Apple added a new feature in the 10.6.2 update to Final Cut Pro: duplicate media display. If you edit the same portion of the same clip into the timeline more than once, Final Cut will flag it. Apple calls these “Duplicate Ranges.”
Here’s how it works.
TIMELINE
Open the Clip Appearance menu (top red arrow, above) in the timeline and check Duplicate Ranges (lower red arrow).
NOTE: A range is a duration spanning one or more clips that starts with an In and ends with an Out. A range is not a selection.
In the timeline, duplicated frames are flagged with a hash bar at the top of a clip, indicated by the three red arrows.
TIMELINE INDEX
Open the Timeline Index (shortcut: Shift + Cmd + 2).
Click the chevron next to the magnifying glass and choose Show Clips with Duplicate Ranges. Unlike the Clip Appearance panel, this shows clips that are duplicated, but not which section of a clip is duplicated.
Timeline clips that share media are indicated by hash marks. Select a clip and all clips sharing media with it are indicated by a blue bar.
SUMMARY
This reminds me of the duplicate media check in Final Cut Pro 7, though this version is better executed. In the world of digital media, duplicate media isn’t as bad as it was in film.
Still, this is great way to know if you are repeating media, which can be challenging to find in complex projects. Even better, this is easy to use.
