't be with future macOS releases. Legacy media can include footage recorded with cameras like Sony HDCAM-SR cameras, footage from GoPro cameras recorded in the CineForm format, video files in the Avid DNxHD/DNxHR format created with software, footage shot with many other older cameras, or files modified with older software.

While your Mac is running macOS High Sierra or macOS Mojave, follow the steps in this article to back up your Final Cut Pro libraries, and complete and update projects that contain legacy media.

To make sure media you create now will be compatible with future macOS releases, use cameras and media formats supported by Final Cut Pro.

Back up your project

Before completing projects, back up your Final Cut Pro libraries. You can store your Final Cut Pro libraries on an external storage device formatted as APFS or MacOS Extended (Journaled)*. Don't store Final Cut Pro libraries on storage devices like SD cards, USB flash drives, drives shared on a network, or external drives used for Time Machine backups.

1. To make sure all external media is collected inside a library, consolidate library media.
2. You might have more than one library, and you might have moved them to different locations on your Mac. Make sure to locate and back up all Final Cut Pro libraries.

* The APFS format is recommended for volumes using macOS High Sierra or later.

Finish Final Cut Pro projects with legacy media

After you back up your library, finish editing any Final Cut Pro projects that have legacy media, then export the projects as Apple ProRes 422 Master Files.

1. Open a project in the browser.
2. If you’re sharing a project set to use proxy media for playback, click the View pop-up menu in the top-right corner of the viewer and choose Optimized/Original.
3. Choose File > Share > Master File, or press Command-E.
4. In the Share window, click Info to change project or clip attributes such as the title and description. At the bottom of the window, you can see information about the file that you're exporting, including frame size and frame rate, audio channels and sample rate, duration, output file type, and file size.
5. Click Settings at the top of the Share window. Click the “Video codec” pop-up menu, then choose Apple ProRes 422. Note the estimated file size at the bottom of the window. You'll need at least that much free space on the external drive you're using to back up the exported Master File.
6. Click Next.
7. Type a name for the file in the Save As field, navigate to the location where you want to save the file, then click Save.
8. To back up the exported file, copy it to an external drive.

Update an exported project

If you want to update a project you've already exported as a Master File, create a new project and import the Master File into the project timeline. Then add, append, cut, insert, and connect clips to add cutaway shots, titles, and synced sound effects.

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