IMovie 08 MPEG 2 File Import

Hi,
I have been doing video editing on a PC and now moving to iMac. I use it as a DVR recording TV movies to later watch on DVD. From this forum I know I need to convert the MPEG 2 files to a format acceptable to iMovie. I have installed Streamclip with the QT MPEG 2 plugin and ready to go. There are several options and my guess is I want to use the export to DV or MPEG4 selection. Can someone give me the specific steps I need to take within Streamclip to get my files ready to import into iMovie for editing and DVD burning? Thanks

Can someone give me the specific steps I need to take within Streamclip to get my files ready to import into iMovie for editing and DVD burning?
1) Open MPEG Streamclip
2) Drop or use the "Open Files..." File menu command to navigate to/load your MPEG file(s) for conversion. (NOTE: VOB file sets or multiple MPEG/M2V file segments constituting a single complete video can be loaded all at once if their alpha-numeric names provide proper sequencing.)
3) Select the "Export to DV" File menu option
4) Select you compression type. (DV25 is standard but you can use DVCPRO25 or DVCPRO50 if the larger files are not a problem for storage)
5) Select your standard (NTSC for the US and Canada)
6) Select the aspect ration that matches your MPEG source files (4:3 standard screen or 16:9 widescreen)
7) Other main settings should not normally be needed unless your source files made using non-standard settings
8) You may or may not want to make "adjustments" to brightness, contrast, saturation, and/or volume
9) Preview and when satisfied press the "Make DV" button

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I have iMovie '11, and I am unable to access mpeg HD video files that I want to edit. The files are fine (I can open and watch them using VLC), but I cannot seem to import the files into iMovie. File Import does not work. Any suggestions??

More detail: I have a bunch of mpeg HD video files that were shot on a SONY HDR-HC3 Handycam camcorder. I would like to edit these into a single video production. I can access and view the mpeg files using VLC (Quicktime does not work with them). However, I seem to be unable to get the mpeg files to interface with iMovie '11 -- I cannot use the File --> Import command, nor can I drag-and-drop them into iMovie.
Is there something anyone might suggest to get this to work? Or are these files incompatible with iMovie? If so, I assume I must purchase a different video editing software program (e.g. Adobe Premeir Pro). Suggestions???
Many thanks in advance for your time and consideration

Yes, I tried that.   The files were ordered by their original numbers as imported from the camera, but I batched them through Phocoshop to downsize all of them into a more manageable file size.   I opened that destination folder from quick time from where it said select image sequence.   I clicked on the first one and opened it.   The result was a large image with an arrow indicating a movie was ready to go.   When I pressed the arrow, though, I realized it had only imported that one frame so there was no movie.   The files are Jpgs and are about 450 KB each.
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IMovie temporary files; importing fails on network home directory

Hi all,
I work in a laboratory and manage a bunch of Macs. We have a 2x2.5GHZ G5 with 4G of memory and iMovie 6. The mac has two 300 GB disks that are in a concatenated raid group, so the system has about 450GB of free disk.
The mac is bound to an Open Directory server and users have network home directories. (The network file system happens to be AFS, which is probably unusual)
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mjp
2x 2.5 GHz G5 PowerMac 4GB RAM Mac OS X (10.4.6)

iMovie doesn't have temporary files. All files are kept in the project folder (or "package").
iMovie: How to Save Projects to Another Hard Disk
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93296
See "Important Considerations" at the bottom.

Getting rid of gaps in iMovie 09 file import

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This is really weird. As of yesterday my HD mpeg files imported and played just fine in After Effects. Today I went to import a new clip (that I just captured in Premiere CS4) and it gave me error 86:1 saying it is an unsupported format, when it isn't.
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Aloha,
~ 0

well shortly after posting the same problem started happening with Premiere as well, except Premiere would tell me the pixel dimensions were to large on the footage (??1920x1080 too big)anyway, I uninstalled and then reinstalled both AE and Premiere and repaired my disk permissions again and everything is okay now. Wheeeeew. was praying I did not have to reinstall my os.
~ 0

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How can i import mpeg files into iMovie?

how can i import mpeg files into iMovie?

Where are your MPEG stored?
I have hundreds of old MPEGs stored in my nexternal drive, but unfortunatly i was not able import them into iMovie. I did the following trick: I created a new set of a folder and subfolder and called it "Virtual_CAM/DCIM" and saved it on my desktop. Then went to Disk Utilities>File Menue>New>Disk Image from Folder. Then selected the folder on my desktop and clicked enter. I moved the .dmg file to my external (or just keep it on your desktop). I clicked on the .dmg file. It shoud be visible on the Finder. Open your Imovie and import as you do from your camera.

IMovie can import MPEG files directly on iMac!

IMovie in my iMac can import mpeg files with no hassles. At the same time iMovie on my Mac book air can not do the same except after conversion to a compatible format by a third party software ! Any explanation for that ?
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Yes, iMovie '08 can do this. Make sure you finalize the disk in your camcorder first. And it has to be DVD formatted as a Video disk, not VR. Macs cannot read from VR-formatted disks.
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In order to successfully import all kinds of MP4 files to iMovie, a recommended solution is to convert iMovie unrecognized MP4 to iMovie supported video format.
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How to import mpeg files downloaded from a Google Drive?

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concertkey wrote:
… A final question -- besides the fact that a DVD-R will only hold 4.7 GB of data, could I make an iMovie at either 420p or 720p? …
a) the standards of videoDVD allow only 480i (PAL: 576i) - so, somewhere in the workflow, camera>>edit>>disk-authoring, the resolution has to be conformed to that standards.
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I use MPEG stream clip 1.8 to convert my mpeg files created on the hard disk of my camera into DV format and import them without problem in imovie HD 5.03.
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When the import is set to auto I get that same behavior of the infinite loop of trying to import and then rewinding.
A correction to what I wrote before is that it was the top timer that was incrementing not the bottom timer, so that too is the same as what you reported.
Now, uplugging the firewire cable is not working for me.
I'm a new Mac user. I was fed up with buggy windows and windows apps after being a user for 20 years. I made the leap and I'm pretty disappointed. The macpro hardware however is very nice.
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I have issues several issues with *Final Cut Express 4.0* and iMovie '09 which might be related. Basically the *import of HDV material* seems to be impossible, at least with the camera I use. I really hope this is not the case!
I currently try to convert from the Windows environment to Mac. On my Windows Vista system I use Premiere Elements 7 as a default software for video manipulation. The *HDV camera* I use is a tape based *HV-20 from Canon*. The import on the Windows system is done be a 4-pin to 4-pin Firewire cable which worked fine. The result is a file in format .mpeg.
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Hi(Bonjour)!
Welcome to the forum.
You have to select Apple Intermediate Codec 1080i60 in easy setup dialog to capture from this camera.
No need of MPEG quicktime component at this stage. HDV is transcoded to AIC.
Here's an example of workflow when working with HDV material edited in HD sequence:
It's a must to use the correct setup in easy setup dialog to fit your shooted material on tape.
Here's the steps to follow if you want to edit in HD (by the way some camcorders can shoot in HD mode or DV NTSC mode: wide or standard screen (or pal for european model).
On the FX1
-find the camera menu and set the recording format to HDV (it sould be 1080i60 (1080i50 for FX1E model)as it's the HDV format used by this model).
-Set the output format to automatic or 1080i (this is the type of signal that will be outputed by your camcorder upon capture via firewire).
-turn off you camcorder and mac.
-Plug both devices with a firewire cable.
-turn on the FX1 AND the mac.
-Start FCE
In Final Cut Express 4.0.1
-Use "Easy Setup..." command in Final Cut express menu , select HD in format tab, 29.97 in rate tab and HDV-Apple Intermediate Codec 1080i60 (or AIC 1080i50 for european models). Click "Setup" button.
-From this point, any new sequences and capture session will occur in Apple Intermediate Codec 1080i60 (the format used to edit in HDV).
-Use command-8 to open the capture window. HDV is captured via a simple dialog. There are no capture settings or log clips info.
-Start your camcorder in *VCR mode*(the play button on camcorder or on remote) and click the capture now button into FCE HD.
NOTES: there is no sound from your MAC upon capturing. There is a lag time between what is played on your cam and what you can see on your mac screen, so use the camcorder screen to monitor the content.
-Hit the "ESC" key when you want to stop the capturing process.
Once the esc key is pressed, your mac will continue to process the captured material and the capture window should close.
Michel Boissonneault

How can I convert MPEG files (stored on a PC) to use in iMovie on my Macbook Pro?

How can I convert MPEG files (stored on a PC) to use in iMovie on my Macbook Pro?

Get a free app called MPEG Streamclip.
Available here.
http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-mac.html
Drag your clip or clips into MPEG Streamclip. Then use FILE/EXPORT TO QUICKTIME to export the clips in Apple Intermediate Codec.
Sometimes, MPEG2 clips also require that you install the Apple QuickTime MPEG2 Playback Component. MPEG Streamclip will tell you if you need this. This is available from Apple for $20.

IMovie 08 MPEG 2 File Import

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