10.1 is a major upgrade to FCPX, the most extensive reworking of the application’s fundamental principles since it was introduced in the summer of 2011. It does not bring many new user features, but changes some of the most basic premises of working with the application.
First, I would recommend that you not upgrade while working on a project. No matter how tempting, always finish the project you’re working on before installing the new software. This is more important than ever as the application changes the fundamental structure of your workflow, where events and projects exist and how they interact.
If you’re working on a project that you think you may need to go back to at a later time, it would be advisable to, in addition to backing up your older version of the software, to also back up the appropriate Events and Projects for that version. Once you open the Events and Projects and upgrade them to in the new version of FCP, they will no longer open and be accessible in older versions.
The best way to do this, I think, is to assemble a copy of the FCP application together with copies of the FCP events and projects files, and then zip them up. Select all the items, right-click and select Compress x (number) Items. Do this before updating the software. Keep these together as an archive should something bad suddenly crop up with the new version.
Click the start button to see all the new enhancements.
