# Send media from Final Cut Pro to RoughCut

> Add RoughCut as a Final Cut Pro share destination so a clip or a finished edit reaches it in one step.
>
> Verified against the current RoughCut app on 28 August 2026
> https://www.roughcuteditor.com/docs/fcp-share-destination

Add a destination in Final Cut Pro's settings that exports a file and opens it with RoughCut, then send any clip or timeline there with Share. RoughCut receives the file and asks what to do with it. For a video it offers Transcribe and Make a Rough Cut; for an audio-only file the rough-cut option is hidden entirely and only Transcribe is offered, because audio alone cannot produce a video timeline. If you mainly want a transcript of a finished edit, add a second destination whose format is audio only, so Final Cut Pro skips the slow video render. The handoff exports a real file first, so let Final Cut Pro finish sharing before you expect the file to appear. Apple sets these labels and its own Final Cut Pro user guide is authoritative.

## Prerequisites

- RoughCut installed and opened at least once, so macOS knows about it.
- Final Cut Pro, with the clip or project you want to send.
- A supported output format. RoughCut accepts video as `mp4`, `mov`, `mkv`, `avi`, or `m4v`, and audio as `wav`, `mp3`, or `m4a`. See [Choose video and audio inputs](/docs/file-inputs).

> ! Final Cut Pro's menus and setting names belong to Apple and change between versions. The path below describes the current shape of the feature, not a guarantee. **Apple's own Final Cut Pro user guide is authoritative** — if a label here does not match your copy, follow Apple's wording and look for the equivalent step.

## Steps

1. In Final Cut Pro, open `Settings` and select the `Destinations` pane.
2. Click `Add Destination`, then choose `Export File` from the list of destination types.
3. Name the new destination `RoughCut`. The name is what you will see in the `Share` menu, so make it obvious.
4. Set the destination's action — the `Open with` option — to **RoughCut**. This is the part that matters: it tells Final Cut Pro to hand the exported file straight to the app instead of just writing it to disk.
5. Close settings. The destination is saved and stays available for every project.
6. Select a clip or open the project you want to send, then choose `Share → RoughCut`.
7. **Let Final Cut Pro finish.** The handoff exports a real media file first, and a long timeline takes as long as any other export. Watch the background-tasks indicator.
8. When the export completes, RoughCut comes forward with the file already loaded and asks what to do with it.

## Expected result

A sheet headed `File sent to RoughCut` showing the filename, with the question `What would you like to do with this video?` and two buttons:

- `Transcribe` — opens the [transcription-only](/docs/transcribe-only) screen with the file prefilled.
- `Make a Rough Cut` — opens the `New Rough Cut` screen with the file prefilled, ready for you to set the cut controls and click `Process`.

`Cancel` dismisses the sheet without starting anything; the exported file stays where Final Cut Pro put it.

## Audio-only arrivals

If what arrives is an audio file — `wav`, `mp3`, or `m4a` — the sheet asks `What would you like to do with this audio?` and the `Make a Rough Cut` button is **hidden entirely**. Only `Transcribe` is offered.

This is deliberate rather than a limitation you can work around. A rough cut is a video timeline; an audio file on its own has no video to cut. Audio goes straight to transcription.

## A second destination for transcripts

If your usual reason for sending is to caption a **finished edit**, a second destination saves real time.

Set it up the same way, but name it `RoughCut Transcript` and set its format to audio only. Final Cut Pro then exports just the audio and skips the video render entirely — the difference on a long timeline is minutes against a much longer wait. RoughCut receives an audio file, hides the rough-cut option, and goes straight to transcription.

Use it like this:

- **`RoughCut`** (video) — for raw footage you want cut down.
- **`RoughCut Transcript`** (audio only) — for a locked edit you want captions or a text transcript from.

From there, see [Export SRT captions and bring them into Final Cut Pro](/docs/srt-captions).

## Other ways to hand a file over

The share destination is the convenient route from Final Cut Pro, but the same chooser sheet appears whenever a file reaches RoughCut from outside the app — including Finder's **Open With** and dropping a file on the RoughCut icon in the Dock. The behaviour is identical: video gets both options, audio gets transcription only.

If several files arrive at once, RoughCut takes the first supported one.

## Unsupported files

If nothing in what arrives is a format RoughCut can read, it says so instead of failing quietly:

`RoughCut can't open "<name>". Video: mp4, mov, mkv, avi, m4v. Audio: wav, mp3, m4a.`

The usual cause is a destination configured to write a format outside that list. Change the destination's format in Final Cut Pro and share again.

## Common mistakes

- **Creating the destination but leaving the action unset.** Without `Open with` pointing at RoughCut, Final Cut Pro writes a file and stops; nothing reaches the app.
- **Expecting the handoff to be instant.** It is a real export. A long project takes a real export's worth of time.
- **Sending a full-quality video render when you only wanted a transcript.** Use an audio-only destination.
- **Sending a locked edit to `Make a Rough Cut`.** RoughCut would then propose cutting a cut. Transcribe a finished edit; cut raw footage.
- **Assuming the file is temporary.** The destination writes a real file to disk. Clean it up yourself when you are done with it.

## Troubleshooting

**RoughCut is not offered as an app to open with.** Open RoughCut once from Applications, then set the destination up again.

**Nothing happens after sharing.** Check Final Cut Pro's background tasks — the export may still be running. If it finished, look in the destination's output folder to confirm a file was actually written.

**The sheet appears but `Make a Rough Cut` is missing.** What arrived is an audio file. That is the expected behaviour, not a fault.

**The wrong file arrived.** The destination exports whatever is selected in Final Cut Pro. Confirm your selection before sharing.

For anything else, see [Troubleshooting by symptom](/docs/troubleshooting).