How to batch change all iPhoto imported movies and keep them in same event?

Question

I have several years of AVI movies that won't be read in iMovie 08 but can be viewed and played using QT from iPhoto 08.
Anybody know how i can batch convert the entire library of movies in my iPhoto library to mac happy format and keep their creation date, save them back into the same location, and modify iPHoto database to re-path to new clips then remove old? I must maintain organization as these videos are labeled, and dated and sorted according to my daughters entire life! I don't want a new folder with 1000 vidoes, I like to keep them in the 'event' folder they live in and have iPhoto point to them instead of the .avi files that iphoto has no problem with but iMovie does.
Sounds insane, but it's the only solution i can think of to use iLife products with one of the most popular compact digital camera's in the world which saves in a format that works perfectly everywhere else within my mac other then iLife.
I'm sorry if i sound a little peeved.. i've been desperately trying to make a solid pipeline for personal media out of my mac since i've switched over, and found that unless your media is born and dies in quicktime, the mac isn't really that friendly.

Answer 1

vfman
Not quite an answer, but perhaps the way towards an answer:
You want to round trip these avi files out of iPhoto, convert them to a different file type and the bring them back into iphoto whole preserving all of the arrangements you have for them in iPhoto. Correct?
You cannot do that for a very simple reason, and that is converting the file type will create a new file with a new file name.
SO we have to be clever... and this might be a way to do that:
1. Title the files in iPhoto to use their Creation date in the title (so we get Jan 01 2005 - Her First Steps.avi, or somesuch.) I suggest this, but there may be a way to change the file date on the new movies that I don't know about.
2. Export the files in batches - month by month say - to the desktop and there, process them into the new format. (You'll need to research the Software for that job yourself, I'm no help there)
Now we have a file called Jan 01 2005 - Her First Steps.mov (or whatever the suffix is going to be.
3. Create a new library in iPhoto (hold down the option (or alt) key and launch iPhoto, choose 'Create Library' Give it a distinctive name: The great library fix, or somesuch)
4. When you have the new library organised to mirror - as much as possible, delete the avi's from your main library, and use iPhoto Library Manager to move the reformatted files back...
That's an approach to the issue. Have a think about it, maybe it'll spark you - or someone else to come up with some improvements - or a whole better model.
Or, we could try and get v7 to read the movies like v6 did... what are the symptoms?
Regards
TD
Message was edited by: Terence Devlin