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.

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.

FCS Remover 2.0.4 released

We've just released FCS Remover 2.0.4. It's a maintenance release so there aren't any new features. This improves the window resizing code (thanks Andy) and now reports the application version when submitting an error. This is in response to several people reporting errors from earlier versions that had already been fixed in later ones. The bug reporter now prompts you to update older versions of FCS Remover before submitting a bug report in case the bug has been fixed in a later version, although you still have the option to submit the report regardless.



FCS Remover is a tool for removing Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Express and Final Cut Server. This is recommended practice when upgrading Final Cut Studio or for general troubleshooting. You can specify which elements to remove, and there are even built-in presets for common tasks. It works with Final Cut Studio 1 and 2, and Final Cut Studio 4 and above, and is compatible with Leopard and Tiger operating systems.

FCS Remover is completely free and is available here. We also have many other useful tools available here.

FCS Remover 2.0.3 released

This is a bug fix update for FCS Remover, bringing it up to version 2.0.3.

It fixes the issue some Leopard users were getting where Final Cut Pro would crash upon reinstallation, citing missing frameworks, due to the latest 6.0.5 patch for FCP. This issue is now fixed.

This new version will fix the issue for future users but if you already are experiencing it, follow the steps here to fix it.

As always, we consider your feedback to be very important in the development of our products, so feel free to use the links in the Help menus of our applications to report bugs and suggest features, or use the links below.

Report a Bug
Suggest a Feature

More tools...

FCS Remover 2.0.2 released

We've just released FCS Remover 2.0.2. It's a maintenance release with a couple of minor changes.



Firstly, the Final Cut Studio and Final Cut Server presets now select Shared Files by default - some users were reporting Software Update listing Pro Application Updates after they'd uninstalled Final Cut Studio but this is because they had not also selected Shared Files. If you do want to maintain compatibility with existing ProApps on your system such as Logic and Shake, use the Maximum Compatibility preset.

We added a new preset for Compressor and Qmaster, as these are quite commonly reinstalled. There were also some minor interface tweaks.

Finally, some of you have been experiencing errors when you try to update using the automatic updater. That has been fixed in the latest version but if you have the updater problem you will need to update your old version manually here.