IMovie 11 - Image quality issues / aperture thumbnails

I'm importing images from my Aperture library into iMovie but for some reason the images are of a lesser quality than the original file.
I've tried importing it directly using the Aperture preview panel on the right side of the iMovie screen, I have also tried to drag it from Aperture but both methods produce really bad quality images once imported. I right clicked on the clip after importing so that it would show me the file in Finder and it seems that they are referencing Aperture thumbnails which explains the quality. Why is iMovie doing this? Its useless if its going to use my thumbnails, I want my full images in HD!
I did try to drag a drop from Finder to iMovie which seems to solve the problem although I still believe there is some quality loss its not as bad as it is using thumbnails. This is definitely not an easy process!!
Am I doing something wrong here? It just seems silly that iMovie can't import an image with the original quality if it then is going to make an HD video.

On Import you could try unchecking Optimize video and choose Full Size. Your disk space however will get eaten up incredibly quickly choosing these settings as each hour of video = 40GBytes of disk space. So be forewarned about how big those files will expand as they come off the MiniDV tapes.
Another thing you will immediately see a difference in is how you move files from iMovie to iDVD. Share to iDVD while named in an intuitive way, is NOT the best way to get good quality DVDs out of iMovie. Instead you want to Share to Media Browser. Choose the Large Size setting. Then quit iMovie. Open iDVD, click the Media button, the Movies button. Find your project listed under the iMovie star icon and drag it into the iDVD project. Burn the Disc and see if you get a higher quality disk by Sharing to Media Browser instead of Share to iDVD.
If you choose a Blu-Ray burner, also get a copy of Roxio Toast. The encoding to Blu-ray that Toast provides will be top notch and prevent you from making mistakes as the recordable Blu-ray disks are more expensive than DVDs. So every mistake will be expensive.

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In converting a MS Office file to PDF, Photoshop cannot help in any way and will likely cause more harm as it may rasterize vector data. Expect your ideal answer in the Acrobat forum.

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So I recently wrote a simple script to output an image at a bunch of different resolutions. However, I am running into an image quality issue that I don't run into when I do the same thing manually.
Here is an example image showcasing the image: http://terminalvelocity.ca/temp/notworking.jpg
As you can see along the top of the model's forhead there is destinct color fragmentation. Which seems very strange.
Here is the script, it is pretty simple, it asks for a few simple config options. (the above image was created using default settings). It then figures out the correct ratios and loops through doing each resize, saving the image, then reverting the history so each iteration uses the original image data and not the resized version:
doc = app.activeDocument;
openFilePath = Folder.selectDialog ("Where do you want the images to be saved?");
maxSize = Number(prompt("What would you like to be the maximum length of the long edge? (Image is never upsized) (pixels)", 2800));
minSize = Number(prompt("What would you like to be the minimum length of the long edge? (pixels)", 100));
gap = Number(prompt("How much smaller should each image be? (pixels)", 100));
quality = Number(prompt("What quality would you like the JPG exported as (0-12)", 10));
var size;
var primary;
var secondary;
if(doc.width > doc.height){
          primary = doc.width;
          secondary = doc.height;
}else{
          primary = doc.height;
          secondary = doc.width;
var ratio = secondary/primary;
var size = [];
for(var i = maxSize;i>minSize;i-=gap){
          var p = i
          var s = i * ratio;
          size.push([p,s]);
var w;
var h;
var n;
for(var i in size){
          if(doc.width > doc.height){
                    w = n = size[i][0];
                    h = size[i][1];
          }else{
                    w = size[i][1];
                    n= h = size[i][0];
          if(doc.width >= w && doc.height >= h){
                    doc.resizeImage(w,h,null,ResampleMethod.BICUBICSHARPER);
                    jpgFile = new File(openFilePath+"/"+n+".jpeg" )
                    jpgSaveOptions = new JPEGSaveOptions()
                    jpgSaveOptions.embedColorProfile = false
                    jpgSaveOptions.formatOptions =
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                    jpgSaveOptions.matte = MatteType.NONE
                    jpgSaveOptions.quality = quality
                    app.activeDocument.saveAs(jpgFile, jpgSaveOptions, true,Extension.LOWERCASE);
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In comparison, here is an example of an image of the exact same resolution that does not exhibit this issue at all:
The steps taken to save this image were as follows: http://photography.terminalvelocity.ca/content/images/2012/avery_konrad_6/horizontal/1500. jpg
Image > Resize > Bicubic Sharper (1500px);
Save For Web
     Jpeg
     Quality 75
     Optimzed: true
     Progressive: false
     Blur: 0
     Convert to sRGB: true
Anyway, as you can see, The manually exported image does not have any of the quality issues that are present within the scripted image. I am pretty new to photoshop scriping so am assuming it has something to do with me missing some sort of option in the save settings. Any help would be swell.
Also note, this doesn't occur on all images, I usually don't see an issue when using the script, however, something about the tones of this particular photo make it really obvious.
I am using the latest version of Photoshop CS6 (creative cloud) on Max OSX
thanks so much!

I'm on windows find the bicubicsharper does not work well it the image being resized has been highly sharpened all ready. Because of my Photoshop preferences I had to make minor modification to your script. I'm also a bit colorblind so i don't see many color issues so I include a screen capture if what windows does with your image and script.
var orig_ruler_units = app.preferences.rulerUnits;
app.preferences.rulerUnits = Units.PIXELS;          // Set the ruler units to PIXELS
doc = app.activeDocument;
openFilePath = Folder.selectDialog ("Where do you want the images to be saved?");
maxSize = Number(prompt("What would you like to be the maximum length of the long edge? (Image is never upsized) (pixels)", 2800));
minSize = Number(prompt("What would you like to be the minimum length of the long edge? (pixels)", 100));
gap = Number(prompt("How much smaller should each image be? (pixels)", 100));
quality = Number(prompt("What quality would you like the JPG exported as (0-12)", 10));
var size;
var primary;
var secondary;
if(doc.width > doc.height){
          primary = doc.width;
          secondary = doc.height;
}else{
          primary = doc.height;
          secondary = doc.width;
var ratio = secondary/primary;
var size = [];
for(var i = maxSize;i>minSize;i-=gap){
          var p = i
          var s = i * ratio;
          size.push([p,s]);
var w;
var h;
var n;
for(var i in size){
          if(doc.width > doc.height){
                    w = n = size[i][0];
                    h = size[i][1];
          }else{
                    w = size[i][1];
                    n= h = size[i][0];
          if(doc.width.value >= w && doc.height.value >= h){
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app.preferences.rulerUnits = orig_ruler_units;          // Reset units to original settings

Bizarre Lightroom image quality issue

I have a weird image quality issue with Lightroom, when opening RAW files (haven't tried it with any other file format, admittedly).
Here's an example of how the image appears in Lightroom. As an experiment, I exported the image as a TIFF and opened it in Gimp to see if it was just down to a display issue, but the exported TIFF showed the same quality issues as Lightroom. Aside from exporting as a TIFF (and then saving as a Jpeg), this image is SOOC:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/swisstony10/4912360565/" title="IMG_4134 by swisstony10, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4912360565_5891c0160f.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="IMG_4134" /></a>
If I open the same image in Canon's own DPP software, this image quality issue does not occur, so I know that it's not an issue with the memory card, the camera, or my laptop's monitor. The SOOC image from DPP (exported as a Jpeg) looks like this:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/swisstony10/4912362053/" title="IMG_4134b by swisstony10, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/4912362053_1ca92078c9.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="IMG_4134b" /></a>
Has anybody else experienced this, and if so, is there a fix? (there had better be - I'm not going to be overly chuffed if my expensive Adobe software is being outperformed by the free stuff.. )
Russ.

This is proving to be an extremely helpful forum!
Thanks for the advice on embedding my calibrated colour space - I don't very often send files anywhere other than my own home network (where all the monitors are calibrated), and when I do upload any to Flickr, it's never caused a problem in the past (and if I get anything printed by a lab, I use their ICC profile). I'll definitely keep that all in mind though..
Here's the original RAW file of the image I used as the example https://www.yousendit.com/download/aHlUa3ZONmNFd2Z2Wmc9PQ - I hope that helps someone to shed some light on what's going wrong. From what you've said though, it does look as if this is just an extreme example of something that Lightroom isn't very good at doing.
As I said in my original post, it'll be a bit disappointing if that's the case though, because a fair amount of the pictures I take tend to be of bands playing in what are, let's face it, diabolical conditions for photography. (At the festival I was attending at the weekend for example, all of the photographers - even the seasoned pros - were moaning about how awful the lighting was in the Big Top, and how much it sucked to try and get a decent picture there, as opposed to the main stage where everybody wasn't completely backlit by either red or purple lights. I appreciate that Lightroom is a much more powerful tool than Canon's DPP - the noise reduction controls on their own completely rock - but I must admit I'm a bit surprised that it can't handle highlights terribly well...

Image quality issues - Sony Handycam (MPEG) to iMovie / iDVD

I have read through dozens of posts but the recommendations vary widely and am hoping I can get some guidance specific to my situation. The image quality I am getting from home movies I edit in iMovie11 and burn to DVD in iDVD are far inferior to the original material.
I have a Sony DCR-TRV17. This camera is a little over 10 years old. It is a miniDV with 500 lines resolution, 680K gross pixels and uses MPEG. While not HD, the image quality is exceptional. The DVDs I used to create using my Sony Viao likewise looked fantastic. But the results I get from iMovie and iDVD are on par with VHS -- very poor, especially in low-light.
I hope the issue is just the settings when I import, edit (iMovie) and share to iDVD. I generally use the default settings, and often alternate settings don't seem to be selectable. It also sounds from other posts like iMovie sacrifices quality for reduced file size and increased simplicity? I would appreciate help with the following:
1) Please list the settings I should be adjusting from default when I a) import, b) edit in iMovie11 and c) share to iDVD and burn -- and the recommended settings for each
2) Is there a process I should be trying? Should I be creating test DVDs using different settings at each stage and then reviewing various setting combinations to find the best one?
3) I will most probably buy an HD camcorder very soon, and plan to burn to Blue Rays. I have no problem with going ahead and buying Final Cut and an external drive to burn Blue Rays. Should I just go ahead and do it and get away from iMovie / iDVD entirely. Will Final Cut solve this issue for my old miniDVs without a whole lot of hair pulling? Or will I still have to tinker with a bunch of settings or convoluted processes to get it "right." I never had to tinker with settings on my Viao. Really expected Mac software to be more user friendly…
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On Import you could try unchecking Optimize video and choose Full Size. Your disk space however will get eaten up incredibly quickly choosing these settings as each hour of video = 40GBytes of disk space. So be forewarned about how big those files will expand as they come off the MiniDV tapes.
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If you choose a Blu-Ray burner, also get a copy of Roxio Toast. The encoding to Blu-ray that Toast provides will be top notch and prevent you from making mistakes as the recordable Blu-ray disks are more expensive than DVDs. So every mistake will be expensive.

IMovie 11 Slideshow image quality issue

Hi,
when I am creating a slideshow with iMovie from still images, I have a severe loss of image quality. I have tried to search forums up and down, but did not find any help or solution for that. The loss of quality is kind of dramatic. Any ideas, suggestions or solutions?
Regards
HEnnisch

Hi!
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Hi,
at http://www.prgomet.net/iMoveIQ.png you can see what I talk about.
I shoot using Canon 5D Mk2, those are h264 40mbit mov files. When I import them iMovie makes great looking AIC encoded mov files and puts them in events. That AIC made by iMovie is great and almost like original.
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On linked image you can see AIC file that is source for iMovie, original Canon source, and how that same shot looks in iMovie event/timeline and when exported.
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ez

now I see on timeline that stills (photos from iPhoto) are also very low on quality .. same problem .. like jpeg on 30% quality ..
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Hi AM249
Welcome to Apple Discussions
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Click the little fly-out menu icon at the upper-right and choose Save New Camera Raw Defaults.
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mijbil250456 wrote:
I am using CS3 and ACR 4.6; Some have suggested upgrading to CS5, however surely I shouldnt need to do this, as the Nikon D3 was brought out before I started using CS3, so it should work?
One thing I'd like to add that goes to this comment that you made in the original post: There's not just one result that can be made from a raw file. The quality of conversion results is continunuing to improve as Adobe refines their algorithms and more powerful computers are being built to run them.
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In turn, the quality of conversions from Photoshop CS6 can be better than that of conversions from Photoshop CS5.
We are seeing real improvements to this technology before our very eyes.
-Noel

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I've been attempting to take a 16 minute video shot in DV to a DVD and have been disappointed with the results. Using Final Cut Express, I've tried every codec but have found the image quality to be quite a bit less than the original DV footage. Also having a difficult time retaining the original 4:3 aspect ratio of the footage, despite specifying NTSC 4:3. When converting the footage to a Quicktime movie, the quality of the movie appears fine when played back on the Mac, but degraded when the final DVD is burned. Haven't used iDVD much, so the issue may lie there, but it's hard for me to believe that such a relatively small amount of footage would require so much compression that the final DVD image would show this much degradation from the DV footage.
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Finally found the solution!
Apparently, anytime you change the z axis of the movieClip, it is transformed into a live bitmap to be animated. This is why the moieClip can look a little blurry.
movieClip.transform.matrix3D = null;
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When I share my screen with another participant the picture/image (screen) quality is so poor that the other participant cannot read the text on his/her screen.
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I am using version 6.11.0.102 (latest) with Windows 8 on a desktop (HP) as the sharing party and Surface RT and Surface Pro on the recepient side. I shared both desktop and window with the same results. Network speed should not be an issue as video and audio quality is normal and these type of communication methods are more sensitive to a network quality (not just speed) than a static content (image of text).
If I have to I will test with multiple computers and networks. I just expect better support from Microsoft as the quality is significantly worse than join.me in the same environment and conditions.
If I may ask can you test in your environment and compare Skype vs join.me? You will see the image (text) quality difference for yourself.
I really want Microsoft to improve this feature in Skype so users do not have to use another product (e.g. join.me) for content/web/application sharing.
Regards,
Zbysek

IMovie 11 - Image quality issues / aperture thumbnails

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