Grainy picture quality in iMovie

Relatively novice user here. I'm putting together a slideshow with iMovie and am cross dissolving between photos, with a musical background. Everything is great except for the quality of the pictures. In iPhoto the pictures are sharp, crystal clear (about 2 MB each) but when I play the slide show in iMovie they look like they were blown up from 75 Kbps pictures. I really don't see any way to address picture quality. Any suggestions? Thanks!

On further inspection, I see that according to iMovie each of the slideshow pictures have a size of 117 KB. So, there is a quality reduction going on for sure.

Similar Messages

Significant loss of picture quality in iMovie, what are my other options???

Hello All,
I am new to the Mac world moving over from windows.
Hooking up my dv camcorder (non high-def) to my TV gives a pretty good picture.
If I use iMovie to import from my camcorder and then iDvd to burn a dvd and play the DVD the picture quality is significantly reduced (looks worse than VHS!).
I am reading that this is uncorrectable through any settings available in iMovie or iDVD. This to me is unfathomable!
Being a newbie in the Mac world I don't know what my other options are.
I read about iMovie HD and Final Cut Express but don't know how they position and can I achieve better picture quality preservation.
I want my camcorder picture quality better preserved. I’ve certainly gotten much better results on windows with various packages (but have little experience).
I came into the Mac world believing that this sort of thing is what Mac was great for so a bit surprised.
How do you folks get around such a significant picture quality loss???
My home movies through iMovie and iDVD look embarassing for circa 2009!

I convert my imported dv files to AIC at 1080p before editing.
There is a small quality drop using this approach, I find it acceptable but some others don't.
I have added an original dv movie clip, two exports in different formats of the same clip as prepared in imovie 09 and another of the same clip exported to back to dv as prepared in imovie 6, to a disc image of a DVD created in iDVD.
I don't feel the differences represent the differences some here are reporting they see themselves, see what you think
Source Comparisons (580 MB)

Do You know of a camcorder that has good picture quality in imovie 09???

I have just purchased an imac OS X (10.5.6) with a 24 inch screen with imovie 09. I bought a Panasonic SDR-H80 HDD camcorder, downloaded video to imac 09 and the picture quality was VERY BAD!!!!!!!!! Does anyone own and use a camcorder on this system and get good picture quality????????? Which camcorder are you using???? Thank you

My suspicion is that you have mimatched settings between the camera and iMovie. The answer lies in the 215 post "DV Video Quality" discusssion. The iMovie settings must match the camera settings ie. aspect ratio, frame rate, ect. for the end product that you desire from iMovie/iDVD. With all the setting set correctly almost any end result can be achieved with good quality. A good tutorial for iMovie 09 features in general is http://www.kenstone.net/fcphomepage/imovie_09stone.html.
Good Luck
Kent

Problems with picture quality in iMovie when panning

When I pan and zoom slideshows using iMovie HD 06 the pictures become distorted in a... interlacing sort of way... can't really describe it but the details of the picture starts to go and I see flickering. I'm using a Sony DSLR, set on high res so I know it's not the camera or the quality. I've tried watching the movie on two TVs. An HD widescreen and an old SD TV but I see the flickering on both. This is really bugging me because I can't see the pictures in their full quality. Anybody's having this problem?

this topic is endlessly discussed on this board..
on the start page of this board you see few, .. without scrolling ...
try the forum's Search feature..
a good start are Karl's replies & strategies in this thread :
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=4399400#4399400
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=961045

Poor Picture Quality in iMovie Which USB Camcorder Will Work and Which Won'

Dear Colleagues,
I continue to read accounts by readers regarding iMovie 98 havinga poor image quality when sharing to iDVD. It has been suggested that users with non-High Definition camcorders, standard DV8 camcorders such as my Sony DCR-TRV315, are stretching the Movie to far when using the Large and Medium setting for sharing ing to iDVD and other media.
If this is the case, what pixel size should I use when sharing to iDVD. I had understood that 720X480 was the standard format for non-High Definition Digital 8 Camcorders. So what correct pixel ratio should I use for DVD playback on a wide-screen HDTV with non-HD recordings.
I am planning to purchase a Sony USB camcorder and I continue to hear reports that they and other brands of USB camcorders won't work with iMovie 08. Is this simply a new user not fully understanding how his new camcorder works?
If this is not the case, how can one determine which USB camcorders are compatible with iMovie 08?
Please get back to me soon.
Best regards,
Robert O. Cobb
aka The Clemmons Kid

A great deal has been said about im08 degrading interlaced video, to qualify the matter im08 resorts to progressive video depending on the capabilities of your mac, I for example can achieve full quality 1080i exports.
Additionally the matter has to be put into perspective. Of course a source video looks clearer on a mac if it is displayed in it's original interlaced format on a frame by frame basis, but this isn't how one would watch video. interlaced video looks dreadful on a computer monitor and needs to be de-interlaced to be watched, additionally you would never watch a video frame by frame and so comparing video in this way is somewhat pointless. There is a quality difference on some macs but if the video is compared in a realistic way the difference is quite small and often unnoticeable.
720 x 480 as you likely realise uses non square pixels which will be converted to square pixels for your AVC exports in im08, to maintain the aspect ratio of the pixels you should export to DV.
There are a list of supported cameras here, but of course there are many that are not in this list that do work. If you select a camera, post to see if anyone has had any compatibility issues, but as you seem to be aware a number of apparent issues are as a result of user errors rather than incompatibility.

Pictures quality

It is strage but I can not obtain very good pictures quality after iMovie slideshow export. It is codecs independent. Bad quality is visible in dark parts of photo for example water surface in shadow. There are colour spots instead of soft shadings. It makes iMovie useless for semiprofessional presentations. It looks that pictures are simplified before they are transferred to codec.
Have you got any ideas about it?

I did a lot of experiments about that.
My final conclusion is that there is impossible to obtain good quality slideshow made of camera images with iMovie (even HD resolution), really surprising !!!
It looks like iMovie imports pictures and at the same time simplifies them to have real time speed edition and playback possibilities. Unfortunately export option does not take original pictures to make rendered movie but takes this simplified version and I think that is the reason why final movie slideshow has terrible spots visible in dark parts of pictures (regardless of the sorce picture format, codecs, resolution options, bitstream etc.). In my opinion it is software bug.
Am I wrong?

I am attempting to convert 8mm video cassettes to dvd using a video cassette player, elgato video capture with rca/usb connections to the mac, editing in imovie and burning on idvd. The picture quality is awful. What can I do?????

I am attempting to convert 8mm video cassettes to dvd using a video cassette player, elgato video capture with rca/usb connections to the mac then editing in imovie and burning dvd-r using idvd. The picture quality is awful. What can I do??????

At what point is the video quality bad? Is it bad on capture? I would recommend using an s-video 1394 firewire converter instead. They capture the video at a higher bit rate. If you have a lot of 8mm tapes to capture, invest in a stand alone DVD recorder. They capture and compress in one shot. If you need to rip it back from the DVD into iMovie again, I would recommend using DVDxDV.

How can I improve picture quality...now grainy after IOS update!

How can I improve picture quality...now grainy after IOS update!

Hello, dreamer5th.
Thank you for visiting Apple Support Communities.
Here are some troubleshooting steps that I would recommend going through when experiencing this issue. They are labeled for the iPhone; however, the steps also apply to your iPad. Also, make sure to test the camera in well lighted conditions as this can affect picture quality.
Camera isn't functioning or has undesired image quality
If the screen shows a closed lens or black image, force quit the Camera app.
If you do not see the Camera app on the Home screen, try searching for it in Spotlight. If the camera does not show up in the search, check to make sure that Restrictions are not turned on by tappingSettings > General > Restrictions.
Ensure the camera lens is clean and free from any obstructions. Use a microfiber polishing cloth to clean the lens.
Cases can interfere with the camera and the flash. Try gently cleaning the lens with a clean dry cloth or removing the case if you see image or color-quality issues with photos.
Try turning iPhone off and then back on.
Tap to focus the camera on the subject. The image may pulse or briefly go in and out of focus as it adjusts.
Try to remain steady while focusing:
Still images: Remain steady while taking the picture. If you move too far in any direction, the camera automatically refocuses to the center.
Note: If you take a picture with iPhone turned sideways, it is automatically saved in landscape orientation.
Video: Adjust focus before you begin recording. You can also tap to readjust focus while recording. Exiting the Camera application while recording will stop recording and will save the video to the Camera Roll.
Note: Video-recording features are not available on original iPhone or iPhone 3G.
If your iPhone has a front and rear camera, try switching between them to verify if the issue persists on both.
Hardware troubleshooting
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2802
If the issue persists see the last section labeled Issue not resolved.
Cheers,
Jason H.

How to get best picture quality using iDVD to burn a movie from iMovie?

I would appreciate any guidance on options to choose and approaches such that I get the best picture quality when I view an iMovie product on a wide screen HD TV using a DVD burned with iDVD. Choose wide screen or standard format in iMovie? Best Performance or Prof. Quality in iDVD? ...

Good Morning,
My computer is using Snow Leopard 10.6.5 and has ilife 09 installed on an imac. I have been reading it is better to use imovie 06. When I tried to do a custom install from the 06 disk imovie and idvd were grayed out but had a checkmark. It would not let me deselect idvd. Not really knowing how to do this I quite the process. Can you or someone please advise me on how and what exactly to do in order to accomplish a custom install of imovie 06? Should I delete imovie 09 first? If so how is this accomplished. Perhaps it would be less complicated to purchase photo to movie? Really do not want to spend unless it is necessary since I only know a little about what I'm doing but enough to be dangerous to my computer
Thanks,
reverseimage

Grainy Image Quality

Have used iMovie 11 and iDVD to create hour long DVD's a few times over the last 6 months.   Not as I originally used to do it, but results were fair enough.
Have just tried to make a 5th DVD and found the picture quality was very grainy - Speckled.    It was as if the resolution was only a quarter of the pixels I would expect.
Initially I thought the movie length was too long - It was 1hr 9 mins, so I reduced the movie length.    I changed the quality from Best to Professional.    I ended up with just a 2 minute video (to cut down on the encoding time each time) but still the quality was really poor.
I made a disc image rather than burn a disc but no difference - The video quality and on-screen titles were pixeled and grainy.
Viewing the video through iMovie is crystal clear and beautiful quality.    Any ideas???

Hi I am new for this. I have Panasonic HDC-TM700. I burned a DVD from IDVD, the quality was poor. But friend of my used HD Writer (disc come with HDC-TM 700) to burn a DVD. That result was very good and clear pix on HDTV too. In order to make a good movie, I wonder if we can us Mac to edit and other program to burn....so we can share movies with family and friends.

Mid 2009 13" MBP iSight camera bad picture quality in photo booth

My daughter's stock mid 2009 13" MBP 2.26 ghz intel core two duo has a problem with the isight camera. The isight camera is built in to the screen. The isight camera works some of the time flawlessly and other times it comes out real grainy and with small colored pixels all over the screen like colored static (about 20% to 30% of the photo booth screen is affected but the rest of the screen outside of the photo booth app is unaffected). She only uses it in photo booth but we've tried the iChat app and the same thing happens there too, once she couldn't get the MBP to connect to the isight camera (it just showed a black photo booth screen), so she closed the lid of her MBP and reopened it and it worked. All of the software and firmware is up to date and we've tried resetting the PRAM and the SMC, it didn't do anything to fix the problem. It seems like there's a wire loose in the computer from the screen to the computer base, only because I can move the screen back and forth and the picture quality changes, the amount of static on the picture will move, go away or get worse. I had the screen changed in early 2010 (January or February) (the MBP was about 5 or 6 months old then) at the apple store under warranty due to dirt under the screen's glass (manufacturing defect). The photo booth picture static problem comes and goes, but here lately it comes more than it goes. The screen in general is in good shape and doesn't have any detectable problems with it, it has a good picture and no dead pixels, the problem seems to be only isolated to the isight camera. Can some one help with this problem? How long of a warranty is given on the warranty repairs (like the screen change they did in early 2010)? If apple does a repair on it and finds a wire that has rubbed the insulation off of it on a hinge causing a short and the isight problem, as a result of a sloppy repair from the first warranty repair, will they cover it under warranty again even if it's been over a year since they changed the screen? Also how honest will apple be if they do find out it is a problem caused from the first screen replacement, will they own up to their mistake? If I don't agree with apple's repair decision, can I get a second opinion from an outside source, third party, and if it's diagnosis different than apple's and can be proven, can I still get apple to do and pay for the repairs and labor if it turns out to be their fault from the first warranty screen replacement?
The reason why I'm asking is, I took my wife's white macbook in about a year ago for the famous cracked top cover replacement (under warranty) and when I got the computer back, the isight camera didn't work, so I gave it back, they took it apart a look at it and said there was nothing wrong with it and gave it back, then the screen wouldn't come on so after 4 hours at the Apple store they decided to send it to Austin, TX. for repairs (I'm in Ft. Worth TX.). Apple in Austin said it needed a new main board. They said the old one had water damage to it. We never had water anywhere near the computer, not even in the same room. It was working fine when we took it in, we took it in just to get the plastic top case, that cracks all of the time, replaced under warranty. And then they wanted us to pay for an $800 main board because some how while they were doing the top cover replacement it got water damaged. I argued with them and they finally gave me a one-time offer of them paying for half of the repair and labor or if I disagreed or left the store I would have to pay the whole amount if I chose to have the repairs done. So I ended up having to pay $467 for a year old macbook main board that was water damaged in their possession during their repairs. I like Apple and their products but I am worried about giving my daughter's MBP over to them for repairs because of this incident, it's an honesty issue with how honest they will be with what they find because they won't give back the old parts for analysis by a third party to verify their diagnosis.
Thanks for any info and advice anyone can give.

Hi,
As a personal note I find long posts like this hard to read if they are not broken up in to paragraphs.
As I say it is a personal thing.
I can give you some information about the camera and laptops over the past few years.
Basically in early Laptops of the MacBook Pro and MacBook range the cable did tend to fray at the point where it passed through the hinge. It did take a well used laptop that had the lid open and closed frequently to cause this. (your 2009 model might just be in that group - I have no firm dates or models I am afraid)
Later models have this rerouted so that this does not happen.
However the cable has then tended to get pulled from the camera end and become loose.
This On Line Self fix site has pages about some models (The one I have linked to may not be yours)
I have linked in to later pictures in the sequence but there are navigation points to work back to the start.
Note:- they use pretty specifc specialest tools as well in these pics.
Doing this would certail Void any Warranty you have left.
From Posts mainly in the iChat and the iSight areas I have gathered that it seems common for Apple to replace the Screen as a whole rather than fiddle with getting solely at the camera.
Apple has this article on Trouble Shooting an iSight
Basically it says try several apps then try logging in on another Mac User account to see if it is App based or User based or in fact System wide.
If System wide then resetting the SMC/PMU is the only suggested fix. (Which I did read you had done)
In addition to that I would add that testing should be done in different lighting conditions.
Lighting in the evening or dark that is good enough to read buy is not always good enough for the camera or is not illuminating the right areas.
Some people have reported that Starting the computer in Safe Mode (then Rebooting afterwards) seems to help. (it clears out some caches and starts up with reduced extensions)
As to actual Repairs and any Warranty that may still be in place I cannot say.
I can say that when people post about problems with repairs a certain stores someone else will tend to post that their experience was different.
You seem to report two different experiences with the two computers yourself.
10:24 PM Thursday; July 14, 2011
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb( 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.7),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Low quality in iMovie Export

iMovie is a great program. Unfortunately the export quality is not very good. I have tried several codecs (Apple Intermediate Codec, H.264, ++), but the result is drastic quality reduction. Very visible in dark areas and peoples faces were the no. of colors are too low. Filesize is reduced too.
The imported file (from Sony Handycam HD (CX550)) is an apple intermediate codec and the quality is great.
When exporting from iMovie useing Apple Intermediate Codec the quality setting is "medium" with no option to change this.
I also use Final Cut Express which gives much better export quality. But the program is not as intuitive and easy to use so I prefer iMovie.
The solution is to edit the movie in iMovie, export the project to Final Cut (by XML) and export QuickTime movie. With XML export all fancy transmissions are lost, but the picture quality is great. The final movie file is 3-4 times larger.
Anyone with similar experience or a solution?

I have exactly the same issues
'Very visible in dark areas and peoples faces where the no. of colors are too low. Filesize is reduced too.'
In light you won't notice but the dark is just terrible.
Important: It has not to do with interlace. Interlacing is not the problem. It's the dark areas en people faces!
I thought I found the solution.
Wat I did was:
- Export as Quictime Apple Intermediate Codec
- > If I use the Dimensions 'HD 1920 x 1080 16:9" it was terrible
If I use the Dimension '1920 x 1080 HD' it was perfect.
(Also I set the compressor to 'other' and 'interlaced' and 'top field first')
But the strange thing is: When I do it on a small piece of footage. It works perfect. When I do it on a longer project: the footage is crappy again.
I worked a week on different home video stuff and it's not fun to see this decrease of quality.
I didn't missed a toppic where someone found the solution?
I will keep you informed about my investigations...

Poor image quality using iMovie 8 or iDVD after importing DV file via FW

Hello,
i am a complete newby and asking for help. I have bought a Panasonic NV-GS320EG-S miniDV Camcorder. First i connected it via S-Video to my Pioneer Plasma which worked fine.
I have connected the camcorder via Firewire to my iMac 20/2,4 GHz, camcorder will launch import window, streaming works but in iMovie the image quality is already rather poor. I can cut files and all but after using Import film and burning it with latest Toast, picture quality is even worse, that means colors are natural but no sharpness, lots of shivering lines as soon as the angle is moving.
I've tried to import directly into iDVD with the direct transfer function for Firewire which works technically as well but the result is mainly the same, when i burn the DVD the picture quality gets far worse than via S-Video connection.
Last thing i tried is importing to iMovie, importing for media browser and reopening file in iDVD which burns the DVD later, all that works technically fine, but the image result remains absolutely poor, my wife meant inacceptable...
Any ideas what that could be??? I've always imported and exported the film with the largest picture mode possible...

I am using the Panasonic HDC-SD5 camcorder which records in AVCHD.
I also have a JVC miniDV camcorder.
The following is available in iMovie 08 help:If the larger sizes are not available, the original project media isn’t large enough to render in that size. The largest media size used in the project determines the final movie sizes you can render.
Tiny: Always 176 by 144 pixels.
Mobile: Always 480 by 272 pixels.
Medium: Varies in size from 640 by 480 pixels (standard aspect ratio) to 640 by 360 pixels (widescreen), depending on the size of the media in your project.
Large: Always 960 by 540 pixels (widescreen). No large size is rendered if your original video isn’t high definition (HD).

HELP - DEGRADED PICTURE QUALITY

Hi.
I am using the new Sony Memory Stick Handycam HDR-CX11E to take my movies with. Click the link below for camcorder details.
http://www.sony.co.uk/product/cam-high-definition-on-memory-stick/hdr-cx11e
I am recording in Standard Definition HQ, MPEG2 which is 1 step down from the Full HD Quality.
When I playback on my my TV or PC the movie quality is just WOW!!!
But when I playback or transfer the files direct or via iMovie - the movie quality is poor, faded colours & loss in picture clarity. it's as if the movie was taken way back in the 90's not 2009.
Why am I getting degraded quality in iMovie and in general playback on my Mac?
Is it a iMovie issue? or my Mackbook's issue?
PLEASE HELP!!
And the Stabilization option is rubbish, all it does it zooms in the image more and when you watch the movie, everything is more in your face like, due to the zooming in.

Camcorders are made to work with TVs and not computer monitors, and they have slightly different characteristic such as color space and dynamic range. Camcorder movies tend to look more washed out and less saturated/contrasty and especially so on a Mac where gamma is 1.8 and not HD video gamma 2.22. PCs have 2.2 gamma so it's closer. Your monitor and TVs calibration also affects the look.
Zoom-in for stabilization is inevitable, as it's the only way to stabilize shaky footage. You can limit the maximum zoom on each clips.

Picture quality deteriorates

I just made three short films on iMovie, which I imported into iDVD and burned to a single DVD. But when I play the DVD, the picture quality is fine for the first few minutes, then deteriorates, the picture becoming pixellated and the text being hard to read (two of these three 'films' are in fact a series of still images with subtitles and music in the background, ie slideshows).
The two slideshows both deteriorate in the same way, but the third film (actual moving pictures) doesn't, although it is shorter at just 3 mins long, the slideshows being 5mins long.
I have to show this film at a big ceremony tomorrow so am getting near panic and would appreciate any help! Thanks.
I recorded the Project on PAL 4:3 Best Quality.

PS I should add that the picture quality is fine when played in iMovie

Grainy picture quality in iMovie

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