Archiving iMovie projects

I have about 300 GB of iMovie projects which I am working through to produce DVDs. MPEG2 is Ok for quality on a TV, but I'd like to keep a higher quality version so that I can reauthor when the next generation DVD format is available.
Once I have finished with each iMovie I'd like to compress the DV .mov file and save it somewhere (probably backup to one or more DVD) to free up disk space.
Given that H264 isn't readily available today, is there a recommended way of compressing DV that gives a good trade off of file size vs quality?

I was hoping that there would be a simple "compress with xyz codec at abc settings" to get a file size for each approx 1 hour (or less) movie that I can backup to DVDR.
Yes, the app is called iDVD  ;-)
Seriously speaking: DV is compressed. Compressing it more will cost you quality.
I use Retrospect backup from http://www.dantz.com/ and a stack of empty DVD-Rs. It will not compress anything on the DVDs, but it will restore exactly what you backed up. If you back up your Project folder, you will be able to restore it EXACTLY as you left it and can continue editing.
You can do this with toast if you fit the clips to the DVDs yourself, remember to copy each and every clip.
Using Retrospect you can backup and restore anything on your hard drive(s), even your System. It will keep track of what went to which DVD for you. You get incremental backups, backing up only files that changed since the last backup.
If you just export back to tape, you can never undo a title, transition or effect.

Similar Messages

  • Can I archive imovie project to dvd?

    Is it possible to archive your imovie project to dvd when finished?

    Yes, you can find out how on the iMovie forum. 

  • Archiving iMovie Projects to DVD

    I'm trying to archive my iMovie projects onto DL DVD+R's. Each project is about 12.5 GB, so they won't fit onto a single DL DVD+R. I've tried using Retrospect, but it fails after spending an hour "configuring" my DVD drive. The only thing I can think of is that it doesn't like non-rewritable media.
    This is what I'm really trying to do. I have several tapes I've taken with two camcorders over the last ten years. One is a Sony 8mm analog camcorder and the other is a newer JVC GR-DVL520U MiniDV with FireWire connecter. I want to backup all the movies so that none of my footage is lost in case one of the camcorders fails. The 8mm one is already a bit flakey so I want to be able to get it off of 8mm while I still can.
    I was planning on creating a viewable copy of each tape, record it onto DVD and then put that DVD in my safe deposit box. I would like to retain as much of the original quality/information as I can (I'm anal that way), so I figured that saving the iMovie project itself, in addition to a regular DVD burn, would be the best bet. Most posts mention storing projects on an external harddrive, but since I'm trying to keep my original footage safe, DVD seems like the best way.
    I guess I really have two questions. The first is, do I gain anything by keeping the original iMovie project? My understanding is that iMovie will compress the imported video, resulting in some detail loss from what was on tape. (With the advent of HD TV this may be a bigger deal than it is now).
    My second question is, how do I backup 12.5 GB iMovie projects? As I mentioned earlier, it doesn't seem to like my drive, or at least the non-rewritable media I'm using (Memorex DL DVD+R). I also tried using a CD-R, but it gave the same error while trying to "configure" the DVD drive.
    Thank you advance and sorry about the long-winded post.
    Cheers,
    Rey
    MacBook Pro   Mac OS X (10.4.8)   2GB, Core 2 Duo 17"

    A waste of time and blank DVD's.
    Export to "tape" (back to the camera with a blank tape inserted). Cheap, real time and easy to do.
    "Copy" your iMovie Project to external Firewire HD. Cheap (comparatively), reliable and drag and drop easy.
    A simple scratch on one of your backed up DVD's could render it useless. Hard to store "large" Project files onto DVD media.
    No difference in the data on a DVD and the same data on a hard drive. Saving the entire iMovie Project as "data" would allow you to "Open iMovie Project" in iMovie and continue editing as if you left it yesterday.
    Better to concentrate on saving the original "capture" in .dv format. Export entire movies back to tape. Export "clips" as QuickTime (Full Quality). These .dv files can be burned to DVD as "data". Just try and keep the file size under the size of the media. DV Stream is 13 GB per hour so you would need 3 DVD's to burn it.
    Backup (.Mac members get it) can be used on "large" files and is smart enough to allow "spanning" multiple discs so your large project could fit in your safety deposit box.

  • If I back up iMovie projects to an external drive does it take the media with it? I want to free up space and remove pictures that were in iPhoto...that were used as media by iMovie when project was under way. In short I want archive iMovie stuff

    If I back up iMovie projects to an external drive does imovie  take the media with it? I want to free up space and remove pictures that were in iPhoto...that were used as media by iMovie when project was under way. In short I want archive iMovie stuff. If I pull pics out of iPhoto, and later want to drag an archived projet bac into iMovie and the pics are no longer in iPhoto, will I be able to keep working in the project in iMovie?

    Very likely not, as the iPhoto's can be used for something else.
    More like it took a copy, or it's referencing that spot on the drive in the editable files and most likely made a copy to create a new permanent export file.
    Sample one picture and a iMovie file and see what happens.

  • Once I finish an iMovie project and I publish it to various destinations (Dropbox iTunes YouTube etc) do I need to keep the original raw video on my MacBook or can I archive it to an external hard drive.

    I have now finished 3 iMovie projects and have learned how to prepare them for sharing through various media like Dropbox, iDVD YouTube iTunes etc. but I now have produced a huge number of related files which are filling up my hard drive to the point that I can't import any further raw video until I archive or delete many of these files.
    What files do I need to keep on my MacBook in order to be able to keep these various shared locations functioning, and what should I delete or archive?

    iMovie works best with uncompressed audio. If your track is MP3 or AAC, you may get better results by converting your track to the AIFF format and then using that in iMovie.
    You can do this in iTunes. Go to iTunes/Preferences and click the General button. On the General page, click the Import Settings button. Choose IMPORT USING: AIFF ENCODER.
    (note: remember what you changed it from so you can change it back later, before you import another CD)
    Now, in iTunes, select your track. Then click FILE/CREATE NEW VERSION/AIFF VERSION.

  • Saving or Archiving iMovie events and projects

    I realize that there are many iMovie questions on this site, but I can't quite find the answer that i'm looking for.
    When I read different blogs etc. there are sort of two ways to archive your project and events to an external drive from iMovie:
    1) in iMovie - drag and drop to the new location
    2) in Finder - drag and drop the files from their resective folder.
    I have a few questions:
    1) iMovie:  When using iMovie 09 to move a project, I have chosen to copy the event files with it (rather then just the project file).  In the case that I have made a project (or more) that access the same events, iMovie copies these events a second time.  Therefore, if I copy the projects to my external drive, I will have more event data then originally captured.  (A side issue is that you can't copy mutiple files at once so you have to drag each one individually and then wait for the transfer).
    2) Finder: Some suggest that you can't move them in Finder as it messes up the files - they won't connect or remember their file associations - and they will get corrupted.  Is this true?  Can I just move them to my external hard drive and back, if I ever wanted to use them.  This seems far easier
    Which is the best way to do this?  I am trying to free up space on my MBP, but would like to potentially use the footage at a later date.
    Thanks in advance for your assistance.
    s

    Anyone? Also, will there be any issues finding my projects in iDVD? (Will post in the iDVD forum also)

  • Edit in iMovie using archived iDVD project?

    Well it looks like I may done something rather stupid. Before the holidays I produced a family vacation video, burned the DVDs and sent them out to all my family members. After watching it they pointed out some typos in some captions and some editing mistakes, so I wanted to go back and fix those and burn new DVDs. But I just realized I'd archived the iDVD project but not the iMovie project. I trashed the iMovie project to recover disk space. So now I'm left with just the iDVD archive.
    Is there any way to recover my iMovie project from the iDVD archive?
    (I can't believe I trashed my iMovie files. That just isn't like me at all. <shame>, <embarrassment>, <lesson learned>)
    iMovie HD
    iDVD 6
    - Lofty

    You can recover the movie from the archived DVD project but the movie may be in several sections/clips.  Just Control-click on the archived iDVD project file and select "Show Package Contents" from the contextula menu.  Then go to the Resources/MPEG.nobackup folder.The sections/clips should be in there.
    You can import those clipes into iMovie but won't be able to edit the captions, only cut them out and put new captions in over new clips.  If you added captions to a black background and not over the movie itself you could cut out those sections and add new sections.  But if you have to cut out parts of the movie with captions to add new ones that could lose a good bit of the original movie.  In that case I thiink going with the typos would be the better solution.
    When you're done use the Share ➙ Media Browser menu option with Size = Large.  This will give a better final image than Share  ➙ iDVD will.  You will have to delete the existing movie file from the iDVD project and add the new, editied movie.
    OT

  • IMovie - Best Way to Archive & BackUp Projects

    Hi All,
    I'd like to move some iMovie projects from my MacBook Pro HD to an external FireWire drive (or maybe two). What's the best strategy to do this? I'll need to be able to access and work on the archived files (to produce for example different language versions) easily. I guess one of the main things is how to I tell iMovie where to look for the archived project files? Any help would be much appreciated.
    Phil

    To move a project to an external disk, it must be done within iMovie. Click VIEW/EVENTS BY DISK. You should see all your properly formatted disks in the Project Library and in the Event Library along the left side of iMovie.
    Note: Disks must be formatted as Mac OS Extended (journaled) for Imovie to see them.
    Now, you should see your projects listed under your internal drive in the iMovie Project Library. To move to an external disk. hold don the Command key while dragging the small project icon to the small icon for the external drive.
    A similar process works for moving Event files (which are the large files). Hold down the Command Key as you drag the small icon for the Event to the small icon for the external drive in the Event Library List in iMovie.
    Another really good way to do this is to use the File/Consolidate Media command. First you move the Project to the external drive, just as I mentioned above. Then, select the project in the Project Library List, and click FILE/CONSOLIDATE MEDIA. iMovie will offer to move or copy Event Files. It will also offer to place a copy of any photos, music files, etc. on the external disk (although it will not move the originals out of iPhoto or iTunes). This has the advantage of making your archive on the external drive self contained. You can plug this external drive into any Mac running iMovie 11 and edit your project.

  • How to extract iMovie files from an archived iDVD project

    Hi,
    After archiving an iDVD project which contained several individual iMovies to my back up hard disk I deleted all of the individual files on my internal HD to free some space.
    Query: Is it possible to extract an individual iMovie file from the archived project for future editing revealing all of the transitions, audio tracks, etc back in iMovie ?
    I have used 'show package contents' and can see the individual movies as Quick Time files but when I load these into iMovie all I get is the whole movie as one single clip.
    I suspect the answer is once it's archived I cannot retrieve the iMovie files ?
    Any help appreciated. Many thanks.
    iMac G5 20" 2.0GHz 1Gb RAM   Mac OS X (10.4.4)   eMac 1GHz 512Mb RAM

    ...I ..can see the individual movies as Quick Time files but when I load these into iMovie all I get is the whole movie as one single clip. I suspect the answer is once it's archived I cannot retrieve the iMovie files ?
    that is correct: hitting "export" or share in iM creates a single movie(file); what you have in mind is the imovie project (e.g. where you can change titles, transitions etc)... to make this accessible you need to backup that iM folder/package (the one with a star)... these files are for sure much bigger = containing more data...

  • Archiving an iMovie Project

    Howdy All,
    For iMovie 6:
    1. "Burn Project to Disc..." in iMovie sounds like it would burn all the files (maybe less cache files) in the iMovie project, as a package say, so you could reload it and it would be just like before (less cache files). Is this true?
    2. "Burn Project to Disc..." seems to be limited to one optical disc. Is this true? If so, this seems to be a severe limitation, most projects I have done using DV are easily bigger than what a DL disc can hold.
    3. If I archive the iMovie project via some other means (e.g. using Toast) will the project contain all the required resources (except, possibly fonts)? Assuming movies added to the project don't reference external movies!
    Thanks in advance for any specific answers to these questions.
    Cheers,
    Ashley.
    PowerMac G5 Single CPU + AL PowerBook G4   Mac OS X (10.4.8)  

    1. Yes, it's still editable.
    2. Unfortunately, you are limited to one disc.
    3. I use Toast 7, which can span multiple discs. (Toast 8 can, too). NOTE: Use the "Data" pane in Toast, NOT the "video pane". You also need to backup all third-party plug-ins and fonts you may have.

  • Export iMovie project to archive?

    I have some projects that I have finished, and will almost definitely not need to do any more editing on.  I'd like to archive them onto an external hard drive, to clear up some space on my MBP.
    I have used iMovie to archive events from the Events Library (Command-drag onto the external drive as it appears in the Events Library), but how do I export the Projects?
    Can I just go into Finder, find them in the iMovies Projects folder and move them to the external drive, or do I need to do it somehow from within iMovie?
    (using OS X 10.6.7, and iMovie 11, v. 9.0.2)

    Normally you would do this the other way around.
    Command drag your project from within iMovie onto your external drive and you will be asked if you want to move just the project or consolidate your media by moving the events etc as well.
    Your external drive shows up at the bottom of your project library listing.
    Type Consolidate into iMovie Help for more information.
    Z

  • IMovie: Can't Choose Place to Burn Archive of Project; says file too large

    I Need to Archive My Projects in iMovie to free up space on my harddrive. I am getting a message telling me that there is too much info. to burn on disc, however, it does not ask me where I want to burn it; no choice of using a Dual Layer DVD or even an external harddrive which is obviously large enough to accommodate the file.
    Can I archive to any external harddrive or does the harddrive need to be formated specifically for Apple? I don't see anywhere where I can choose where that Archive will be burned; only to disc. The software, iMovie, appears to assume a basic DVD disc will be used and doesn't allow for Dual Layer or external harddrive selection. Why can't I Archive my project in a selected location?
    Mac Dual 2.7GH   Mac OS X (10.4.4)   Using EyeTV200

    The crucial word here is "burn". The menu command File > Burn Project To Disk lets you burn an archive of your project onto a DVD. It's not used to archive to a drive.
    Sorry, I have no experience with Dual Layer drives so I don't know if iMovie 6 can use Dual Layer or not. It may not. Searching for "burn" in iMovie Help didn't help.
    If your can't burn to a Dual Layer with that command, you might try using the Finder to burn the project onto the DVD. It should be able to handle saving files on a Dual Layer disk. Search for "Dual Layer" in Finder Help.
    To create an archive on an external disk, use the iMovie 6 menu command File > Save Project As. That saves a copy of the project on whichever drive you choose.
    Yes, that volume must use the Mac OS Extended disk format, the standard Mac file format. If it's a different format iMovie can't reliably save to the volume. (Most FireWire drives ship with a different format.) Use the application Disk Utility to erase the drive.
    Karl

  • Can I archive my iMovie project to an external drive? how?

    I have been searching this forum for an answer but so far have only found how to save my iMovie project to DVD. The problem is, my movie is too big to fit on one DVD. Trash is empty; still no go. I do have a LaCie external firewire drive - can I just do a Save Project As... to the LaCie, or do I have to do something else? I'm just looking to save my movie project so I can get it off of my Mac and free up some hard drive space again.
    Many thanks in advance!

    Hi Gretchen, regarding the large size of your project, keep in mind that in iMovie HD, an original imported clip is retained in its entirety even if only a small segment is used in your final movie - called non-destructive editing. Only those imported clips not used AT ALL can actually be trashed. This makes for very large projects and potential storage issues, but has the advantage of being able to recover and re-work clips, even after Saving.

  • How do I archive iDVD project? Best/Smallest size?

    Hi,
    I need to know the best method to save a movie project that was made in imovie, then burned to DVD using iDVD. I want to save a copy of the finished product for archival purposes on an external drive. I want to be able to pull up this archive and be able to burn another copy of it to DVD or just be able to view the archived movie on my powerbook (directly from the external. I want it to be saved in the smallest size. I am ruling out saving the imovie project, as that is usually up to 12 or 14gb. I tried to save the iDVD project that was burned to a disc, but I wasn't able to view that again, or burn it to another dvd disc? Would it make sense for me to edit the project like always in imovie, open iDVD, and save it as a disc image first, and then burn it to DVD-R whenever I need a copy? And if I do this, is the disc image file going to be able to be viewed on the powerbook, without using the burned DVD? Also, I read on here that the iDVD doesn't have an option to burn to disc image? I know Toast Titanium does. I have that also. But, can I edit the movie in imovie, and then just open Toast Titanium and use it to make a disc image? And then at a later date, call up the disc image with Toast and just use Toast to burn a DVD? Also, I should note that I will need to burn 2 imovie projects to the DVD (they are 1 hr long t.v. episodes each) I need to put 2 episodes on each DVD. I know how to burn them from imovie directly to iDVD, but then I am back to the whole question of archiving them in something other than imovie projects or iDVD projects?????????
    Thanks to anyone who can advise
    -Tom

    Oh my, where to begin.
    If you think you will ever want to change your saved iDVD project (change the menu, add more videos) then keep the Project file. That is what iDVD can read. After you've burned a DVD (or made a disc image) with iDVD there still is an encoded MPEG inside the Project file. So you don't need to save the iMovie, just the iDVD project file (or project folder if your version has more than just a file).
    A disc image is the same thing as having the video DVD written to your hard drive. iDVD doesn't open a DVD; nor will it open a disc image. When you mount a disc image (double-click on it) there will be a new icon on your desktop. If you open DVD player, it will play the movie from the mounted disc image the same as if it was playing a DVD disc. You may need to choose Open VIDEO_TS in the DVD player File menu and select the VIDEO_TS folder in the mounted image in order to play the video. If nothing appears on the screen, press the space bar to start playback.
    Disc images are burned in Toast using the Image File option in the Copy window. You can burn one disc image to one DVD.
    What I recommend is that you add your multiple movies to your one iDVD project before saving a disc image or burning a DVD. iDVD 4 can handle up to 2 hours of video per DVD, although I think it is best to keep at near 90 minutes or less for best quality.
    As for saving a copy for future use: you need to save the iDVD project itself if you want to re-use it in iDVD. If not, you can save a disc image which is the same as burning another DVD except it is on the hard drive. By the way, Toast can make a disc image from your burned DVD. Insert the DVD, select it in the Toast Copy window and choose "Save as Disc Image" from the Toast File menu.

  • Re-edit archived iDVD project?

    Hello,
    How do I re-edit the iMovie underlying or embedded inside of an archived iDVD project on an external hard drive?
    I have scoured MAC.help & TMManuals, and cannot find.
    Thanks,
    Scott

    Rich,
    What I think you are correctly saying is that these .avi movies, while not editable in themselves, when dragged into an iMovie project they can be edited to a limited extent --by splitting them, inserting photos or new clips in between, new audio, etc, and then dragging the new iMovie project back into the iDVD.
    Yes
    And this could be done whether or not you had the original iMovie project available.
    Yes
    You just could not as extensively edit it as if you actually had the original iMovie file to work with.
    Yes
    +++++++++
    We are in complete agreement

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