FCPXML Export: Search Results to Timeline

After a search finds the clips you need, the next step is getting them onto a timeline. Copying timecodes into a spreadsheet and locating each clip in your NLE by hand is slow. FrameQuery exports search results as FCPXML.

What is FCPXML?

FCPXML (Final Cut Pro XML) is an open XML format originally designed by Apple for Final Cut Pro. It describes a timeline structure: which clips appear, where the source files live, what the in and out points are, and how everything is arranged on the timeline.

Despite the name, FCPXML is not limited to Final Cut Pro. DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro (via conversion; see the guide to importing FCPXML into Premiere Pro), and several other NLEs can import it. It has become a de facto interchange format for moving timeline data between applications.

FCPXML references media files by their file paths and does not embed video data. An FCPXML file is a small XML document, typically a few kilobytes, that tells your NLE "put this clip from this file, starting at this timecode, with this duration, on this track."

Why FCPXML instead of EDL or AAF?

There are other interchange formats. EDL (Edit Decision List) is the oldest and most widely supported, but it is limited to a single video track and carries minimal metadata. AAF (Advanced Authoring Format) is complex and has inconsistent support across applications.

FCPXML gives you:

Clean sequential placement. Your selects land on the timeline in order, ready to trim, reorder, or redistribute across tracks once they're in your NLE. When a clip has linked audio from FrameQuery's audio sync, that audio rides along as a synced clip automatically.
Rich metadata. Clip names, markers, keywords, and roles can all travel with the export.
Wide compatibility. Final Cut Pro reads it natively. DaVinci Resolve imports it directly. Premiere Pro can import via third-party converters.
Human-readable. It is XML. You can open it in a text editor and see exactly what it describes.

How FrameQuery generates FCPXML

When you search your footage in FrameQuery and select your results, the export process works like this:

Select your clips. After running a search, mark the results you want to export. You might search for "interview about product launch" and get back 15 matching moments across different clips.
Set your handles. FrameQuery lets you add handles (extra frames before and after each match) so you have room to fine-tune the edit point in your NLE. A few seconds of padding on each side is standard practice.
Export as FCPXML. FrameQuery generates the XML file with the correct file paths, timecodes, durations, and metadata for each selected clip.
Import into your NLE. Open the FCPXML file in Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or your editor of choice. Your selects appear on the timeline, already trimmed to the relevant sections, with the source media linked.

The flow from search to timeline takes seconds.

Workflow: search to timeline in practice

Suppose you are cutting a brand video and need B-roll of the product being used.

Without FrameQuery: Open each project folder from the last two years. Scrub through hundreds of clips. Find the ones with the product. Note the timecodes. Import them manually into your project. Trim each one to the relevant section. This takes hours.

With FrameQuery: Search "product in use" or "hands holding product." Get results ranked by relevance in seconds. Preview each match to confirm. Select the ones you want. Export as FCPXML. Import into your timeline. Done in minutes.

Working with DaVinci Resolve

DaVinci Resolve has strong FCPXML support. To import:

Go to File > Import > Timeline > Import AAF, EDL, XML...
Select the .fcpxml file FrameQuery generated
Resolve will create a new timeline with your clips placed and linked to the source media

If the source media is on the same drives Resolve can access, everything links automatically. Clip names, timecodes, and durations carry over.

Working with Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro reads FCPXML natively:

Go to File > Import > XML...
Select the .fcpxml file
Final Cut creates a new event with the imported clips on a timeline

Keywords and metadata from FrameQuery travel with the export.

Working with Premiere Pro

Premiere Pro does not import FCPXML directly, but tools like SendToX or XtoCC can convert FCPXML to Premiere-compatible XML. The workflow adds one step.

Search to edit

FCPXML export connects searching to editing. Search your archive, pull your selects, and drop them on the timeline.

Download FrameQuery to try the full search-to-timeline workflow with your own footage.