Prepare a project for your editing app
You can export only video files from Merceq, or prepare project information that you can also open in an editing app. The project file carries information such as your scene selections, folder organization, and shot list layout in supported formats.
The Send to editing app section appears when the Link plugin is on and your license allows it. You can manage plugins from the Plugins window.
- In Send to editing app, choose Files or one of the editing apps offered. Your choice is remembered for the next export.
- If you’re preparing an editing project, you can optionally use Add defects as markers.
- Complete the other export settings and start the operation.
| Option | What gets prepared? |
|---|---|
| Files | No project file is created. You can import the media in the output folder into your app yourself. |
| Final Cut Pro | An .fcpxml file is added to the project. Open it in the app with File › Import › XML. |
| Premiere Pro | An .xml file is added to the project. Open it in the app with File › Import. |
| DaVinci Resolve | An .fcpxml file is added to the project. Open it in the app with File › Import › Timeline. |
These are direct project export options in Merceq’s current interface; that doesn’t mean you can’t work with other editing apps. If you use another app, choose Files to export your footage and folder organization. Whether your app can open the project format created by Merceq depends on that app’s support.
The project file is created automatically at the end of export. You don’t need to open the report window. It’s saved in the project folder with the folder’s name and appears in the file layout preview:
- {proje}.fcpxml for Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve.
- {proje}.xml for Premiere Pro.
- If the project folder is named Bali 2, the project file is named Bali 2.fcpxml or uses the relevant extension.
- If you end the operation with Stop, the project isn’t prepared.
The project file links to videos copied into the project folder. If you moved the folder, your editing app may ask you to relink the media. In that case, use the app’s relink tool to point it to the new project folder.
How does your work in Merceq appear in an editing project?
| What you did in Merceq | Its equivalent in supported project formats |
|---|---|
| Sorted clips into folders | Collections, keywords, or bin organization based on folder membership. |
| Scenes marked with I / O | Named favorite ranges or timed markers. |
| Scene without a set end | A single marker. |
| Clip and scene notes | Note or description fields supported by the app. |
| Tags and camera information | Keyword or comment information. |
| Takes you selected | General and folder-based select timelines; scene ranges are used if available. |
| Your shot lists | Separate timelines following the slot order. |
| Problem ranges with Add defects as markers on | Timed markers for out of focus and camera shake. |
Every editing app shows the same information in different places. For example, notes, tags, or folder membership are exported to a field the app supports. You can review the information in your project after export.
Full speech transcripts and culling decisions from Merceq aren’t carried into the project file in the same way. If you need subtitles, you can separately save an SRT file from preview.
Selecting scenes doesn’t cut the original video file. The full video file is copied out; your selected start and end ranges are marked in the project.
If some clips in a shot list can’t be found during export, you may see the warning “Some clips from {n} shot lists aren’t in this export; those timelines were written with missing slots.” Empty slots in the shot list aren’t added as gaps in the editing app’s timeline; available clips are placed in order.
Horizontal and vertical clips: Shorts
If your selected media includes both horizontal and vertical videos, Merceq can separate them in the project output. Horizontal footage is included in the editing project, while vertical footage goes into a separate folder named “{Proje} — Shorts”.
- Media items in this folder are links: they don’t take up extra full-file space and aren’t an independent backup.
- If the destination disk doesn’t support links, vertical footage is included in the editing project with the horizontal footage. This is noted in the report.
Project row in the report
The editing project’s preparation status appears separately in the report:
- Preparing… — the project file is still being created.
- “{dosya} is ready: N clips with their folders. Open it in {program}.” — the project is ready.
- You can use Show in Finder, and if available the Shorts folder and Another app buttons.
The Another app option shows buttons for other supported editing projects. Choose one to prepare a project file for that app too. If you close and reopen the app, the report may ask which app you want again.
If some clips can’t be included in the project, you’ll see the warning “{n} clips without an exported file or readable duration weren’t added to the project. Export these clips again.”
When you open the project in your editing app, check media links, scene in and out points, and timeline order.