If you already synced your footage in another editor, you do not have to sync it again. Selects reads the synced timelines straight out of your project file and rebuilds them, using your clip positions instead of syncing from scratch.
Selects reads only where your raw clips sit on the timeline. Everything else in the sequence is ignored.
Before you export from your editor
Export a timeline with your full, uncut source clips laid out and synced. A few things to check before you do:
Every clip should be its full source, not trimmed to part of it
No clip should appear twice, and no clip should have a changed playback speed
No nested sequences. Lay the individual clips out on their own tracks instead
Multicam clips depend on the file you export. Final Cut Pro XML (.fcpxml, .fcpxmld) carries them, and Selects reads the angles out for you. Premiere project files (.prproj) and Final Cut Pro 7 XML (.xml) do not, so lay the angles out on their own tracks before exporting those
Effects, transitions, and audio adjustments will not come across, so there is no need to strip them out first
Supported files:
Premiere project files (.prproj)
Final Cut Pro XML (.fcpxml, .fcpxmld)
Final Cut Pro 7 XML (.xml), which is what Premiere and DaVinci Resolve export
Start the import
In the timeline, click the + button at the top of the [Project] panel
Choose [Import synced timeline]
Click [Choose file] and pick your project file. Selects starts reading it as soon as you pick it
Nothing is imported at this point. Selects reads the file and shows you what it found first.
Tip: You can import at any time, not only when the project is new. Learn more in Add media to an existing project.
Choose what to import
The [Import synced timelines] screen lists every timeline in your project file, with the importable ones first.
What each timeline shows
How many media files it will bring in, and how many of those are missing from disk
[Show files] expands the list so you can see exactly which media is involved
How much will be placed, written as a count of clips across a count of tracks
What will be skipped, meaning titles, captions, and backgrounds
A [Multicam source] badge when the timeline is the inside of a multicam clip rather than one you built yourself. Final Cut Pro XML only
Deselect any timeline you do not want. The import button updates to show how many you have selected.
If you only want the media files without rebuilding any timelines, deselect every timeline. The button changes to [Import media only].
Timelines that cannot be imported
Anything Selects cannot rebuild is grouped separately with the reason shown, so you can see what was left out and why.
What Selects says | What it means | How to fix it |
Not a synced timeline, it has clips that aren't direct media | The timeline contains a nested timeline, multicam clip, still image, or a clip Selects does not recognize. It names which | Lay the individual clips out on their own tracks and export again. If it was a multicam clip in a Final Cut Pro XML export, check higher up the list: the clip itself will be there separately |
The same source appears more than once | A clip has been cut up and reused, so this is an edit rather than a sync | Export a fresh timeline with each source used once |
Some clips aren't the full source | Clips have been trimmed | Export with full, uncut clips |
A clip's playback speed was changed | Retimed clips cannot be aligned reliably | Remove the speed change, or leave that clip out |
(number) of (number) media files are missing | The project file points at media Selects cannot find on disk | Reconnect the drive or restore the files, then import again |
No video or audio clips, only titles or effects | Nothing in the timeline is media | Nothing to import from this one |
No clips in this timeline | The timeline is empty | Nothing to import from this one |
Note: In a Final Cut Pro XML export, a multicam clip is not skipped outright. The timeline you used it in is skipped, but the multicam clip itself arrives as a synced timeline of its own, carrying one angle per track. Premiere project files and Final Cut Pro 7 XML do not carry multicam clips at all, so lay those angles out on their own tracks before you export.
After the import
[Import complete] tells you how many files were added and how many synced timelines were created, along with anything that needed flagging:
Files referenced by the project file but not found on disk, which were skipped
Files that could not be processed
Files already in your project, which were reused rather than duplicated
Clips that could not be placed, such as nested sequences, titles, generators, and stills
Settings that were not imported, such as effects, transitions, and audio levels
Timelines you deselected yourself
Your imported timelines behave exactly like ones you synced in Selects. To check the sync, right-click a synced timeline and choose [Edit synced timeline] to open it.
When you are happy with it, click [Analyze N clips] at the bottom of the [Project] panel. Learn more in Sync your files.
FAQs
Will importing re-sync my footage?
No. Selects uses the clip positions from your project file instead of syncing your angles itself, which is the point of importing. Your existing sync is preserved exactly as you built it.
Do I need to flatten my multicam clips before exporting?
It depends on the file you export, not on the editor you use.
Final Cut Pro XML (.fcpxml, .fcpxmld) carries multicam clips. Selects reads the angles inside each one your export references and imports that clip as its own synced timeline, one angle per track. You get the same result as flattening, without the extra step.
Premiere project files (.prproj) and Final Cut Pro 7 XML (.xml), which is what Premiere and DaVinci Resolve usually export, do not carry multicam clips. Lay the angles out on their own tracks before you export.
Either way, a timeline that uses a multicam clip is skipped. What Final Cut Pro XML gives you is the multicam clip itself, imported separately.
Why was my timeline skipped?
A timeline is skipped when it looks like an edit rather than a sync. The most common causes are a source used more than once, clips trimmed to part of their source, a changed playback speed, or nested and multicam clips. Selects tells you which reason applies to each timeline. Export a fresh timeline with your full uncut clips laid out and synced, then import that instead.
A skipped timeline does not always mean nothing came in. If the timeline was skipped because it used a multicam clip in a Final Cut Pro XML export, that multicam clip is listed separately as its own importable timeline.
What happens to media Selects cannot find?
Files referenced by the project file but missing from disk are skipped, and Selects tells you how many. If even one of a timeline's media files is missing, that whole timeline is skipped rather than partially rebuilt. Reconnect the drive or restore the files, then import again.
Do effects and transitions come across?
No. Selects reads only the position of your raw clips. Effects, transitions, and audio adjustments are ignored, and Selects tells you afterwards how many settings were left behind.
What if my file will not open at all?
If Selects says the file is not a supported project or timeline, check the format. Only .prproj, .fcpxml, .fcpxmld, and .xml are supported. If you have just opened the project, Selects may still be loading it, in which case wait a moment and import again.
Can I import a timeline after my project is analyzed?
Yes. You can import a synced timeline at any point in a project's life. What you import arrives unanalyzed, like any other file, so analyze it when you are ready. Learn more in Add media to an existing project.