Final Cut Pro XML has two different meanings
Modern Final Cut Pro uses FCPXML, identified by an fcpxml root element. Legacy Final Cut Pro 7 XML uses xmeml. The two describe editing information differently: changing an extension from .fcpxml to .xml does not translate a timeline between them.
This distinction matters when someone asks for an XML for Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or another conform application. Confirm the required dialect and version with the recipient before exporting. EDL Toolbox identifies the XML structure and applies the support limits for that format.
Export the project XML from Final Cut Pro
- Select the project you intend to hand off, or make its timeline active.
- Choose File > Export XML, then choose a destination and filename.
- Choose the metadata view and an XML version compatible with the receiving workflow.
- Save the export and retain the original project and source media.
Apple documents that exports using FCPXML 1.10 or later use an .fcpxmld bundle. EDL Toolbox opens a plain XML document, not the package itself. If you receive a bundle, work from a copy and use the contained XML document. Renaming the bundle does not turn it into a text file.
The XML describes an edit and references its media. Send the agreed media and a reference movie separately when the recipient needs to reconstruct or check the sequence.
Convert supported FCPXML to EDL or AAF
Open the XML document in EDL Toolbox and inspect the detected format, frame rate, sequence start and findings. Choose XML → EDL for an edit list or XML → AAF for supported offline interchange. Review the source and working result in Side-by-Side before export.
Current FCPXML support covers basic primary-storyline video cuts and gaps. Connected clips, compound or multicam structures, retiming, transitions and effects need dedicated handling and block conversion when detected. FCPXML audio mapping is not currently supported: detected audio blocks export unless you explicitly exclude it. Do not use that exclusion when the handoff needs audio preserved; choose a workflow that carries the required audio instead.
For example, a simple picture-only sequence with two cuts separated by a gap may fit this subset. A visually similar sequence built from compound clips or with connected sound is structurally different. Preview findings, rather than the file extension alone, determine whether this toolbox can export it.
Convert an EDL for Final Cut Pro
With a supported EDL open, choose EDL → XML and select FCPXML as the output. This creates a basic video sequence; included audio blocks FCPXML export. Use File > Import > XML in Final Cut Pro to import a compatible result, then associate the correct media and compare it with the reference.
AAF → XML in this toolbox produces FCP7 XML, not modern FCPXML. It is not a direct AAF-to-Final-Cut-Pro project translator. Generated XML also does not recreate effects, grading, roles or complete library organization from an EDL.
Check the receiving timeline before continuing
- Confirm frame rate, DF/NDF numbering and sequence start.
- Check the first and last frame of representative cuts and any gaps.
- Verify source-media references and reel names before applying timecode offsets.
- Confirm that every required picture and audio element reached the destination.
- Compare against the reference movie and retain the original export for troubleshooting.
For a Final Cut Pro to DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro handoff, begin with the recipient’s agreed XML workflow. Use an EDL or AAF conversion when its supported subset fits a specific requirement. A successful metadata conversion is one step in the conform, not proof that the complete native project has transferred.