Front Page News Category: Digital Rebellion Blog

Preference Manager 2.0.3 released

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:52:40 MDT

Preference Manager 2.0.3 was released earlier today with some minor new features.

Preference Manager is an application for managing the preference files of Final Cut Studio. Preference files store user preferences and other settings, and can cause strange behavior if they become corrupt. Preference Manager allows you to trash, backup, restore and lock these files for maximum flexibility.

Here are the changes in the latest version:

Backup editing
Backup settings can now be edited.
Import Backup function
The Import Backup menu item adds a backup to the library without automatically restoring it, unlike Open Backup.
Project filenames are now listed below the backup name for convenience
You can now see at a glance which project is associated with a particular backup.
Support for Boris text plugin preferences
Preference Manager is now capable of backing up preferences from the Boris text tools included with Final Cut Pro (Text Scrambler, Title 3D, Title Crawl and Vector Shape).

Preference Manager is completely free and is available for download here. View the user manual for a walk-through of some of the new features.

Preference Manager 2.0.2 released

Sun, 17 May 2009 10:59:00 MDT

We've just released Preference Manager 2.0.2, which is primarily a maintenance release but has a couple of small features too.

Preference Manager is an application for managing the preference files of Final Cut Studio. Preference files store user preferences and other settings, and can cause strange behavior if they become corrupt. Preference Manager allows you to trash, backup, restore and lock these files for maximum flexibility.

The main changes are:

Better support for prior versions of FCP
Preference Manager now supports all versions from Final Cut Pro 3 onwards.
New icons to differentiate project-linked backups
When you link a project to a backup, a linked chain symbol will now appear. Hovering over the icon will reveal the name of the project it is linked to. If the project does not exist, a red broken chain icon will appear.
Selections in the Advanced dialog are now remembered when the application is closed
A lot of people asked for this, so here it is. Also, when you launch Preference Manager for the first time, only preferences are selected in the Advanced dialog. Some people inadvertently deleted their button bars and window layouts because they didn't realize they were selected by default.
Support for custom Compressor settings and destinations
Preference Manager is now capable of backing up custom Compressor settings and destinations.

Preference Manager is completely free and is available here.

Compressor Repair 1.1.3 released

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 16:34:36 MDT

We've just released a quick maintenance update to Compressor Repair, bringing it up to version 1.1.3. This one improves Tiger compatibility and compatibility with foreign language versions of OS X.

Apple's Compressor relies heavily on the Qmaster service in order to work. Qmaster allows you to split rendering tasks across multiple machines in a render farm but it is still required even if you are only rendering on a single computer.

The link between the two is so important that if the Qmaster service fails to launch, Compressor will be unable to submit batches. Should this occur, Compressor Repair checks for problems that could be preventing Qmaster from operating correctly. It checks for missing files, incorrect permissions, an invalid hostname, and attempts to manually start the qmasterd process.

Compressor Repair remains completely free and is available here.

Preference Manager 2.0.1 released

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 12:14:24 MDT

We've just released Preference Manager 2.0.1 (if you're wondering what happened to 2.0.0, that was exclusive for FCP SuperMeet visitors).

Preference Manager is a utility that allows you to trash, lock, backup and restore your Final Cut Studio user preferences. Unlike other apps, it supports all applications in the Final Cut Studio suite, not just FCP. It is useful as a troubleshooting tool and as a simple means of transferring your preferences to another computer.

Version 2.0.x is a complete rewrite with a redesigned and improved interface. It was designed to be easier for casual users while still being useful for power users. So if you click Backup or Quick Trash in the Basic tab, this will just trash or backup all of your preferences, which is fine for most users.

People who want a bit more control can click on the Advanced tab, where they will have more precise control over what is trashed or backed up, and also have the option to lock files to prevent modification.

You can also assign categories to better distinguish backups. There are three categories - User, Project and Workflow. These categories are just different ways of representing the backups and have no bearing on the content stored in the file or the operation of Preference Manager - they're purely for organization (incidentally, I am open to suggestions for additional categories).

However, it is possible to optionally link a project to a Project-categorized backup. This doesn't just apply to FCP projects either - you can add Motion projects, Color projects, Compressor jobs, etc. Whenever you launch the project, the backup will automatically be restored before the application launches. This enables you to easily set scratch disks and other settings on a per-project basis (you must open the project file in the Finder - you can't click File > Open).

As these are major changes to the application, I would fully appreciate feedback on what works for you and what doesn't. Everyone uses the app in a slightly different way, so it'd be interesting to hear what would improve your particular workflow. Just reply to this post, use the feedback form at the bottom of the Preference Manager page, send us an email or contact us on Twitter.

Preference Manager remains completely free and can be downloaded here. If you are running version 1.0.7, you will need to download and install the update manually due to a bug with the updater in that particular version.

If you're going to NAB 09...

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 16:01:24 MDT

I'm sure everyone's probably noticed that this blog's been pretty quiet of late. That's partly because I haven't had much time lately and partly because I generally don't like to pre-announce things before they are due.

However, there is one thing I would like to announce right now. If you're going to NAB this year, be sure to check out the FCPUG SuperMeet on Thursday 21st April, 5:00 PM-11:00 PM at the Rio Hotel Amazon Ballroom. This is a great place to meet up with fellow Final Cut Pro users, learn new things and win great prizes in the raffle ($70,000-worth of prizes in the bag and counting). Entry is $15.00 ($20 at the door) which includes two raffle tickets.

The doors open at 4:30 PM, so be sure to get in there quick because the first 1000 people in the door get the SuperMeet DVD. This is a disc containing gigabytes of software, tutorials and discount codes. And the lucky recipients of this DVD will also exclusively receive the brand new, completely redesigned version of Preference Manager.

This version has taken into account much of the feedback from the original version, and version 2.0.0 aims to simplify the most commonly-used tasks while still providing customization for those that need it.

Brand new features include the ability to categorize backups, and the ability to link backups to specific projects so that settings are automatically applied when the project is launched. This is in addition to its prior functions of trashing, backing up, restoring and locking preference files. Preference Manager 2.0.0 is Leopard-only.

Preference Manager remains completely free but this version will be exclusive to those with the SuperMeet DVD. If you're not going to NAB or you miss out on the DVD, don't fret. You'll get version 2.0.1 a few days later which has some very minor features (like Tiger support and an improved application icon) that didn't make the deadline.

Also on the disc is the current version of FCS Remover and a minor new release of Compressor Repair that now displays a warning stating that it is designed for Compressor 3.0.x. This is to clear up confusion over some of the warnings 2.x and 1.x users were getting about missing Compressor files.

As this is a completely rewritten version of Preference Manager, we'd really appreciate feedback. We think this is a major improvement over the previous version but we'd love to hear what doesn't work for your needs and workflow (and of course, it's always good to know what does work too). You can use the bug report / feature request links within the application itself or contact us on Twitter.

If you're waiting for the 2.0.1 release, you can subscribe to this blog, our appcast, or follow our Twitter feed to hear when the new version has been released.

Wish I could be there, hope everyone has a great time.

Compressor Repair 1.1.2 released

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:55:09 MST

We've just released a minor update to Compressor Repair, bringing it up to version 1.1.2.

This update checks for a missing local hostname or computer name. This is a common reason for Compressor failure and can be fixed by entering a new name into the text field at the top of the Sharing dialog in System Preferences. Compressor Repair won't actually change the name but it lets you know it is missing and tell you how to change it. Why these names disappear unfortunately remains a mystery.

As always, it is completely free and is available here.

We also have several other tools and utilities in the Resources section of the site.

Compressor Repair 1.1.1 released

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 11:41:10 MST

We've just released Compressor Repair 1.1.1. This is a minor release that automatically enables the Qmaster startup process if the user has disabled it.

I'd also like to make a point about compatibility. Compressor Repair is designed for Compressor 3. Not all features will work with versions below this - you will receive messages stating that certain files do not exist because they were not present in earlier versions.

However, many features do work on earlier versions so it is still recommended to try it before reinstalling.

Compressor Repair is completely free and is available here. For more of our applications, visit the Resources section of the site.

FCS Remover 2.0.7 released

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:09:54 MST

FCS Remover 2.0.7 has just been released. This is a minor release to fix a couple of bugs that still remained from the changes added in 2.0.5.

FCS Remover is completely free and is available here. See the Resources section of this site for more software.

FCS Remover 2.0.6 released

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:02:28 MST

Yesterday we released FCS Remover 2.0.5. This is a minor update to our Final Cut Studio uninstaller.

Changes:

FCS Remover is completely free and is available here. Check out our other software here.

Update 1/14/09: 2.0.5 was re-released as 2.0.6 to fix some bugs.

Compressor Repair 1.1.0 released

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:46:04 MST

We've just released Compressor Repair 1.1.0 with the following changes:

Enhancement: Improved Qmaster relaunch process

Enhancement: Improved feedback when errors have been discovered

Feature: Command-line functionality (see user manual)

Feature: Now refreshes Qmaster icon in menu bar

Bug fix: Fixed "file exists" error when trashing qmaster spool

Compressor Repair is completely free and is available here.

FCS Remover 2.0.4 released

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:08:21 MST

We've just released FCS Remover 2.0.4. It's a maintenance release so there aren't any new features. This improves the window resizing code (thanks Andy) and now reports the application version when submitting an error. This is in response to several people reporting errors from earlier versions that had already been fixed in later ones. The bug reporter now prompts you to update older versions of FCS Remover before submitting a bug report in case the bug has been fixed in a later version, although you still have the option to submit the report regardless.

FCS Remover is a tool for removing Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Express and Final Cut Server. This is recommended practice when upgrading Final Cut Studio or for general troubleshooting. You can specify which elements to remove, and there are even built-in presets for common tasks. It works with Final Cut Studio 1 and 2, and Final Cut Studio 4 and above, and is compatible with Leopard and Tiger operating systems.

FCS Remover is completely free and is available here. We also have many other useful tools available here.

FCS Remover 2.0.3 released

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:43:34 MST

This is a bug fix update for FCS Remover, bringing it up to version 2.0.3.

It fixes the issue some Leopard users were getting where Final Cut Pro would crash upon reinstallation, citing missing frameworks, due to the latest 6.0.5 patch for FCP. This issue is now fixed.

This new version will fix the issue for future users but if you already are experiencing it, follow the steps here to fix it.

As always, we consider your feedback to be very important in the development of our products, so feel free to use the links in the Help menus of our applications to report bugs and suggest features, or use the links below.

Report a Bug
Suggest a Feature

More tools...

FCS Remover 2.0.2 released

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:00:29 MST

We've just released FCS Remover 2.0.2. It's a maintenance release with a couple of minor changes.

Firstly, the Final Cut Studio and Final Cut Server presets now select Shared Files by default - some users were reporting Software Update listing Pro Application Updates after they'd uninstalled Final Cut Studio but this is because they had not also selected Shared Files. If you do want to maintain compatibility with existing ProApps on your system such as Logic and Shake, use the Maximum Compatibility preset.

We added a new preset for Compressor and Qmaster, as these are quite commonly reinstalled. There were also some minor interface tweaks.

Finally, some of you have been experiencing errors when you try to update using the automatic updater. That has been fixed in the latest version but if you have the updater problem you will need to update your old version manually here.

Compressor Repair 1.0.1

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 08:05:52 MST

I just got a bug report in from a user who stated that Compressor Repair would hang once he clicked Repair. I discovered this occurs if qmasterprefs is missing (which would also explain why Compressor wasn't working for him...). This is now fixed in version 1.0.1.

For the unaware, Compressor Repair is an application that is designed to fix the dreaded "unable to submit batch" error a lot of people have been getting with Apple's Compressor application. It can also fix "stuck" batches that won't progress and can also fix Compressor startup problems if you select the "Trash Preferences" checkbox.

We've been receiving a lot of feedback about this application - it's great to hear that it's been useful for a large number of people. Keep the feedback - good and bad - coming in as we always appreciate it.

Compressor Repair is completely free and is available here. Click here to see our other applications.

Introducing Compressor Repair 1.0.0

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:16:37 MST

Compressor Repair is a new tool created by us to diagnose and fix Compressor problems.

Basically, if you're unable to submit batches, it's almost certain that qmasterd isn't running. And if it isn't running, that's probably because it's not in your StartupItems folder or it's exiting upon startup due to an error. And most people manage to fix their problems by reinstalling Compressor and Qmaster so that indicates that the problem is due to either missing files or files with incorrect permissions.

So Compressor Repair checks for missing files and modifies their permissions if they do not have read access (and write access where necessary). It trashes your Qmaster spool folder, which can be the cause of "stuck" batches, resets Qmaster and launches qmasterd. It can also optionally trash Compressor preferences, which can be the cause of Compressor refusing to load.

It is designed for Compressor 3 and both OS X Leopard and Tiger. It is completely free and is available here.

As always, we are trying to make the best products we possibly can so we appreciate all feedback you can give. You can email us, report a bug, suggest a feature or use the feedback link at the bottom of every page.

FCS Remover 2.0.1 released

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:44:27 MST

We've just released FCS Remover 2.0.1.

There was a minor bug in which dialog boxes wouldn't display in certain situations that has now been fixed. There is also now a user manual to guide new users through the process.

There have been several user interface changes. The "Final Cut Pro" option has been renamed to "Final Cut Pro / Express" to clarify that it also applies to the Express version - there was some confusion over that. There is now a preset for Final Cut Server and the interface now includes icons next to the application names.

FCS Remover allows you to completely uninstall Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Express, Final Cut Server and related components. It is entirely free and is available here.

Important Update: You must install the update manually. You cannot use the built-in installer to do this. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Preference Manager 1.0.7 released

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:36:18 MST

This is a maintenance release of Preference Manager, bringing it up to version 1.0.7.

Only minor changes this time around - there were some icon tweaks and the Sparkle updater framework has been upgraded. The main reason for releasing this update, however, was to include a comprehensive user manual for people who may have difficulty using the software, and to let them know of the support options available.

Preference Manager is a tool for managing Final Cut Studio preference files. It allows you to trash, lock, backup and restore these files. It is suitable for troubleshooting, and also for transferring user preferences from one machine to another.

It is completely free and is available here.

Web tool "Link to Calculation" misunderstandings

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 04:32:54 MDT

Just got some feedback from one of our web tools about the little "Link to this Calculation" link at the bottom.

I thought it best to explain what the feature is for and how to use it. If you just want to put a general link on your blog, just copy and paste the link at the top of your address bar as normal. Link to this Calculation is for linking to the tool with certain settings pre-set. So, for example, if you use the Film Rate Calculator to work out how much film you'll need to buy, you can use the Link to this Calculation send a link to someone else with those options already entered into the form so they don't need to enter them themselves.

The feedback poster thought the feature wasn't working but in fact it is. When you click the link, it changes the link in your address bar to the new format. Consequently, the page reloads but everything remains the same except the address bar. You can then copy + paste that new link and send it to someone else.

I'll try to make this clearer in future versions.

FCS Remover 2.0.0 released

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 11:01:13 MDT

We've just released a major new version of FCS Remover. This is a complete rewrite of the application that incorporates many of the features you have been asking for.

The biggest of these is the UI overhaul that now allows you to choose which components to remove and which components to keep. It's also a lot better at removing files that are in use or require admin privileges, and it can also remove content such as Motion templates and LiveFonts even when they are not in the default location.

Final Cut Server users will be pleased to hear that this version now removes the Final Cut Server database - but only if you want it to. There are also presets for common actions such as removing only content. The Maximum Compatibility preset in particular is useful if you have another ProApp such as Logic or Shake on your system and don't want to interfere with it. This preset will remove all of the Final Cut Studio files except for the ones shared by other applications.

FCS Remover is free and can be downloaded here.

We are always trying to improve our software so we appreciate any feedback we receive. We'd be very interested to know what people think of the new release.

Report a bug
Suggest a feature

Preference Manager 1.0.6 released

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:19:58 MDT

This is a minor update to Preference Manager, bringing it up to version 1.0.6. It's mainly just tweaks and optimizations with the aim of making the software easier and faster to use. To do this we've added shortcut keys, removed the Lock button in the Lock tab (selecting/deselecting an item immediately locks/unlocks it) and the application now remembers which options you last selected so that you don't have to keep selecting everything over and over in order to perform a backup. Also, the Select All buttons now toggle between Select All and Select None.

Preference Manager is an application designed to trash, backup, lock and restore Final Cut Studio preference files. These files save your user settings, window positions, etc and can cause problems if they become corrupted. Preference Manager allows you to back these up, restore them if a problem occurs, and then lock them to prevent further changes. You can also use these backups to transfer your user preferences onto a different machine.

Preference Manager is completely free and is available here. We are always looking for ways to improve our software so let us know if you have any suggestions.

Bug Report
Feature Request
More Software

Troubleshooting - FCS Remover does not remove files

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 15:58:44 MDT

I've received a few emails about this recently. Some people have been firing up FCS Remover, running it and restarting their machines - only to find that all their Final Cut Studio files are still there.

This is most likely a permissions problem. You must have the necessary write permissions for all files that FCS Remover will try to remove. If FCS Remover is unable to delete a file from your system, it will post a message listing the offending file in the Console. Go to /Applications/Utilities/Console to view these messages.

I am working on version 2.0 of FCS Remover which will give more information about any errors encountered, as well as allowing you to select individual items to remove. Keep an eye on this blog or our appcast feed.

P.S. I've also had a lot of mail asking me to convert our iPhone web apps to App Store applications. Digital Rebellion submitted an application to be a developer a while ago and we still haven't heard back yet. I will keep you posted as things progress.

Preference Manager 1.0.5 released

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 15:20:44 MDT

Yes, it's been a while but here is a minor update to Preference Manager with a couple of new features:

* File locking - You can now lock preference files so that you (or Final Cut Pro or some rogue application on your system) can't modify them. This can help to prevent them becoming corrupted. You can still change user preferences but the settings will be reverted to the locked ones when you restart Final Cut Pro. This is useful if you know someone else is going to be using your machine and you don't want your settings messed about with.

* Restoring trashed prefs - If you trash your preferences and then change your mind, never fear - Preference Manager can now restore those preferences for as long as they remain in the Trash (if you click Empty Trash, they are gone). Just go to File > Restore Trashed Preferences.

You can download the new version here or use the updating facility within the software.

For those that don't know, Preference Manager is an application that allows you to trash, lock, backup and restore preference files for Final Cut Studio. Preference files contain user settings and other information but over time they can become corrupted, causing problems such as being unable to launch the application. Preference Manager can trash these (meaning the application will recreate them but you will lose your settings) or restore from a previously-working backup. It is completely free.

We are trying to make the best application we can so we appreciate any feedback you can give us. Also check out our resources section for more tools.

Bug Report
Feature Request

How to change default preferences for our online tools

Sat, 31 May 2008 02:19:27 MDT

I recently had a question about this. We have several useful online tools in the resources section of the site, many of which are used by people on a regular basis.

However, if you consistently work with a particular format (e.g. HDV) or work in meters instead of feet, it can be annoying to have to change the settings each time you want to use it. Here's how to get around that.

1. Delete your old bookmark for the page.
2. Go to the page and select the settings you would like to be the new defaults.
3. Click "Link to this calculation".
4. Bookmark the page.

For bonus points, you could create separate bookmarks for different settings - e.g. one for HD projects and one for SD for example.

"Codec overrun" error when installing our applications

Mon, 26 May 2008 01:17:14 MDT

A couple of people have emailed me to say that they are getting "codec overrun" errors when trying to mount disk images of our applications.

This error means that the file got corrupted during the download process. The most probable reason for this is that they are using download manager software such as Speed Download that breaks up the file into chunks and downloads each one separately before piecing them back together.

Some people have reported that they receive this error when sharing their internet connection via Airport (for some bizarre reason).

The solution to this problem is to either disable such software or download the zipped alternatives that I have now made available on every product page.

FCS Remover
Preference Manager

Perfect Sport now online for free

Sat, 24 May 2008 01:47:36 MDT

Want to see the winner of Best Dramatic Feature at Worldfest Houston online for free? Read on.

Perfect Sport, the awesome sports / coming-of-age movie, has been entered into MyFestival. MyFestival is an online film festival in which members of the public watch and vote for their favorite film out of the 10 features and 10 shorts available. The festival lasts until June 8th, at which point the votes will be tallied and one short and one feature will go on to screen at the Seattle International Film Festival.

And, because I am really bad at describing things, here are some quotes from people who are much better:

I loved this movie! Caught it at Houston Worldfest where it won for Best Drama. For those of you who haven't seen it yet (don't worry, no spoilers here) here's a mini-review:

Building on a very creative script with an unexpected plot and believable, fully human characters, the actors make unusual choices that bring even more life to their roles. Your typical sports movie this ain't. Perfect Sport is also set against a beautiful score. I'd recommend this movie to anyone who wants to see something original and gripping. It's so nice to see a movie where you don't know everything that's going to happen in advance. Loved it! Hope it comes out in wider release soon.

[from IMDb]

I too saw the film in Houston and it is incredible! Rose does a fantastic job in it, but she truly perils in comparison to the lead, Anthony O'Brien. He directed, co-wrote and starred in the thing and delivered. The film won a Gold Remi at the Houston Film Festival. This clip doesn't do either of their acting justice. It's a smart well done feature and these kids are awesome!

[from LA Times blog]

Here is the link:
Perfect Sport at MyFestival

(note: you need to sign up (free) and they use Windows Media Player so Mac users will need Flip4Mac)

New tool: Power Load Calculator

Sat, 24 May 2008 01:16:19 MDT

We've just released a new online tool to the resources section of our site - Power Load Calculator.

Power Load Calculator allows you to calculate the load on a particular circuit when certain devices are plugged in. For example, you can calculate whether or not the circuit breakers in a location can handle the lights you want to use and if not, the size of the generator that needs to be hired. This sort of thing is better discovered during pre-production and not on the day of shooting, so this calculator is very useful in that regard.

You can also calculate the minimum circuit breaker size for a given power load which is very useful if you are upgrading a building's power supply in order to accommodate your needs.

As usual, there is also an iPhone edition available.

Check out our resources section for more tools.

Digital Rebellion 1 year old today

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:32:16 MDT

Digital Rebellion is exactly a year old today! And unlike a lot of start-ups, we're still here and going strong (amazingly).

It's been a year of great things for us. Perfect Sport is now complete and is doing very well at festivals, and our free online resources are proving popular. Looking forward, we have some more projects in the pipeline and I hope I can make an announcement towards the end of the year regarding these.

We've always encouraged comments and feedback and I feel this has been important to our success so I encourage that further. Either use our contact form or use the feedback link at the bottom of every page.

I'm not going out to celebrate or anything, but if you are planning on going to a bar, you are more than welcome to use this as an excuse for the wife :p

New tool: Lens Angle Calc

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:07:52 MDT

We've just released a new online tool: Lens Angle Calc. This allows you to calculate the horizontal or vertical lens angle from a given frame width / height and lens focal length.

This is very useful because it allows you to plan your shoot on paper and work out exactly where the camera should be placed before you even arrive on set - saving valuable time and avoiding awkward situations in small locations where you can't see the subject on your widest lens with your back against the wall. It is invaluable for effects work, where everything must be planned out in meticulous detail.

It can also work out the focal length of the lens from a given lens angle and frame width or height - very useful for working out which lens should be used in a certain situation.

Lens Angle Calc
Lens Angle Calc (iPhone version)

See our other web applications here.

FCS Remover 1.0.7 released

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:14:03 MDT

We've just released FCS Remover 1.0.7.

The biggest new feature is Final Cut Server support (thanks to Morten Schmidt for helping with this). Clicking "Remove Final Cut Server" will remove the Final Cut Server software but not Compressor or Qmaster. To remove these as well, you will have to click "Remove Final Cut Studio" as unfortunately these two applications overlap into both pieces of software.

It also removes some Final Cut Studio support files that were missed out in previous versions.

FCS Remover allows you to remove Final Cut Studio 1 and 2, Final Cut Express and Final Cut Server at the press of a button.

Bug report
Feature request

Preference Manager 1.0.4 released

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 12:04:35 MDT

We've just released Preference Manager 1.0.4. There's only one new feature but it's a big one.

We've completely overhauled the backup system so that backups are now stored in one compressed file instead of several folders. A lot of users want to synchronize settings between, say a work machine and a home machine. This new feature makes it much easier - just keep a copy of the file and Preference Manager on an external disk, install Preference Manager on the second machine and double-click the file. Easy.

However, these changes have caused old backups to be completely incompatible with the new version. They won't even appear in the Restore list. Don't worry though - I added a function to convert old backups to the new format. Just go to File > Convert Backups to New Format. Browse to your backup folder (default is ~/Library/Application Support/Digital Rebellion/Preference Manager/Backups), select all of your old backup folders and click the Open button to convert them to the new format. The old folders will remain on the disk in case you need them but if not, they can be safely deleted.

Preference Manager is a utility for trashing, backing up and restoring Final Cut Studio preference files, button bars, keyboard layouts, window layouts, user plugins, column layouts, track layouts and custom settings. This allows you to repair problems and copy useful settings to a second machine.

Thanks to everyone who put in feature requests and bug reports. Keep them coming.

To be notified of future updates, subscribe to our appcast or this blog.