. iMovie '11 to Final Cut X

I imported an edited project from iMovie '11 to Final Cut X, the video clips import, but not the sound.

DV? iMovie imports in a different format from FCP. iMovie uses DV Stream. FCP uses QuickTime. You need to import in FCP.

Similar Messages

Importing imovie project into Final Cut Pro

Hello I need help getting my HD imovie project into final cut pro. I recored the project in 24p and it's already imported into imovie. What is the best way to get it into Final Cut Pro so that I can edit it further without sacrificing the quality.
Another problem is that I have heard that imovie compresses the video and totally ruins the quality. Is this true? And is this reversible in any way? I have already recorded over all the clips for this project on my camcorder. How screwed am I?
-Michael

First thing to do is find your original clips that you captured in IMovie. I don't have much experience in IMovie, but see if you can select a clip and control click and choose reveal in finder. If that works, open one of these clips in quicktime player and hit command-i and let us know the format of the clip.
Kind of doubt you'll be able to actually import your project into fcp, but you should be able to recreate it in fcp without too much difficulty.
Let us know what camera you shot and captured from. That may be of some help.
Hopefully someone with more experience in IMovie will speak up, but hopefully this will get us started.
Message was edited by: Michael Grenadier

Upgrading from iMovie 11 to Final Cut Express, Worth It?

I was thinking about upgrading from iMovie 11 to Final Cut Express. I know the cost and I was wondering if it is worth it, is it?

Since Final Cur Pro X will be release in June, you may want to wait for it.
Allan

Can I migrate an iMovie project to final cut pro and keep the edits intact?

can I migrate an iMovie project to final cut pro and keep the edits intact? It may be a solution to my apparently corrupted iMovie

The manual tells ..
http://help.apple.com/finalcutpro/mac/10.1/?lang=en#ver41812c7c
keep in mind: just the 'plain cuts', not the eye-candy iMovie offers, wil be transfered.
unfortunately it says ...:
You initiate the process from within iMovie. The project file and the media used in the project are copied to your Final Cut Pro library.
For more information, see iMovie Help.
so, if your iM doesn't work anymore, you can not transfer.
plus, my personal opinion!, I would start from scratch in FCPx...
What issues in iM do you expect FCPX to solve,...?

IMovie 08, iMovie 6, or Final Cut Express

I just got a new Sony HDR-SR12 HD camera. It records in 1080i. I tried iMovie 08, but I don't like the export options. I used the iMovie 08 import .mov file and opened it in iMovie 6. I exported the video and it doesn't look that good. I'm thinking about Final Cut Express but I don't know how it integrates with iLife apps. What's the best option?

iMovie 08 imports AVCHD in full 1080i. The AVCHD is converted to Apple Intermediate Codec 1920x1080.
The issue comes when you render the project. The iMovie 08 presets max out at 960x540 for Apple TV. Apple TV looks very good because most TVs will upscale it back to 1920x1080.
It is possible to export to Quicktime in full 1920x1080.
However, then you have the problem of how to play it back.
You can play it back at 1920x1080 on your Mac, if your screen is large enough.
You can play it back on a Sony Playstation 3.
You can play it on a BluRay Disk Player.
Toast 9 permits burning a BluRay Disk in full 1920x1080. You will need a BluRay disk Burner for this. Toast 9 also lets you do a short AVCHD/Bluray disk on a regular DVD on a regular DVD burner, but you are limited to about 20 minutes of playing time.
If you burn to a normal DVD in MPEG2, you are limited to 480i, so that is the worst option.
Message was edited by: AppleMan1958

Help Required - iMovie 11 V Final Cut Express

Firstly don't shoot me if this has been posted into the wrong place.
I've recently and quite successfully been getting to grips with iMovie. I mainly use it for personal projects importing files from .mov files, DVD's and Screen recording software.
I started using it a few months ago when I upgraded to the new Quad Core mac. First using iMovie'09 then recently upgraded iLife to version 11.
As a total amateur in anything 3D and Video production related it's certainly one area I never imagined I'd enter. Some may comment "Well it's not hard" but at present I'm loving the challenges that it presents me.
However, whilst I'm also not looking to become Spielberg, I do feel that because I have got to grips with the software fairly easily and quite quickly, I seem to have been left feeling that it's already met and exceeded my own expectations, and has now left me wanting more, particularly effects wise. (Maybe I just need to search a bit harder for something I haven't yet found - and I don't mean religion).
Therefore are there any plans to release further plug-ins for iMovie 11 to add to the experience, or would anyone here recommend upgrading to the Final Cut Suite?
FCE I have no experience of whatsoever, but do have friends that use it regularly. (I looked to download a demo version but nothing appears to be available) but it does, from what I have seen and read, offer more in the way of effects. (Or is this simply the upgrade packages that can be added) Am I wrong to even compare the two together?
So should I stick with what I have or make the change over - Basically need some helpful advice before I make what I feel may be a wasted purchase?

Ziatron wrote:
.... But I find the iMovie 06 interface superior to my mind. I also like the 'Final Cut' like Timeline of iMovie 06.  
you probably know, Adobe Premiere, iMovie a + b + i and FinalCut come from the same master-mind (Randy U.)
My first experience with NLE was Avid on some PowerMac - 40min max to import
It had a 'Moviola'-GUI: vertical film'strips'. For European editors this was a huge hurdle, because they were used Steinbecks - horizontal reels.
IMHD≤6 (and FC) tries to 'emulate' that film-strip metaphor too = timeline.
what I noticed: absolute beginners prefer the 'pool' of clips in iM-b, instead of the single-'slide' in iM-a = a better overview of things to come. skimming is a brutal fast way to chop clips together.
a word about that auto-scrolling: that is inspired by Garageband, isn't it ?
I hope, we'll see even more of those interface-marvel in FC/e.
I tested AdobePremiereElements for Mac a while ago, it offers simple features we miss in iM-b (example: pointers) - it is less intuitive, less 'snappy', less 'easy'. Although it is 'old fashioned' with a timeline (and 'slides', as iM-a)
I guess, we old Silverbacks just have to open our minds for new ways of handling videos ... +think different+ anyone? …

HD quality iMovie vs. Final Cut Express (AIC)

Hello,
I was finally able to carry out a simple test to compare output from iMovie '09 vs. Final Cut Express (FCE), which has proven to produce much cleaner output when compared with iMovie '08. Just as I have received help from online mac community I feel obliged to share my experiences with you in case it's of interest to you and helps you.
* Footage: filmed on Canon 5D Mark II (1080p, bitrate >40Mbps
* Imported into iMovie '09, no stabilization and other tricks, exported to Apple Intermediate Codec (AIC) with as little quality loss as possible
* Imported into FCE, exported to AIC
Resulting file from FCE is sharper and cleaner when compared side by side in QuickTime. Not surprisingly the same AIC export has different sizes, too.
* FCE: 477 MB for 32 seconds of footage
* iMovie: 253 MB for the same 32 seconds of identical footage
Hope this helps someone. Happy filming!
Roman

It's been long discussed, but your conclusion is not fully correct:
1) If you import at FULL, no pixels are lost by iM. Thus, his Canon footage could have come in perfectly.
2) "One field is DISCARDED with 1080i." Not true. IF AND ONLY IF you use a function or FX that performs scaling, ALL video is chopped to 540p.
3) The functions that do NOT cause conversion of ALL video to 540p include SPEED, DISSOLVE, and FADE. If you use only these FX, then EVERY pixel that is recorded by your camera CAN BE exported by iM 09.
4) If you use no FX, then EVERY pixel that is recorded by your camera CAN BE exported by iM 09.
5) To export ALL pixels, you of course, must choose the correct settings in the QT dialog. They would be the same as you use with FCE or FCP.
The fact he got different sized files shows HE did something to cause the difference. Had he done things "correctly," he would have the same size file.
PS1: Page Curl is a perfect example of a scaling FX. So, by violating the #1 rule of using iM 09 you get support for your incorrect conclusion. Folks shooting with a camera like the Canon do so mostly to get a high-end film look. Very few folks making a film use anything other than SPEED, DISSOLVE, and FADE. In fact, no one making a high-end video would use anything other than SPEED, DISSOLVE, and FADE. So, it is perfectly possible to NOT use any of the "bad" FX. (Although they can be fun I admit!)
PS2: Be aware the black Background IS one of the bad FX. Unless, this bug was fixed in the last update. A static background should not need to use scaling! If this bug remains, use a black JPEG! I keep a black and white matte in iPhoto to use with "Fade TO" FX.

I have a fairly new iMac wI now have iMovie events and Final Cut pro events that are duplicates. Does that mean that all my video is copied onto my hard dive twice?

If I have video in imovie and final cut pro X, does that mean there are two copies of the video, one for each piece of SW? If so, how do I get rid of the imovie events and keep only the Final Cut Pro X events (video)? I don't want multiple copies of the same video stored on the hard drive.

If you import to FCP directly from the Camera or from a camera archive, you would likely import choosing Optimized Files which would go to a FCP event that is in ProRes 422 codec. This would be in addition to your iMovie Event which would import using the Apple Intermediate Codec. So you would have two copies of the same information. An AIC copy and a larger ProRes copy.
However, if you use FILE/IMPORT/iMOVIE EVENT LIBRARY, FCP will not duplicate the event files from iMovie. It will treat them as referenced files, and will point to the iMovie Event files in the reference. So there is no duplication. You will be editing Apple Intermediate Codec files in FCP.
However, FCP will create Event folders. In addition to the reference information, these will contain thumbnail files that are compatible with FCP, stabilization and analysis files that are compatible with FCP, as well as any intermediate render files that are associated with the Event.
So in this case, there is no duplication of the large event files, but there is some duplication of the small thumbnail files.
I have several terabytes of iMovie Events, which are now all available in FCP. Believe me, I would know if they were duplicated because all my disks would be full.

How to Use iMovie Projects in Final Cut Express

I just upgraded to Final Cut Express because of the feature of being able to start a project in iMovie and then finish it in FCE. The steps look simple in the manual File / Open / etc. But when I do it, it tells me File Error: Wrong Type. Is there something I am doing wrong or some other format for the iMovie projects to make them work?

FCE 4.0.1 is the current version of FCE. There is nothing newer.
A new version of Final Cut Studio was released last year; perhaps it can import iMovie11 projects. You would have to try it to find out. If there is an Apple store nearby, copy your Movies folder to a portable hard drive, take it with you, and ask to try it out with Final Cut Pro on one of the Macs in the store. Most stores will let you do this.
Be aware, however, that even if the import works, there are many limitations: Transitions become cross-dissolves. Cropping, Ken Burns effects, color adjustments, titles, green screen clips, PiP clips, voiceovers, sound effects & music tracks are not exported in the XML file.

Image quality using iMovie 08 vs Final Cut Pro

I read in November's Macworld that if I use a tapeless camcorder, "you won't get the best image quality if you use iMovie '08 because the software converts each movie clip to smaller, more manageable size. To get the highest quality you'll need to be running Final Cut Pro on a Mac Pro with at least 2GB of RAM." Do you all agree with this? And if so, please consider the following. I used a mini DV camcorder to transfer all my tapes to my computer and to an external hard drive. Have I already lost that image quality in doing so using iMovie? If so, can Final Cut Pro import from iMovie and improve that quality by decompressing or will I need to retransfer the tapes using Final Cut Pro or will the difference be too negligible to be noticed and not to bother. Thanks, SWestD

I read in November's Macworld that if I use a tapeless camcorder, "you won't get the best image quality if you use iMovie '08 because the software converts each movie clip to smaller, more manageable size. To get the highest quality you'll need to be running Final Cut Pro on a Mac Pro with at least 2GB of RAM." Do you all agree with this?
It depends on the format. In general, the consumer tapeless cameras shoot some highly compressed variant of the mpeg2 or mpeg4 format (delivery formats). These formats are not designed to be edited but rather to be displayed directly from the camera to the TV. In order to edit the material, you must first convert the files from their delivery format to something editiable. This conversion usually results in LARGER not smaller files. There is the potential for some minimal alteration of the image in the transcoding process. This is the trade-off for shooting with such a compressed format.
And if so, please consider the following. I used a mini DV camcorder to transfer all my tapes to my computer and to an external hard drive. Have I already lost that image quality in doing so using iMovie?
No, capturing DV material from tapes using iMovie is a direct digital transfer. DV/NTSC or DV/PAL video as captured from tape is the muxed (mixed audio and video) DV stream. It is an exact replica of what is on the tape.
If so, can Final Cut Pro import from iMovie and improve that quality by decompressing or will I need to retransfer the tapes using Final Cut Pro or will the difference be too negligible to be noticed and not to bother.
FCE and FCP capture material from tapes slightly differently than iMovie. While iMovie brings the material from the tape unaltered, FCE/FCP uses Quicktime during capture to pull the audio and video into separate streams with in the resulting file. By having the audio demuxed, the programs are able to edit multiple video streams simultaneously while iMovie is limited on one at a time. The video quality is not altered in this demuxing process.
If you choose to shoot with a tapeless camera and edit the material in FCE or FCP, FCP has a wider range of formats that can be handled by the program, but in no way will it deal with them all. Many still need to be converted into an edit friendly format before you bring them into the program.
x

Problems Opening iMovie Project in Final Cut Pro

We created a 12 minute Video in iMovie for a client last year (basically starting Video editing as an experiment). However because they now want a multilingual DVD version we've decided to take the plunge and invest in FC Studio, thinking it will be able to open the project and allow us to add the additional audio tracks.
However, on opening the iMovie project in FCP, a lot of the clips along the timeline are missing, and the few clips that have transferred successfully seem to have spread themselves over 5 or 6 hours with huge gaps between them.
Are we doing something wrong? Final Cut Express seems to have a seamless upgrade path, does Final Cut Pro not have this ?
We don't really want to remake the whole video in FCP if there is a way of just importing the iMovie project.
iMac 20" G5 Mac OS X (10.4.8) Using latest FCP and iMovie

Thanks everyone for your help.
I've just finished the project. As Steve mentioned I didn't actually need to add the audio tracks in FCP, in fact after adding them to Sound Track Pro and adjusting the volume I then realised they needed to be exported from there and added as separate tracks to DVD Pro. (everything has a timeline)
I used FCP to superimpose a new sequence and a logo to the top corner, I'm getting more comfortable with the programs now.
I think I've got my head around what application does what now, and have established a better work flow.
Once again thanks for your help.
PS. I get the feeling FCP is a slightly older program than iMovie or any of the other applications. The lack of live scrolling and audio wave forms (in the timeline) gives me that impression. But the whole FC studio an amazing piece of software, don't think I'll ever look back.

Can I open an imovie project in Final cut pro?

I have an imovie project that I want to open in final cut pro. It doesnt seem to want to let me. Any clues?

Hi mattyme,
It sounds like this thread might be answered, but I thought I'd offer a successful test case as my two cents. I just opened an iMovie project that one of our clients dropped off in FCP 5.1.4.
As Da Nam mentioned, open FCP, choose File > Open, navigate to the iMovie Project file and open it. It should ask you to save the new FCP Project file, and perform the rest of the functions for you automatically. (as it just did for me; project, clips and all)
Hopefully this offers a little reassurance.
Regards,
-James-

Can I Transfer iMovie files to Final Cut Express HD?

I have just upgraded from iMovie to Final Cut Express HD.... I had captured 15 hours of world travel movies in iMovie and realized I needed a more powerful application to do the travel movies justice. But I am wondering if I can use the raw material that I imported or.... YUCK>... if I will have to re-capture the files in Final Cut. Can anyone let me know a solution that saves time?
Thanks

posted many moons ago.
apologies for naff formatting (reposted from an old blog post on an old website). Piero, do you fancy taking this on and hosting it? Improving it? I'm still out of the video editing world so I'm not really interested in reviving any of my old stuff yet.
File below is hosted on my mac so if the link is down, try again later.
This is only any good for DV stuff. No HDV stuff
=======OLD POST 1=========================
OK, here's what I'd do based on what I've tried so far in getting iMovie
.dv files into FCE and avoiding having to render.
Open your iMovie .dv file in Quicktime Pro.
Extract the audio track
Export the audio track as a Quicktime Movie, Linear PCM format, Channels Stereo (L R), 48kHz, 16bit sample size
Delete the audio track from the .dv file
Open the exported audio file, select all and copy.
Select All in the .dv file
Add the exported Audio file using Add to Movie
Export/Save As the .dv file as a self contained Quicktime Movie
Use this movie in FCE
The benefit of this approach as opposed to exporting .dv file in one go is
that the only thing that is truely exported, etc is the Audio track which is
relatively quick. The video track is left unchanged so there is no loss in
quality.
The resultant file never has to be rendered in FCE.
==========OLD POST 2====================
Download: i5m_iMovie2FCE v0.9
It's an Applescript droplet that you can drag the iMovie DV stream media files onto and it'll run away and convert them. There's also a standalone version of the script if you want to run it from the script menu on individual files, etc. It's a 0.9 release since for ease of development in Applescript it doesn't include any error handling, etc. Also I've just realised it assumes 16 bit audio.
============================
// Permanently broken mac // Mac OS X (10.4.9)

IMovie transfer to Final Cut Pro?

I'm using iMovie....can I transfer what I have created to Final Cut Pro?

There is no size limitation. When you import an iMovie project titles, transitions, effects and other elements do not transfer. If you export a master file from iMovie you can most likely bring it over without problem.

IMovie captures fine, Final Cut cannot detect firewire?!

Hi,
I am running the latest Mac OSX 10.4. My iMovie is able to capture fine from my Sony Z1, but when using Final Cut Pro 5, it will not even detect the camera is there.
I have updated to Final Cut Studio 2, and still have the same problem. Any ideas?
Thanks in advance,
Mike

check this:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1167935&tstart=25
so many having problems with HDV and Z1, in recent times 1 thread out of 8or 10 is about HDV related issues. Use the search forum for more info.
You may need to capture with iMovie, convert the m2t stream (MPEG streamclip) in an editable format and then use FCP.
gig

. iMovie '11 to Final Cut X

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