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Importing XML files from Final Cut Pro 7 and Final Cut Pro X

Learn how to import projects, selected clips, or selected sequences exported from Final Cut Pro (FCP) 7 and Final Cut Pro (FCP) X

Migrate from Final Cut Pro X

Final Cut Pro X exports a .fcpxml file, which Premiere Pro does not recognize.

To bring in an FCP X file into Premiere Pro, you need a converter tool that converts the .fcpxml file generated from Final Cut Pro X into a standard .xml file that Premiere Pro can import.

Adobe recommends using the XtoCC tool for this conversion.

High-level overview of the process:

  1. Export the FCP X project as an XML file. For more information, see the Final Cut Pro documentation.

  2. Convert the XML file into something Premiere Pro can read using the XtoCC tool. For more information, see the XtoCC documentation.

  3. In Premiere Pro, select File > Import. Browse to the XML file, and click Open.

    Not all elements of a Final Cut Pro X project get imported into Premiere Pro. 

    Here is a quick summary of what gets translated and what does not.

    For a complete list of supported and unsupported elements, see the XtoCC documentation.

    Elements

    What gets translated

    What does not get translated

    Clips

    • Event clips: A bin named after the event is created containing all the master clips, and bins named for each keyword, favorite or rejected range are created containing subclips representing these ranges. The keyword’s Notes are added to the subclip’s Log Note field.
    • Gap clips: Gap clips become empty spaces in the track.
    • Compound clips: Compound clips become sequences, and compound clips in a project become nested sequences.
    • Synchronized clips: Synchronized clips are translated into merged clips.

    Multicam clips become collapsed clips containing the active angle(s)

    Project

    For projects, video clips and stills in the primary storyline become clips in track V1.Audio clips in the primary storyline become clips in tracks A1. Connected clips and clips in secondary storylines are added to higher numbered video and audio tracks.

    If there are video clips connected directly below the primary storyline these become track V1 below primary storyline clips in track V2, while lower video clips become disabled clips in higher numbered video tracks.

     

    Timecode

    The starting timecode of the project and its settings are maintained.

     

    Markers

    • Unfinished to-do markers become red markers
    • Completed to-do markers become green markers
    • Chapter markers become yellow markers

     

    Audio

    • Audio volume and pan and their keyframes on a whole clip are added to all audio tracks.
    • Fade in and fade out handles are recreated using audio level keyframes. 
    • Audio volume and pan and their keyframes on individual audio components are added to their appropriate audio tracks.

     

    Effects and transitions

    • Cross Dissolve, Zoom, Flash, Lens Flare, Black Hole, Flip, Page Curl, Ripple, Swing, Cube, Doorway, Squares, Star, Band, Center, Checker, Clock, Gradient, Inset, Letter X and Wipe transitions are substituted with equivalents
    • Other transitions become Cross Dissolve
    • Audio transitions become Cross Fades

    • Custom settings are not translated — transitions apply with default settings
    • Transition settings

    Blend modes

    Subtract, Darken, Multiply, Add, Lighten, Screen, Overlay, Soft Light, Hard Light and
    Difference blend modes become their equivalent composite modes

    Other blend modes are not supported

    Text

     

    Titles become Text titles containing the original text. Some titles with complex builds may have the text out of order in the Text title.

    Speed

    Constant speed changes are preserved.

    Keyframed speed changes are converted to a constant speed change that maintains the duration of the original clip and uses the average speed of the clip.

Import XML project files from Final Cut Pro 7

You can import entire projects, selected clips, or selected sequences that you export from Final Cut Pro as XML files. In Premiere Pro, bins and clips have the same hierarchies and names that they have in the Final Cut Pro source projects. Also, Premiere Pro retains the sequence markers, sequence settings, track layout, locked tracks, and sequence timecode start points of Final Cut Pro source projects. Premiere Pro imports text from the Final Cut Pro Text generators into Premiere Pro titles.

Note:

You cannot import native Final Cut Pro project files, only XML files exported from Final Cut Pro. You can export Final Cut Pro XML files from Premiere Pro. The effects that are translated from Premiere Pro are the same as those that are imported from a Final Cut Pro XML f ile.

For a list of items in Premiere Pro that are translated from a Final Cut Pro XML file, see Final Cut Pro clip data, Final Cut Pro effects and transitions, Final Cut Pro composite modes, and Final Cut Pro Multiclips. Also, see the PDF, Appendix D: Working with Final Cut Pro from the Editor's Guide to Premiere Pro by Richard Harrington, Robbie Carman, and Jeff Greenberg for more information.

Import an XML file from Final CutPro

  1. Export an XML file from Final Cut Pro. For more information, see Final Cut Pro Help.
  2. In Final Cut Pro, close the source project.
  3. In Premiere Pro, select File >Import.
  4. Browse to the XML file, and click Open.

Learn the simple XML workflow for exporting projects from Final Cut Pro and importing them into Premiere Pro in this video tutorial.

Final Cut Pro clip data

Clip data in the Description, Scene, ShotTake, and LogNote fields in Final Cut Pro appear in the clip metadata fields with the same names in Premiere Pro.

Final Cut Pro effects and transitions

Premiere Pro retains the basic motion and opacity effects, and motion and opacity keyframes, from Final Cut Pro source projects. Additionally, Premiere Pro converts some Final Cut Pro effects and transitions according to the following tables:

Table 1. Conversion of Final Cut Pro video effects

Final Cut Pro effect

Premiere Pro effect

Crop

Crop

Eight-Point Garbage Matte

Eight-Point Garbage Matte

Four-Point Garbage Matte

Four-Point Garbage Matte

Gaussian Blur (provided the channel selection in Final Cut Pro is Alpha+RGB.)

Gaussian Blur

Luma Key

Luma Key

Three-Way Color Corrector

Three-Way Color Corrector

Table 2. Conversion of Final Cut Pro video transitions

Final Cut Pro transition

Premiere Pro transition

Dip To White

Dip To White

Dip to [color]

Dip To Black

Edge Wipe transitions

Wipe, with the wipe direction rounded to the closest of the eight Premiere Pro supported directions.

Other video transitions

Cross Dissolve

Table 3. Conversion of Final Cut Pro audio effects

Final Cut Pro audio effect

Premiere Pro audio effect

Audio level values and keyframes

Audio clip volume values and keyframes

Audio pan values and keyframes

Track pan values and keyframes

Low Pass Filter

Lowpass

High Pass Filter

Highpass

Band Pass Filter

Bandpass

Table 4. Conversion of Final Cut Pro audio transitions

Final Cut Pro audio transition

Premiere Pro audio transition

Cross Fade (0 dB)

Constant Gain

Cross Fade (+3 dB)

Constant Power

Other transitions

Constant Power

 

Final Cut Pro composite modes

Premiere Pro retains the basic motion and opacity effects, and motion and opacity keyframes, from Final Cut Pro source projects. Premiere Pro converts Final Cut Pro composite modes according to the following table:

Final Cut Pro mode

Premiere Pro mode

Normal

Normal

Add

Linear Dodge (Add)

Subtract

Not supported

Difference

Difference

Multiply

Multiply

Screen

Screen

Overlay

Overlay

Hard Light

Hard Light

Soft Light

Soft Light

Darken

Darken

Lighten

Lighten

Travel Matte Alpha

Not supported

Travel Matte Luma

Not supported

Final Cut Pro Multiclips

Premiere Pro converts uncollapsed Final Cut Pro Multiclips, with as many as four inputs, to Multi-camera sequences. Premiere Pro converts collapsed Multiclips to individual clips.

Note:

Premiere Pro issues a warning when you try to import a Multiclip with more than four inputs.

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