Geeky Mac

Final Cut Pro Tip #039 – Batch Export

I think that Final Cut Pro’s batch export feature is often overlooked. With the addition of Compressor, most batch processing tasks in the Final Cut Studio workflow happen there rather than in FCP. However, using the batch export function in FCP can be more efficient for some tasks. The way that I like to look at it is, FCP can be used for exporting and Compression can be used for compressing.

To use batch export, select the desired items in the browser window. You can selects clips as well as sequences. Also note that you can use the items in and out points in the batch export settings for more control. Once you have everything selected you can either right click or go to file > batch export. A new window will appear, called the export queue. All the items that you had selected will be there in a folder called batch 1. This is nice because, you can do several different tasks at once if you needed to.

Now that you have your clips selected and organized you can apply your export settings. At the bottom of the export queue window, there will be three buttons; Export, Settings… and View Exported. Select the settings button and you will see a setting window.

Here you can make all of you settings for export. While the window is small, there are a lot of options that can be configured here. Make sure to go over all the options carefully before selecting OK. Now you are ready to export. Simply select the export button at the bottom of the export queue window. FCP will chug away until the tasks are complete.