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How to bring a transcript-based rough cut into Premiere Pro
By Eran Strassburg · Updated 2026-10-10
The short answer
To get a transcript-based rough cut into Premiere Pro, export it as an XML timeline and import that file as a sequence. The XML holds no video, only the list of clips with source in and out timecodes, so Premiere links back to your original files. FirstCut exports FCP7-XML for Premiere Pro. Import it, relink the media if asked, and the rough cut opens as an editable sequence.
What is inside the XML
FCP7-XML is the Final Cut Pro 7 interchange format, also called xmeml. Premiere Pro reads it directly. It is the route to use because Premiere has no native import for the newer FCPXML.
The file lists each clip of the cut: the name of the source file, where the clip starts and ends in that file, and where it sits in the sequence. It is plain text, and you can open it in a text editor to see.
Export from FirstCut
- Open the sequence and choose Export. Exporting needs a signed-in account.
- Pick FCP7-XML and download the file.
- Put the file in the same folder as your footage. The file relinks by filename, so keeping them together makes the next step shorter.
The export follows the revision and the pace level you had open, and saves any unsaved edits first.
Import in Premiere Pro
- Open or create a project.
- Choose File > Import and select the .xml file.
- Premiere adds a sequence and the clips it uses to the Project panel.
- Open the sequence in the timeline.
Menu names are from recent versions of Premiere Pro and can differ in yours.
Relinking media
The browser FirstCut runs in is not told where your files live on disk, so the XML names each file without a full path. Expect Premiere to show the clips as offline once and ask you to locate them.
In the Link Media dialog, choose Locate, point at the first file, and Premiere finds the others in the same folder by name. If you renamed a file after importing it into FirstCut, select it by hand.
What arrives and what does not
| Arrives | Does not arrive |
|---|---|
| The clips, in story order | Effects, transitions and color |
| Source in and out points for every clip | Captions, titles and graphics |
| The pacing you chose, as separate shorter clips where words or gaps were cut | B-roll or extra camera angles |
| A reference to each source file by name | The media itself |
FirstCut makes none of the things in the right-hand column. They are the work you do in the editor.
Troubleshooting
- Media stays offline: the filename in the XML does not match the file on disk. Rename the file back, or relink that clip by hand.
- Clips land a little early or late: check that the sequence frame rate matches the footage. FirstCut's timecodes come from the audio timeline, and a few files offset audio from picture.
- The import fails outright: export a CMX3600 EDL from FirstCut and import that. It is more limited and more widely read.
Questions
Do I need a plugin or panel?
No. It is an ordinary file import.
Will my footage be re-encoded?
No. The sequence references your original files.
Can I send changes back to FirstCut?
No. The handoff is one way. Make structural changes in FirstCut and export again.
Related guides
- EDL, FCP7-XML, FCPXML and OTIO: which timeline format to use
- Importing an AI rough cut into DaVinci Resolve
- Assembly, rough cut, fine cut: what each stage is for
- Try the export on sample footage
Try it on your own footage
FirstCut is free to try with no install and no credit card. Start a rough cut → · Or open the live demo, which needs no account.