Preference Manager 1.0.7 released

This is a maintenance release of Preference Manager, bringing it up to version 1.0.7.

Only minor changes this time around - there were some icon tweaks and the Sparkle updater framework has been upgraded. The main reason for releasing this update, however, was to include a comprehensive user manual for people who may have difficulty using the software, and to let them know of the support options available.

Preference Manager is a tool for managing Final Cut Studio preference files. It allows you to trash, lock, backup and restore these files. It is suitable for troubleshooting, and also for transferring user preferences from one machine to another.

It is completely free and is available here.

Web tool "Link to Calculation" misunderstandings

Just got some feedback from one of our web tools about the little "Link to this Calculation" link at the bottom.

I thought it best to explain what the feature is for and how to use it. If you just want to put a general link on your blog, just copy and paste the link at the top of your address bar as normal. Link to this Calculation is for linking to the tool with certain settings pre-set. So, for example, if you use the Film Rate Calculator to work out how much film you'll need to buy, you can use the Link to this Calculation send a link to someone else with those options already entered into the form so they don't need to enter them themselves.

The feedback poster thought the feature wasn't working but in fact it is. When you click the link, it changes the link in your address bar to the new format. Consequently, the page reloads but everything remains the same except the address bar. You can then copy + paste that new link and send it to someone else.

I'll try to make this clearer in future versions.

FCS Remover 2.0.0 released

We've just released a major new version of FCS Remover. This is a complete rewrite of the application that incorporates many of the features you have been asking for.

The biggest of these is the UI overhaul that now allows you to choose which components to remove and which components to keep. It's also a lot better at removing files that are in use or require admin privileges, and it can also remove content such as Motion templates and LiveFonts even when they are not in the default location.

Final Cut Server users will be pleased to hear that this version now removes the Final Cut Server database - but only if you want it to. There are also presets for common actions such as removing only content. The Maximum Compatibility preset in particular is useful if you have another ProApp such as Logic or Shake on your system and don't want to interfere with it. This preset will remove all of the Final Cut Studio files except for the ones shared by other applications.

FCS Remover is free and can be downloaded here.

We are always trying to improve our software so we appreciate any feedback we receive. We'd be very interested to know what people think of the new release.

Report a bug
Suggest a feature

Preference Manager 1.0.6 released

This is a minor update to Preference Manager, bringing it up to version 1.0.6. It's mainly just tweaks and optimizations with the aim of making the software easier and faster to use. To do this we've added shortcut keys, removed the Lock button in the Lock tab (selecting/deselecting an item immediately locks/unlocks it) and the application now remembers which options you last selected so that you don't have to keep selecting everything over and over in order to perform a backup. Also, the Select All buttons now toggle between Select All and Select None.

Preference Manager is an application designed to trash, backup, lock and restore Final Cut Studio preference files. These files save your user settings, window positions, etc and can cause problems if they become corrupted. Preference Manager allows you to back these up, restore them if a problem occurs, and then lock them to prevent further changes. You can also use these backups to transfer your user preferences onto a different machine.

Preference Manager is completely free and is available here. We are always looking for ways to improve our software so let us know if you have any suggestions.

Bug Report
Feature Request
More Software

Troubleshooting - FCS Remover does not remove files

I've received a few emails about this recently. Some people have been firing up FCS Remover, running it and restarting their machines - only to find that all their Final Cut Studio files are still there.

This is most likely a permissions problem. You must have the necessary write permissions for all files that FCS Remover will try to remove. If FCS Remover is unable to delete a file from your system, it will post a message listing the offending file in the Console. Go to /Applications/Utilities/Console to view these messages.

I am working on version 2.0 of FCS Remover which will give more information about any errors encountered, as well as allowing you to select individual items to remove. Keep an eye on this blog or our appcast feed.

P.S. I've also had a lot of mail asking me to convert our iPhone web apps to App Store applications. Digital Rebellion submitted an application to be a developer a while ago and we still haven't heard back yet. I will keep you posted as things progress.

Preference Manager 1.0.5 released

Yes, it's been a while but here is a minor update to Preference Manager with a couple of new features:

* File locking - You can now lock preference files so that you (or Final Cut Pro or some rogue application on your system) can't modify them. This can help to prevent them becoming corrupted. You can still change user preferences but the settings will be reverted to the locked ones when you restart Final Cut Pro. This is useful if you know someone else is going to be using your machine and you don't want your settings messed about with.

* Restoring trashed prefs - If you trash your preferences and then change your mind, never fear - Preference Manager can now restore those preferences for as long as they remain in the Trash (if you click Empty Trash, they are gone). Just go to File > Restore Trashed Preferences.

You can download the new version here or use the updating facility within the software.

For those that don't know, Preference Manager is an application that allows you to trash, lock, backup and restore preference files for Final Cut Studio. Preference files contain user settings and other information but over time they can become corrupted, causing problems such as being unable to launch the application. Preference Manager can trash these (meaning the application will recreate them but you will lose your settings) or restore from a previously-working backup. It is completely free.

We are trying to make the best application we can so we appreciate any feedback you can give us. Also check out our resources section for more tools.

Bug Report
Feature Request

How to change default preferences for our online tools

I recently had a question about this. We have several useful online tools in the resources section of the site, many of which are used by people on a regular basis.

However, if you consistently work with a particular format (e.g. HDV) or work in meters instead of feet, it can be annoying to have to change the settings each time you want to use it. Here's how to get around that.

1. Delete your old bookmark for the page.
2. Go to the page and select the settings you would like to be the new defaults.
3. Click "Link to this calculation".
4. Bookmark the page.

For bonus points, you could create separate bookmarks for different settings - e.g. one for HD projects and one for SD for example.

"Codec overrun" error when installing our applications

A couple of people have emailed me to say that they are getting "codec overrun" errors when trying to mount disk images of our applications.

This error means that the file got corrupted during the download process. The most probable reason for this is that they are using download manager software such as Speed Download that breaks up the file into chunks and downloads each one separately before piecing them back together.

Some people have reported that they receive this error when sharing their internet connection via Airport (for some bizarre reason).

The solution to this problem is to either disable such software or download the zipped alternatives that I have now made available on every product page.

FCS Remover
Preference Manager

New tool: Power Load Calculator

We've just released a new online tool to the resources section of our site - Power Load Calculator.

Power Load Calculator allows you to calculate the load on a particular circuit when certain devices are plugged in. For example, you can calculate whether or not the circuit breakers in a location can handle the lights you want to use and if not, the size of the generator that needs to be hired. This sort of thing is better discovered during pre-production and not on the day of shooting, so this calculator is very useful in that regard.

You can also calculate the minimum circuit breaker size for a given power load which is very useful if you are upgrading a building's power supply in order to accommodate your needs.

As usual, there is also an iPhone edition available.

Check out our resources section for more tools.

Digital Rebellion 1 year old today

Digital Rebellion is exactly a year old today! And unlike a lot of start-ups, we're still here and going strong (amazingly).

It's been a year of great things for us. Perfect Sport is now complete and is doing very well at festivals, and our free online resources are proving popular. Looking forward, we have some more projects in the pipeline and I hope I can make an announcement towards the end of the year regarding these.

We've always encouraged comments and feedback and I feel this has been important to our success so I encourage that further. Either use our contact form or use the feedback link at the bottom of every page.

I'm not going out to celebrate or anything, but if you are planning on going to a bar, you are more than welcome to use this as an excuse for the wife :p