How to move a Premiere Pro project to Final Cut Pro
Export the sequence from Premiere Pro with File › Export › Final Cut Pro XML, convert that Final Cut Pro 7 XML to FCPXML, and import it in Final Cut Pro with File › Import › XML. Final Cut Pro cannot read the XML that Premiere Pro writes, which is why Adobe’s own help points to a converter for this step.
- Menus from official docs
- Checked 2026-11-12
Step by step
How to move a Premiere Pro project to Final Cut Pro
Current Premiere Pro (Adobe’s help pages now call it Premiere) and Final Cut Pro 10.4 to 12.4 for Mac.
Export from Premiere Pro
- 1Open the project and the sequence you want to send, and click in the Timeline panel.
- 2Choose File › Export › Final Cut Pro XML.
- 3In the Save Converted Sequence As – Final Cut Pro XML window, choose a location and file name, then click Save.
- 4Open the FCP Translation Results log saved next to the XML to see what Premiere Pro could not convert.
Convert it to FCPXML
- 1Drop the .xml on Conform’s Premiere to Final Cut Pro page. V1 becomes the primary storyline and upper tracks become connected clips.
- 2Check the report of what did not carry over, then download the .fcpxml.
Import it into Final Cut Pro
- 1In Final Cut Pro, choose File › Import › XML.
- 2Select the .fcpxml and click Import. Final Cut Pro creates the event and project, and a library if needed.
When it goes wrong
Common problems and fixes
- Final Cut Pro will not import Premiere Pro’s XML
- Premiere Pro writes Final Cut Pro 7 XML, made for Final Cut Pro 7 and earlier. Final Cut Pro 10 and later read FCPXML, so convert the file first.
- Merged clips turned into nested sequences
- Adobe documents this: merged clips are exported as nested sequences. Check those spots after import and re-link sound and picture where you need them merged again.
- Audio levels or pan look different
- Adobe notes that pan, gain and level changes may not transfer accurately in this export. Check the mix after import, especially keyframed levels.
Convert Premiere Pro XML to FCPXML
Drop the Final Cut Pro XML that Premiere Pro exports and download FCPXML 1.8 for Final Cut Pro 10.4 and later, with a list of what did not carry over. Free up to 40 clips.
Sources
Menu names and behaviour checked against these pages on 2026-11-12. Software updates rename menus; if a step no longer matches, write to conform@niamori.ai.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Something else, or a file that will not convert? Write to conform@niamori.ai.
Does the media have to be in the same place?
The XML keeps the file paths, so footage that has not moved links straight away in Final Cut Pro. On another Mac, copy the media and relink it after import.
Can I send several sequences at once?
Premiere Pro exports the active sequence. Export each sequence to its own XML and convert them one after another.
Guides
More guides
- How to export XML from Final Cut ProExport XML from Final Cut Pro: select the project, choose File › Export XML…, pick a metadata view and XML version. What .fcpxmld is and which apps open it.
- How to import FCPXML into Premiere ProPremiere Pro cannot import FCPXML. Export XML from Final Cut Pro, convert it to Final Cut Pro 7 XML, then use File › Import in Premiere Pro. Step by step.
- How to send a Premiere Pro timeline to DaVinci ResolveMove a Premiere Pro sequence into DaVinci Resolve: File › Export › Final Cut Pro XML, then File › Import Timeline in Resolve. Settings and what carries over.
- How to send a DaVinci Resolve timeline to Final Cut ProExport a DaVinci Resolve timeline as Final Cut Pro X XML with File › Export › Timeline, then File › Import › XML in Final Cut Pro. What to do if it is refused.
- How to export an EDL from Premiere ProExport an EDL from Premiere Pro: click the timeline, File › Export › EDL, pick tracks in EDL Export Settings (CMX 3600). Tips for clean EDLs and clip names.
- How to export Premiere Pro markers to a listGet every Premiere Pro marker with timecode, name and comment as CSV or Excel: export Final Cut Pro XML from the sequence and make a marker list from it.
- How to make a music cue sheetWhat a music cue sheet must list (per BMI), how to pull every cue with in, out and duration from your edit, and which details to fill in before it is filed.
- What is FCPXML?FCPXML is Final Cut Pro’s XML format for clips, edits and metadata. How it differs from Final Cut Pro 7 XML, what .fcpxmld is, and how to open one.