Best video formats for imovie?

what video format is best to import to imovie? mpeg? wmv? any others?

Best is fairly subjective, I think
iMovie HD: Supported video formats

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HT3290 what is the best video format for iMovie?

I'm a basic newbe on imac compiuters. Although I like it the transition is a bit painful.
I download stuff from my (cheep) video cameras BUT after closing the oniginal window I can't find the vids OR pictures I just downloaded from the devices.
I am hsving a difficult time figuring out what is the BEST video promat to record in that can be used in imovie AND final cut pro.
I'd appreciate any assoistance at this point.
All tips appreciated,
:-) Cheers

iMovie is friendly with .mp4, .mov, .m4v etc video formats. Here this article about iMovie supported video formats may help you.

Best video format for converting DVD to NAS for widely sharing

Summary: The article shows you with an easy workaround for
copying DVD to NAS for streaming by ripping DVD to NAS friendly video
format on Mac and Windows
I recently purchased a NAS to store all my music/photos etc on. I
can stream stuff to my iPhone/iPad using the NAS software. What I want
to do is rip all my DVDs (over 400) to my NAS, but I’m not sure which
format to do it in, to play nice with my Apple TV2, Xbox 360, iPhone,
iPad etc. I wanna get some advice as to what format to rip in and what
software to use?
Learn some tips from online, I got know that to copy dozens of DVD movies to NAS,
you need to get the content off the DVD disc as a protection-free and
easily readable element for NAS. In this case, at the first place
powerful third-party software for backup DVD to NAS is what you need.
There are many, many DVD ripping tools on the market. I’ve tired a pile of them.
Brorsoft DVD Ripper
is the best one I’ve tried yet. It is capable of ripping DVD to MP4,
AVI, MKV for NAS streaming with no quality loss; it also enables you to
copy DVD main movies for backup onto NAS in .vob format. And what I’ve
learned is that MP4 would be one best target format for it is fully
compatible with nearly all media devices including iPad, iPhone, PS3,
Apple TV, etc. If you are running on Mac OS X, turn to DVD Ripper for Mac. If you haven’t got the software, download it now and let’s start the conversion.
Ripping and copying DVDs to NAS
1. Launch the DVD ripping program for NAS devices . Then
click "Load DVD" to import the DVD files you want to convert. To select
the subtitles you like, simply click Subtitle and select the one you
prefer. P.S. Before start the conversion, you can choose to backup DVD mian movies.
2. Click Format bar and choose your desired format. To store
hundreds of DVD's on NAS, you can rip DVD to .mp4, or .avi, .mkv, etc
compressed format. And click Settings bar, you can adjust the level of
compression to suit the quality you want.
Tip: If you like, you can click “Settings” to change the
video encoder, resolution, frame rate, etc. as you wish. Keep in mind
the file size and video quality is based more on bitrate than resolution
which means bitrate higher results in big file size, and lower visible
quality loss, and vice versa.
3. Press the "Convert" button to start ripping DVD for NAS streaming.
After the conversion, click Open button to find the output files.
Make sure the wireless network connection is accessible among the NAS
and Apple TV, PS3, HD TV or other media players. Then just enjoy the
high quality DVD movies anywhere anytime.
[quote] movies-videos-convert-tips.overblog.com/2014/02/ripping-dvds-to-nas-how-to-copy-dvd-to-nas-for-streaming.html [/quote]

I've always found encoding with Handbrake and choosing the Apple TV2 preset is an excellent place to start and video encoded using that preset will work on my iPhone 4, 4S and iPad 2.
If the files encoded using that preset are too big for one's taste they can always encoded at a lower average bit rate rather than using the default 'Constant Quality' of 20.
Later on I'm sure the Handbrake group will have an AppleTV '3' preset supporting the 1080p format supported by the ATV3 and iPad '3' but using such a preset would not create a file usable on the iPad 2 or the iPhones.

Best clip format for iMovie 8?

I have a few .avi clips from a Nikon CoolPix which load alright into iMovie, but they take a long time to load. Is there a better format for iMovie and should I convert the clips to that format?
Thank you,
ray

iM is meant by concept for camcorder imports.
its internal codec is appeleintermediate.
I doubt, a 'manual' conversion is faster than iM's.
but give it a try, a popular (and free) tool is Mpeg Streamclip

What is the best video format for 50+ year movie storage?

Objective: In what video format should I store my family movies on an external drive? I want these family movies to be viewable by future generations in 50 - 70 years, so what video format / type is recommended?
Background: I have an iMac, OS X 10.7.5. I use IMovie '11, version 9.0.8. My iMac has an internal DVD player and burner and iDVD is installed.
I have dozens of family movies (total 80+ hours) dating back nearly 70 years. All these films have been digitized and I have imported many of them into iMove as events, then I edit them with title pages, transitions, music, etc. When a "project" is completed (Between 1.5 - 2.0 hours or less) I share the project to iDVD where I burn it to a DVD. Within iMovie I save each of these projects (on the internal Mac HD, which consumes very little space) and on an external drive I save for each project:
- a disc image (DVD.img) whose size is about 4.5 GB
- a copy of the iMovie project, whose size is about 60 MB (the original project is in iMovie, in the Mac internal drive)
- the original digitized raw movies imported into iMovie as events and are formatted as .mov (these are large size at 8 GB - 20 GB each)
- the finalized and fully edited iDVD which is formatted as DVD.dvdproj (these are very large size at 20 - 24 GB each)
As you can see with all these disc images, projects, events and DVD projects stored on my external drive I am at nearly 1 TB of storage, on my way to 1.75 before I comple editing all movies.
While I manage pretty well the editing my movies within iMovie, and how to create an iDVD project and then burn a DVD, I have no understanding of the technical aspects of the multitude of different movie formats in the market nor of Quick Time and its format.
I am told that DVDs will only last 10 - 15 years and then begin to deteriorate. And iMovie '11 won't be arond 50 years from now. Nor will the current / recent versions of iDVD. Thus, for posterity:
1. In what format should I store my family movies on an external drive so they can be viewed by family members 50 - 70 years from now? (best chance for viewing, since we don't know what formats they will have then)
2. How do I convert from what I have (disc image, iMovie project, DVD project) to your recommended format?
Thank you,
HDP

There is no such format for movies or even Photographs. Frankly we can't guarantee the persistence of any format past the next 10 years, not to mind 50 - 70.
Codecs are being improved and created all the time, and this process will continue. In 50 years time we may still have .mov and .avi files, but the codecs that create the movies within will have changed.
One thing is reasonably sure: DVD will be as deader than floppy disks are now. Ditto Blue Ray. They're on the way out now, and in 10 years they'll be curiosities.
So, what's the solution:
Best I can suggest is to keep your movies on volatile media like Hard Disks (with back ups on other disks, or course). Progress will be evolutionary - as new formats come along there will be the option to migrate older data to these newer formats, and that's the trick. As always, when it comes to migration, the more data available the better the likely result, so keeping your movies in the least compressed versions possible seems a good approach.
That and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee someplaces, but nowhere fashionable.
Regards
TD

Which is best video format for storage of video media files?

Greetings, good folk and happy holidays!
My question involves the conversion of physical video media, DVDs, video files, etc, and storage for use with multiple devices.
Like many of you, I have video in many formats and in multiple places... DVDs, Blu-Ray, AVIs, MP4s, etc. I want to convert them all to a usable format to use in conjunction with my Iphone, Apple TV, IPad, etc. and store in one place in an electronic "library." The problem is that there are countless formats they can be converted to, and not all formats look good on all devices. A video converted to Iphone format will be optimized for the smaller screen and may not look good on the iPad. And iPad converted video might not look good on larger TVs used with Apple TV.
Was wondering if you folks would have opinons as to the best codecs, format and specs to convert video to that would look good on any device from iPhone to an iPad to a TV with Apple TV.
I'm not expecting Blu-Ray quality sharpness with a universal format when used with Apple TV, but something reasonable without artifacts would look fine.
I'm using IM Too Video Converter Ultimate which has presets for many difference devices, but not sure which options will work best.
Anyone else dealing with this?
Thank you for your time.

MPEG-4
Make sure you don't infringe on any copyrights.

Best video format for mac and pc

Hello,
I recently embeded an mpeg video, flv, mp4, and swf video file to my web page. I then asked several pc users to go to my page and see if they could view the animation clips. They were were able to view all clips, but the mpeg and flv clips automatically downloaded to their computer. I don't want that to happen. The mp4 did not download, and it worked as well.
How do I stop this from happening? I ask becuase it seems flv is used by mac and pc users alike, and I think I may use said format.
What is the most widely used video format by both mac and pc users?
... should I just stick with mp4 since it worked without down loading?
rekh
code i used...
<iframe width="410"
height="357"
src="http://www.mysite.tv/myfolder/myfile.mp4"
frameborder="0"
allowfullscreen=""></iframe>

Colin has pointed you in the correct direction.
I'll bet you're using just plain text "links" to your files. That method by-passes the browser plug-in and can cause issues (especially on Windows).
You need solid html code that gives the browser plug-in all of the needed instructions.
Another thing that may have happened is that your fast start files have lost their fast start abilities. This happens with any fast start file that is then edited and uses a regular "save". Save As will restore the fast start feature (even in files that do not normally have it).
AVI is dead. Do not use it.
Many WMP formats (codecs) are not yet ported to the Mac OS so that delivery container should also be ruled out.
H.264 Video codec (default in most Tiger app exports) also requires the viewing machine (Mac or PC) have QuickTime version 7 installed.
Since not all machines can install QT version 7 (requires 10.3.9 or Win 2000 or XP) maybe you should rule it out, too.
So.
What are we left with?
Maybe QuickTime format using MPEG-4 Video codec and AAC audio?
They would only require QuickTime version 6 be installed. Since version 6 has been around for over 5 years it may be your best option.
But you're still going to get complaints from PC viewers.

Best video format for sharing with windows users

I've tried many ways to share videos with different clients, they mostly have windows computers (and windows media player I guess). I tried .mov (H.264) and mp4 (also H.264) from final cut pro X, but also from Compressor. I also did some test exporting Apple ProRes and then converting them with Mpeg streamclip, or even with Adobe Media encoder. Same problem, windows does not see these videos. I finally had to use a mov to wmv converter, but the final quality is really bad. Or upload the videos to vimeo, and then share the link (but I haven´t got a plus account, so I guess what I´m doing is not allowed, and i have only 500 mb per week). I believe that windows media player can be updated to open these phootage, but I cannot explain that to my clients.
Which would be the most compatible video format to share with clients?
Which paramaters should I take care of while exporting them?
Thanks!
Pablo

You should be able to export as H.264... I'm going to guess that your problem might not be the video -- it might be the audio. The audio track should be converted to AAC. Try exporting H.264 directly from FCPX. From Share > Export File (you might need to add that destination) > Settings > Video Codec > H.264 (audio should automatically change to AAC.) If you export as ProRes and transcode from another app, they might not be converting the audio for compatibility (LinearPCM/AIFF is not an "expected" audio format with h264/mp4, or even WMV, etc.)

Best Video Formats for iDVD?

I'm presently editing some videos at work and I want to import them onto my iMac at home so that I may burn them with iDVD.
Which file format should I convert my Avid videos to in order to work with them on iDVD? Presently, I'm capable of Movs, AVIs, and MPEGs, but I'm not certain which is best for my project. I want to make a new demo reel with up to 6 one to four minute videos. Any suggestions?

Welcome Moskevyu to the  iMovie boards..
iDVD is part of iLife (no all-purpose-encoder), therefor it 'expects' iM files, which are usually in 'dv-stream' or 'Apple Intermediate Codec' (as .dv or within a .mov)
mov and avi are just containers, no codec.. not every mov, QTplayer can play is compatible (nor usefull) with iDVD..
mpegs are muxxed and highly compressed - loss of pic quality and audio when in use with iDVD .

What is the best video format for importing into After Effects CS5

Please look at this video, work in progress.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49_wbdKALQk
The opening, featuring a ribbon of videos, was created in After Effects, using Digieffects Freeform.
The issue is the poor quality of the videos that are featured in the opening -- compared to the higher quality of videos from the original Premiere project., which you can see at the end of the clip.
To create the After Effects project, I exported a series of video clips from Premiere to mp4.
Then I imported them into AfterEffects.
The bottom line, and the purpose of this question, is I am thinking that MP4 was not the best choice for the Adobe Premiere export.
What is the best format to export video from in Premiere Pro CS5 to import into after effects, or to import into any other editing program, incuding importing right back into Adobe Premiere, if that is eever needed.
AVI?
MOV
MP4
And any other settings that will result with the highest qualiity videos for importing.
Thanks

To follow on with Wade's suggestion...
There are lots of ways to get movies and projects and other things back and forth between After Effects and Premiere Pro. This page outlines them:
"Working with Premiere Pro and After Effects"
If you must render and export a movie out of one application to bring it into another, there is a very basic piece of video workflow advice that you need to keep in mind (which applies to _all_ video software, not just After Effects and Premiere Pro):
If you're creating a movie to be used in the next step of a post-production pipeline, you _never_ want to use a format that does lossy compression. You either use no compression or (preferable) lossless compression. Examples of codecs that provide lossless compression are the Animation codec and PNG codec at the highest quality settings; these can be used in a QuickTime container, for example. Never compress a movie with lossy compression except at the very end of your pipeline, when you're creating the final movie for distribution.
MP4 (MPEG-4) is a lossy codec. The quality loss is acceptable for the last stage in the pipeline, but it's not acceptable for an intermediate file.
It seems that you would benefit from reading this and and working your way through this.

Best file format for iMovie import?

I'm having some old home movie Hi8 tapes digitized by a local video shop and saved to DVD. I intend to import the digitized footage into iMovie to edit and create DVDs.
Any suggestions on what is the best format(s) I should have them convert to?
THANKS!

From an editing standpoint DV would be preferable.
However MPEG 4 would work. MPEG4 is really a playback codec, not an editing codec, because it is highly compressed. However, iMovie will edit it and if necessary, convert it to an editing codec.
iMovie should be able to import MPEG4. If it is not standard MPEG4, you may need to install Perian from Perian.org. Try it to see if it works, but if it does not, keep Perian in mind.

Best file format for iMovie when transferring standard 8 to DVD for use under iMovie.

I have some old Standard 8 cine film which I want transfered to DVD or CD so I can edit under iMovie.
What file format should I ask for i.e. .avi etc,
Should I get them onto DVD or CD.
Does anyone know a reliable transfer companies ?
I have Mac OS X 10.6.8 and iMovie 09 8.0.6 (821)
Many thanks for any help.

If you have 8MM film, I have found a company called Mymovietransfer.com or Debenham media that will convert the 8MM to 1080P in the format you specify. I chose Motion JPEG, and it worked great in iMovie. If you have Final Cut Pro, you can choose ProRes or Uncompressed instead.
When you get your film converted to DVD, it will be standard definition and lose some quality. If you prefer to go standard definition you are better off finding someone who will convert it to DV codec rather than a DVD, which is highly compressed MPEG2.
So my suggestion would ne to find a company that can convert it in the highest quality possible. You can then edit it in iMovie and share to YouTube, DVD, etc.
Here is a sample video of mine in 1080P from 8MM converted by Mymovietransfer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9h8InMb0Ys
I have no affiliation with this company except as a satisfied customer.

Best Native format for iMovie (2013)

Looking for some advice on what formats are recommended to use with iMovie (2013) and FInal Cut Pro (2013) and a Canon XA20.
Would like to film in best quality but confused on what formats are now actually supported in iMovie (2013) and recommended for use. I understand iMovie '11 was unable to import AVCHD without processing. Is this still the case with iMovie (2013) or was this fixed. Can iMovie handle MP$ @ 35 Mbps and is this a format one would want to edit.
The XA20 can record in both AVCHD and MP4 in the following:
Movie format
Recording mode
Resolution
Audio format
AVCHD
28 Mbps LPCM (59.94P)
1920 x 1080
Linear PCM
28 Mbps (59.94P)
Dolby Digital
24 Mbps / LPCM
Linear PCM
24 Mbps
Dolby Digital
17 Mbps
5 Mbps
1440 x 1080
MP4
35 Mbps (59.94P)
1920 x 1080
AAC
24 Mbps
17 Mbps
4 Mbps
1280 x 720
3 Mbps
640 x 360
Would appreciate any thoughts. I've gone through many posts and see there were limitations on iMovie 11, but not sure if these were fixed in iMove (2013). If I would be better to forget iMovie and move to FInal Cut Pro (2013) let me know know thoughts.

What format and bit rate would that be?
Recording Format
Bit Rate
Resolution
Frame Rate
AVCHD
28 Mbps (59.94P)
1920 x 1080
59.94P*1
24 Mbps
1920 x 1080
59.94i/PF29.97/ 23.98P*1
17 Mbps
1920 x 1080
59.94i/PF29.97/ 23.98P*1
5 Mbps
1440 x 1080
59.94i/PF29.97/ 23.98P*1
MP4
35 Mbps (59.94P)
1920 x 1080
59.94P
24 Mbps
1920 x 1080
29.97P/23.98P*2
17 Mbps
1920 x 1080
29.97P/23.98P*2
4 Mbps
1280 x 720
29.97P/23.98P*2
3 Mbps
640 x 360
29.97P/23.98P*2

Digital Video format for iMovie and iMac in general

I recently purchased a video capture product for my pc to digitize all the analog videos from when my kids were younger. The capture works great but, when I move it to the Mac (10.6.2), I'm told that the files (avi etc) can't be played.
Is the problem more likely to be on the Mac side or the PC side? Any guidance re this process (product and format to use) would be greatly appreciated!
TIA,
David

David,
What exactly are you using for your video capture?
Your answer may be to use a video converter such as this one.
http://www.importavitoimovie.com/avi-to-imovie/
or
http://homepage.mac.com/major4/
Matt

Best Video format for Aperture, Final Cut Pro, iPad, and iPhones

I am moving all of my photos and video into Aperture and notice that only .MOV video form my iPhone 4 and .MP4 video from my go pro camera are displayed in Aperture browser mode. The .MPG files form my old Sony Powershot do not show up in the browser or in "Video" searches. I also have a set of very large (13GB) .AVI video files that I cannot import into Final Cut Pro.
My first question is:
If I want all of my videos to be completely compatible with all of my Apple products, should I convert everthing to .MOV format, and if so; whcih converter should I use?
My second question is:
My ten big (13gb) sets of vacation video are still on mini DV cassettes. I have already imported them into a PC as .AVI files. What should I convert them to, in order to edit them in Final Cut Pro; or should I import them again directly into Final Cut Pro? If so, which format is best?
Thank you for your advice,

"Is this even possible?."
No.
First, you don't need any additional software.
Second, every time video is processed it will change in some way. It will never be exactly the same as the original. It may in fact look better. However, you are not dealing with a top of the line camera. There are many compromises in it to make it affordable. These compromises in lens, chip size and quality and so on will be exacerbated as the media is processed. If the shooting conditions are not optimal, light, camera support, content, format, all of these will make reproducing the exact original more difficult and more improbable. That said AVCHD is inherently an excellent format and you should get excellent results. There is a great deal you can do in color correction and effects to improve the image and make it even more pleasing than the original, but this requires work and is not sonething achieved by clicking a button. It is also not something achieved by simply plugging in the camera and running the software. That is not how to get the best out of it. It's complex, professional software that's going to take time to learn, and video production is a complex process that takes time and effort to do really well.
My opinion which is worth what you paid for it.

Best video formats for imovie?

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