Preference Manager 2.0.2 released

We've just released Preference Manager 2.0.2, which is primarily a maintenance release but has a couple of small features too.

Preference Manager is an application for managing the preference files of Final Cut Studio. Preference files store user preferences and other settings, and can cause strange behavior if they become corrupt. Preference Manager allows you to trash, backup, restore and lock these files for maximum flexibility.

The main changes are:

• Better support for prior versions of FCP
  Preference Manager now supports all versions from Final Cut Pro 3 onwards.
• New icons to differentiate project-linked backups
  When you link a project to a backup, a linked chain symbol will now appear. Hovering over the icon will reveal the name of the project it is linked to. If the project does not exist, a red broken chain icon will appear.
• Selections in the Advanced dialog are now remembered when the application is closed
  A lot of people asked for this, so here it is. Also, when you launch Preference Manager for the first time, only preferences are selected in the Advanced dialog. Some people inadvertently deleted their button bars and window layouts because they didn't realize they were selected by default.
• Support for custom Compressor settings and destinations
  Preference Manager is now capable of backing up custom Compressor settings and destinations.

Preference Manager is completely free and is available here.

Compressor Repair 1.1.3 released

We've just released a quick maintenance update to Compressor Repair, bringing it up to version 1.1.3. This one improves Tiger compatibility and compatibility with foreign language versions of OS X.

Apple's Compressor relies heavily on the Qmaster service in order to work. Qmaster allows you to split rendering tasks across multiple machines in a render farm but it is still required even if you are only rendering on a single computer.

The link between the two is so important that if the Qmaster service fails to launch, Compressor will be unable to submit batches. Should this occur, Compressor Repair checks for problems that could be preventing Qmaster from operating correctly. It checks for missing files, incorrect permissions, an invalid hostname, and attempts to manually start the qmasterd process.

Compressor Repair remains completely free and is available here.

Preference Manager 2.0.1 released

We've just released Preference Manager 2.0.1 (if you're wondering what happened to 2.0.0, that was exclusive for FCP SuperMeet visitors).

Preference Manager is a utility that allows you to trash, lock, backup and restore your Final Cut Studio user preferences. Unlike other apps, it supports all applications in the Final Cut Studio suite, not just FCP. It is useful as a troubleshooting tool and as a simple means of transferring your preferences to another computer.

Version 2.0.x is a complete rewrite with a redesigned and improved interface. It was designed to be easier for casual users while still being useful for power users. So if you click Backup or Quick Trash in the Basic tab, this will just trash or backup all of your preferences, which is fine for most users.



People who want a bit more control can click on the Advanced tab, where they will have more precise control over what is trashed or backed up, and also have the option to lock files to prevent modification.

You can also assign categories to better distinguish backups. There are three categories - User, Project and Workflow. These categories are just different ways of representing the backups and have no bearing on the content stored in the file or the operation of Preference Manager - they're purely for organization (incidentally, I am open to suggestions for additional categories).

However, it is possible to optionally link a project to a Project-categorized backup. This doesn't just apply to FCP projects either - you can add Motion projects, Color projects, Compressor jobs, etc. Whenever you launch the project, the backup will automatically be restored before the application launches. This enables you to easily set scratch disks and other settings on a per-project basis (you must open the project file in the Finder - you can't click File > Open).

As these are major changes to the application, I would fully appreciate feedback on what works for you and what doesn't. Everyone uses the app in a slightly different way, so it'd be interesting to hear what would improve your particular workflow. Just reply to this post, use the feedback form at the bottom of the Preference Manager page, send us an email or contact us on Twitter.

Preference Manager remains completely free and can be downloaded here. If you are running version 1.0.7, you will need to download and install the update manually due to a bug with the updater in that particular version.

If you're going to NAB 09...

I'm sure everyone's probably noticed that this blog's been pretty quiet of late. That's partly because I haven't had much time lately and partly because I generally don't like to pre-announce things before they are due.

However, there is one thing I would like to announce right now. If you're going to NAB this year, be sure to check out the FCPUG SuperMeet on Thursday 21st April, 5:00 PM-11:00 PM at the Rio Hotel Amazon Ballroom. This is a great place to meet up with fellow Final Cut Pro users, learn new things and win great prizes in the raffle ($70,000-worth of prizes in the bag and counting). Entry is $15.00 ($20 at the door) which includes two raffle tickets.

The doors open at 4:30 PM, so be sure to get in there quick because the first 1000 people in the door get the SuperMeet DVD. This is a disc containing gigabytes of software, tutorials and discount codes. And the lucky recipients of this DVD will also exclusively receive the brand new, completely redesigned version of Preference Manager.

This version has taken into account much of the feedback from the original version, and version 2.0.0 aims to simplify the most commonly-used tasks while still providing customization for those that need it.

Brand new features include the ability to categorize backups, and the ability to link backups to specific projects so that settings are automatically applied when the project is launched. This is in addition to its prior functions of trashing, backing up, restoring and locking preference files. Preference Manager 2.0.0 is Leopard-only.

Preference Manager remains completely free but this version will be exclusive to those with the SuperMeet DVD. If you're not going to NAB or you miss out on the DVD, don't fret. You'll get version 2.0.1 a few days later which has some very minor features (like Tiger support and an improved application icon) that didn't make the deadline.

Also on the disc is the current version of FCS Remover and a minor new release of Compressor Repair that now displays a warning stating that it is designed for Compressor 3.0.x. This is to clear up confusion over some of the warnings 2.x and 1.x users were getting about missing Compressor files.

As this is a completely rewritten version of Preference Manager, we'd really appreciate feedback. We think this is a major improvement over the previous version but we'd love to hear what doesn't work for your needs and workflow (and of course, it's always good to know what does work too). You can use the bug report / feature request links within the application itself or contact us on Twitter.

If you're waiting for the 2.0.1 release, you can subscribe to this blog, our appcast, or follow our Twitter feed to hear when the new version has been released.

Wish I could be there, hope everyone has a great time.

Compressor Repair 1.1.2 released

We've just released a minor update to Compressor Repair, bringing it up to version 1.1.2.

This update checks for a missing local hostname or computer name. This is a common reason for Compressor failure and can be fixed by entering a new name into the text field at the top of the Sharing dialog in System Preferences. Compressor Repair won't actually change the name but it lets you know it is missing and tell you how to change it. Why these names disappear unfortunately remains a mystery.

As always, it is completely free and is available here.

We also have several other tools and utilities in the Resources section of the site.

Compressor Repair 1.1.1 released

We've just released Compressor Repair 1.1.1. This is a minor release that automatically enables the Qmaster startup process if the user has disabled it.

I'd also like to make a point about compatibility. Compressor Repair is designed for Compressor 3. Not all features will work with versions below this - you will receive messages stating that certain files do not exist because they were not present in earlier versions.

However, many features do work on earlier versions so it is still recommended to try it before reinstalling.

Compressor Repair is completely free and is available here. For more of our applications, visit the Resources section of the site.

Twitter

After years of wondering what the fuss was about, I have finally signed up to Twitter.

What's Twitter? It's basically a mini blog where you post very short messages up to 140 characters. It's great for letting people know what you are doing, asking questions and getting feedback. The beauty of it is the 140 character limit - this ensures posts are quick and to the point. Perfect for the modern age!

It'd be nice to have a little post production community where people can help each other out or just get to know each other. From a business perspective, it's also a great way of getting feedback on our products in order to improve them.

So if you want to follow me on Twitter, my Twitter URL is:
http://twitter.com/digitalreb

FCS Remover 2.0.7 released

FCS Remover 2.0.7 has just been released. This is a minor release to fix a couple of bugs that still remained from the changes added in 2.0.5.



FCS Remover is completely free and is available here. See the Resources section of this site for more software.

FCS Remover 2.0.6 released

Yesterday we released FCS Remover 2.0.5. This is a minor update to our Final Cut Studio uninstaller.

Changes:

• Feature: Remembers last window positions.


• Feature: Remembers last selected options.


• Feature: Preferences dialog.


• Feature: Trash Preferences option.


• Improvement: Improved Qmaster exit method.


• Feature: Command-line arguments (see user manual).


• Feature: Keyboard shortcuts - Space to select items, Cmd+A to Select All, Cmd+Shift+A to Select None.

FCS Remover is completely free and is available here. Check out our other software here.

Update 1/14/09: 2.0.5 was re-released as 2.0.6 to fix some bugs.

Compressor Repair 1.1.0 released

We've just released Compressor Repair 1.1.0 with the following changes:

• Enhancement: Improved Qmaster relaunch process


• Enhancement: Improved feedback when errors have been discovered


• Feature: Command-line functionality (see user manual)


• Feature: Now refreshes Qmaster icon in menu bar


• Bug fix: Fixed "file exists" error when trashing qmaster spool

Compressor Repair is completely free and is available here.