Create Custom Destination Options in Compressor.

Create Custom Destination Options in Compressor.
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Repeated Compressions

Since you will likely be doing a number of video editing projects, you will also probably be exporting to Compressor quite often. Because of this, you will need to keep your projects organized, possibly putting them into a specific folder. If you are going to use a specific folder or drive to save this footage, then you may want to make a custom destination for Compressor.

Making a Custom Destination

Open Compressor, and go down to the Settings and Destinations window in the bottom left corner. Click on the Destinations tab, and bypass the pre-made Apple destinations, and select Custom.

When you open that folder, you should get an icon of a hard drive with a name that read “Untitled Local-1.” Click on this, and an Inspector Window will come up that will ask you to specify information about your project, such as the name and the name for the template of the output. At the bottom, you will have the option to choose a path, which will then be listed. Go ahead and find a folder, internal drive, or external storage device to make your standard location. Once you have done this, feel free to click out of it.

Using the Custom Destination

Now, when you go to the Settings and Destinations tab, you will have a new destination under your custom folder. When you want to save something to that specific path, then you can just drag and drop that custom setting into the project window for compression. This can make things much quicker if you are going to be saving to that path repeatedly.

You may still have to change the name of your file as the saved destination requires you to list a name. Obviously, each project will have a different name so you are going to have to address this. You would have to do this anyway so this will be no extra trouble.

Setting a New Default Destionation

Want to make your new custom destination the default? You can do this easily by control-clicking the destination you want to make the default, and then choosing Make Default from the shortcut menu. The name of the new default will be appended with “(default)”.

Altering the Program

This is just one way to truly alter your program and make it more curtailed to your needs. Once you get a number of these custom settings put into your post-production programs, then the entire process of editing, compressing, and DVD authoring can be much more streamlined. Eventually, this will make the entire cycle much faster and more enjoyable.

This post is part of the series: Compressor

Articles dealing with Final Cut Suite’s video compression program, Compressor.

  1. Checking Progress in Compressor
  2. Exporting Using QuickTime for Compressor
  3. Using Compression for iPod Conversion
  4. Basic Keyboard Shortcuts in Compressor
  5. Creating Custom Destination Options in Compressor
  6. Keeping Things Organized When Using Compressor
  7. Function and Preview Keyboard Shortcuts in Compressor