Import PimCut Sync into Final Cut Pro: Timeline, Angles and Relinking

1. Finish the sync review before the handoff

Use the same audio reference that was played during the performance. A take marked synced has passed PimCut’s verification; a proposed placement still needs your listening check. Open Listen & fix for a take that needs review, compare its camera sound with the reference and confirm only when you can hear the match.

Keep the originals available on disk. If you analysed proxies, record where the corresponding originals live and confirm that each proxy maps to the same take, duration and timing. A familiar filename alone is not enough to prove that mapping.

• Review uncertain takes rather than treating a suggested offset as a verified lock.
• Check the reference version, timeline frame rate and intended export flavor.
• Keep the original folder structure and source filenames intact until the import is checked.

2. Import the FCPXML, not the ZIP

If you downloaded the batch ZIP, extract it first and locate the .fcpxml file. In Final Cut Pro for Mac, choose File > Import > XML, select that file, and click Import. Choose a destination library if Final Cut prompts you for one.

Look in the destination library for the imported event and project items, then open the project timeline. The precise items depend on the document you exported. Importing an XML file is not the same as importing or copying all of the source media.

If Final Cut reports an XML error, keep the exact error text and check your installed Final Cut version. PimCut emits FCPXML 1.14; schema checks in PimCut are not proof that every Final Cut version will accept every document. Do not blindly change the XML version number or overwrite a working library to force an import.

3. Know which timeline you are opening

A sync map places takes against the shared reference so you can inspect their timing and coverage. A music-first assembly uses the song to organize a first cut. Those are different starting points: a sync map is not a finished edit, and a proposed first cut is not an editorial verdict.

PimCut’s FCPXML exporter can describe a stacked sync sequence and, for the multicam flavor with eligible angles, multicam media and angle-selected clips. Do not assume every exported clip will be a multicam clip: cutaways, gaps and other slots can have different structures. Check the actual imported items before planning your angle-switching workflow.

The reference music and camera sound are separate sources. Camera audio treatment differs between the sync map, first-cut slots and export options. Listen to the imported timeline rather than assuming that only the song is audible. Re-enable camera sound temporarily when you need it to check alignment.

4. Relink carefully, especially across several folders

If clips are offline, select the affected clips in Final Cut and choose File > Relink Files > Original Media. In the relink window, use Locate All or Locate Selected to point Final Cut to the corresponding originals, inspect the matches, then use Relink Files. Apple documents the matching requirements in its relinking guide below.

PimCut writes absolute references when a media location is supplied; otherwise it can use name-based references, retaining folder-relative paths when the import exposed them. A browser cannot always provide the original absolute disk path. Relinking may therefore be necessary even when the files have not moved.

Resolve repeated filenames one folder at a time. Check the take itself, duration and audio, not just a successful relink message. Do not replace originals with shortened, retimed or differently encoded files just to satisfy a name match. Relinking cannot repair a wrong sync offset.

5. Run a pre-edit check in Final Cut

Before doing a long edit, check a distinct sound near the start, middle and end of each important take’s overlap with the song. If the camera sound has been muted, temporarily restore it for this comparison. Return the mix to your intended state afterwards.

For multicam items, inspect the available angles and switch between overlapping performances at a few points. Check lips and actions as well as sound; a plausible angle name is not evidence of correct source timing. Save the checked import as your starting point before making creative changes.

• No unexpected offline clips or wrong repeated-filename matches.
• Project frame rate and original take durations make sense.
• Reference music, camera audio and silence are intentional.
• Start, middle and end checks agree; gaps and review takes are understood.