Offline Files at Launch
Symptom #1: Project's Clips Are Offline and Unavailable
"I launched a project with my scratch disk missing and accidentally saved it. Now that the scratch disk is available again, how do I relink?"
Background
FCP uses both project files (metadata) and QuickTime movies (media) to make video editing possible. Although the two are normally linked from the moment they are introduced by capture or import into the project, that linkage is as temporary as you want it to be. As we saw in the first section of this book, you can make project clips offline from within FCP itself. And of course, launching a project with missing scratch disk volumes will make the media unavailable to the project and render its clips offline.
Solution
Lesson 6, reconnecting usually takes only a few clicks, even for the most complicated projects.
Symptom #2: Offline Clips Are Inaccessible Through the Reconnect Media Dialog
"I've changed some media file names in my scratch disk folder, and now the clips are offline, but the Reconnect Media dialog won't let me select the file I want to connect the clip to." "I have offline clips in my project, and I just realized that they were captured yesterday by a colleague into another project I don't have access to. Can I force-link my offline clips to his media files?"
Background
The time may come when you have to go against the grain and make FCP do something it doesn't want to do. Although FCP sees the initial linkage of clip and media, that relationship is completely flexible. You can not relink clips with media that were originally captured or imported together, but also force-link clips to media files that are completely unrelated.
Solution
Follow the method of reconnecting media files described in the preceding section. When FCP reaches the Choose a File dialog, uncheck the Matched Name Only checkbox to gain the ability to select any file you want.

