IMovie and FCE

Does anyone know where I can find good tutorials on creating a photo montage with both iMovie and Final Cut Express. iMovie's interface is easier for me to use but I don't think it can support the LiveType features that are available with FCE. If someone knows if it is possible to create LiveType Animations and overlay them on images in iMovie that would be the ideal situation.

MikeMiller991 wrote:
... if it is possible to create LiveType Animations and overlay them on images in iMovie that would be the ideal situation.
.. hmmm.. somehow , in a very time-consuming way this is possible, but the much more convenient way is:
• create your show in iM09
• 'Export with Quicktime', choose 'AppleIntermediate' as format ..
• open this file in FC/e, or in LT and add your title-effects ..
and Welcome, MikeMiller991, to the  iMovie boards

Similar Messages

Solution when iMovie or FCE will not import AVCHD files or MTS files

Problem: iMovie or FCE will not import your footage from SDHC camera with files in AVCHD structure, or cannot import .mts or .m2ht files (which you may have copied from AVCHD structure. When mounting camera, you can see the camera as disk but iMovie will not try to import footage. If you point Final Cut Express (FCE) to the file structure, it fails to recognize it as a valid file structure. (I have Canon HF10, but understand that this problem is common on many camera models, maybe camera has been turned off at the wrong moment?)
Cause: Faulty file structure on camera or disk
Soultion: Rebuild AVCHD file structure using an AVCHD editing tool. I found multiAVCHD (multiavchd.deanbg.com), which is not perfect, but will do the job. And it is freeware (possible to donate).
I would like comments about others experience - but at least this worked for me:
- Download and install the software (Yes, you need Windows)
- Set the right parameters: mostly default, I didn´t want any recoding. But tick off to keep the source files!
- Select the AVCHD source (or source .mts or m2ts files) and destination
- Start rebuilding: select output for Sony Playstation 3
- Put the AVCHD file structure on a USB stick
*If using iMovie:*
Start iMovie and plug the USB into the mac (virtual disk (.dmg file) or other media should work fine as well). The USB may contain other files as well, but the root of AVCHD must be named AVCHD.
iMovie recognizes the drive as a camera. All is not 100% well, as the dates for making the footage is lost, and the thumbnails are distorted if seen at all, until clicked on. But then import worked for most clips. Some clips gave an error message, but FCE was able to import these (Log&transfer).
*If using FCE:* Use Log and transfer on this file structure (need not be on external disk)
If you have a better solution - please share! I suppose there are other tools out there which may correct the file structure with less side effects and no errors.
If you go for this solution - remember the author of multiAVCHD, he will surely appreciate a donation. I guess everybody will agree that this is worth at least as much as you paid for your SDHC card.
Why a function to correct faulty file structure is not included in iMovie and FCE is beyond my understanding!
I notice many users salvage their footage by converting the .MTS files, using Handbrake etc. But I believe rebuilding the file structure is faster and with no quality reduction.

Hi everyone,
I'm hoping someone is still subscribed to this and can help.
I have a Sony HDR-SR10. Yesterday I was able to connect it to my iMac by USB and view all the footage in the import window of iMovie (08).
Last night, to save time sorting at home, I took it to work with me and using the software that came with the camera installed on a Windows PC went through to see which files were rubbish and could be deleted before importing to speed up the transfer on to my mac.
Today, my Mac won't recognise the Camera!?!?!?!
Have I inadvertently reformatted the .MTS files or the camera itself, to windows or something? CanI change it back??
I'm currently creating a new disk image of the camera on my Mac in the vain hope that it will work and be recognised by the Mac as a camera. I can see from the progress box the following text:
Creating Image "Sony Camcorder Media.dmg"
=====Progress Bar=====
Reading (WindowsFAT32 :1)...
Which is why I think I've done something seriously wrong!! .. because it mentions windows!
HELP! HELP! HELP!
I have my entire honeymoon and the first year of my son on this camera and I want to edit with iMovie! Especially as I just paid for iLife 09 upgrade!

Capturing in iMovie vs FCE

Hello all,
I have just returned from vacation with a little over two hours of film and as I wait for FCE to arrive, I am wondering exactly what the difference is between capturing this footage with iMovie and FCE because I could just capture it now and then edit in a few days with Final Cut. I know that there is another post about this recently, but I don't really know enough about timecodes etc. that are involved in the explanation. Any enlightenment would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

In Anthony thread "Backing up unedited family video: Should I capture using FCE or iMovie?" I explain my ideas about capturing in iMovie vs FCE. See:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=2950085#2950085
In that post I suggest that capturing in iMovie might be a possibility in some specific cases where recovering unused media files is important. However, there are two major assumptions when working in FCE:
- you do not need timecode
- you accept to render audio of all imported clips from iMovie
Timecode
It is a counter in the format like 00:01:00:12 (here meaning 0 hours 1 min. 0 seconds and 12 frames) that is recorded by the camcorder while shooting video and audio.
This is not saved by iMovie into the .dv files it creates during capturing; instead it is saved by FCE/P into the QT movie during capturing.
FCE makes use of it to reconnect media and capture project, even though it does NOT display it in its interface.
(Note: what is called "timecode" in the timeline, viewer, and canvas windows has the same format but refers to the beginning of the clip or of the sequence, NOT to the original timecode recorded by the camcorder)
Audio rendering.
The .dv format recorded by iMovie during capturing is not a native format for FCE. FCE can import it as I think most video/audio format, but it has to convert it by rendering.
This isn't a major issue in my opinion (others may disagree...) if: a. you don't mind waiting for audio rendering the first time you import from iMovie; and b. you use the following steps to prevent from rendering more times:
- import the clips from iMovie to the browser
- drag the clips to the timeline (all of them get a render red bar for audio)
- render all (opt-R) (the only time you do it because of the iMovie import...)
- drag back the rendered clips to the browser
- delete the original imported clips
Now in the browser you have clips ready for editing that do not require more audio rendering than any other clip directly captured by FCE.
I hope this answers your question
Piero

Capturing with iMovie and importing into fce 4

Hi, everytime I try to capture mini dv footage from my Panasonic camcorder using final cut express, the transfer/capture crashes.
However, capturing using iMovie 08 gives me no problems at all.
Before I spend more time looking into the errors, if I capture using iMovie 08 and then import that into fce 4, am I losing any audio / video quality? I read somewhere that iMovie works off raw dv files - is this what would get imported into fce?
Note: I would import the iMovie project into fce and not be exporting first from iMovie and then importing into fce.
thanks

My video is on mini-DV. The camera I used to record was a panasonic ag-dvx100 PAL. I am using DV-PAL easy setup. I am playing back with a panasonic nv-ds30 camcorder (I rented the other one).
I have now managed to get past the dropped frames - that seemed to have been the test tape. I am now using a different tape, the actual tape i used for the footage. Now everytime I capture (using either mark in/out or capture now) the capture stops with a locating timecode and then breaks. I can't seem to capture it all in one go. This scene when I shot it was a single scene so there were no stops/pauses during the recording.
There seemed to be some discussion on this in the thread (http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4183209#4183209) but that was a different camera.
any help would be great.

Canon Compatibility with iMovie and/or FCE

I recently purchased a Canon FS200, flash memory camcorder (standard def) and have some difficulties importing into iMovie (it recognizes and imports some clips but then decides to freeze-can't even force quit iMovie from that point) and FCE does not even recognize the device.
I am within the return period (purchased at Best Buy). Should I get out of this Canon situation altogether? Is there a DV brand that integrates more consistently with Apple?
I have all the updated hardware and software, processing power, and memory that are needed, so that is not the issue. I am just looking for some direction, or confirmation that this thing WILL work, I just need to keep at it.

Good, because I like the functionality of the camera, and the convenience of recording to flash media. I took a look at some possible differences between imported and non-imported files. I found only one thing, it is inconsistent. In my original attempt to import, approx. 8 of my files (clips) imported, and they ranged from 30 seconds to 8 minutes. The ninth one froze up. After a reboot (I had to resort to that) I was only able to import three files before a freeze. The fourth one (the one that had previously registered as imported) now froze. Both "freezing" culprit clips were of average size compared to the rest. I am not sure about audio settings because I do not adjust anything that complex when recording.
THEN, I tried to use FCE to import the same clips. FCE does not even detect my camera.
I did try to unplug all other external devices too. No luck.
I have never installed any drivers for the camera. It seemed to work for a little, before this freezing behavior. Is there typically software needed to simply import to a app like iMovie or FCE? I didn't think so, but really cannot think of another troubleshooting angle.

IMovie 6 FCE - odd error, plan B?

Hello!
Bear with me - i'm an old time pro at iMovie (1, 4, 5, and 6), and have just upgraded to FCE HD. As in, loaded it up 6 hours ago!
So, why did I upgrade? I'm pushing the outer limits of iMovie - particuarly with titles, transitions, small video effects, and other motion - exactly what FCE is better at! I see this is going to be a huge learning curve - and i'll work my way up eventually.
In any case, I have been working on an iMovie - er, rather - half a dozen iMovies, which will eventually be combined and iDVD'd. Basically, I've been taking pictures with my Nikon digital still camera, photoshopping together some silly scenes, and placing them in the video track, complete with narration, SFX/VFX, music, and so on. It's kind of like a video comic book, actually. Each is around 5 minutes. Most are done, but there are a couple of fixes i'd like to make in FCE - particuarly with sheer lack of title options in iMovie (and plethora of them in FCE/Livetype)
Well, my biggest worry is about the problem many seem to be having with iMovie transitions not importing, or screwing up the sync between audio and video. It seems many of the posts (that I saw) were posted in 2005 - before iMovie 6 and FCE 3.5. Has that changed?
Said error is as follows: After trying to import an iMovie project via the import command in FCE, It gave a warning - "File Error: 1 file recognized, 0 access denied, 1 unknown."
Ooookay...
So, plan B - better safe than sorry. Like I mentioned, most of these "movies", more of chapters really, are finished. It's just one or two I'd like to re-work a bit.
Since this is mainly just a hobby, i'm not TOO worried about pristine quailty, just as long as the timing is correct. So, I should probably just export what I have, and re-tool the resulting movies on FCE. Question is, what format should I use? It's a DV project, so I can just export "full quality", however I don't know enough about FCE to know what it's "native formats" are.
Oh - I have also tried to simply open the "Timeline Movie" from the Cache folder in the iMovie project (control-click the package, "Show package contents"), but it siezes up FCE.
In any case, the one critical condition about the movie is the timing - because I don't have a video camera, and the movies are made with stills, the timing between audio and video is pretty critical.
Well, I hope that made sense - I think I need some sleep!
Just in case: I'll repeat the questions:
1. What does that error mean?
2. Are the iMovie > FCE oddities fixed?
3. If not, what's the best format to export my iMovie, to import into FCE without too much quality loss?
4. Is there any special thing I need to do to ensure that the audio and video of the exported movie sync up?
Thanks for helping this newbie!
-Dan
PS: I'm hoping to get a MiniDV camcorder for my birthday in 2 months. (well, i'm asking at least! ) Are there any particular things I should check for in a model to ensure maximum FC compatibility?
15" 1.67 Powerbook G4 (non-HiRes), iMac DV (9.2.2) Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Hi Daniel.
The problem with converting iMovie into FCE is that it is like changing apples into bananas - a tricky task!
As for an export choice I am not absolutely sure without doing a test but I think "Full Quality DV" will be the best. (I have only got iMovie 4 so don't know whether iMovie 6 has different options).
Just test it and see - it will probably take less time than writing a letter!
Ian.

FYI: iMovie and Panasonic HDC-SD5

FYI,
I just purchased the Panasonic HDC-SD5 which supports 1920x1080 or 1080P. I recorded clip with the HG1920 setting (1080P). I then imported the clip into iMovie and added it to a project. When I play the movie everything is oblong. (A circle appears as a oval.) I then recored a clip at 1080i, imported it and everything looks correct.
It appears that iMovie does not currently support 1080P using a AVCHD camcorder.
Does anyone know if Final Cut Express supports 1080P?

You may find some of the information in my other thread useful... http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1131966&tstart=0
I believe the SD5 is 1080i and not 1080p. If you look at the imported file you will most likely notice it is not 1920x1080. It is now 2560x1080. If your record in one of the 1440 modes on the camera you will see the 1440x1080 is imported as 1920x1080 and therefore everything does not look stretched. I have not been able to determine if it is a bug of Apple or Panasonic.
I assume you will see the same thing with FCE since I do see the same behavior with Final Cut Pro.
You are correct that currently the 1080i SD5 is not supported. I would assume that it will be added to the support list soon. At least that is my hope.
For now I have been playing with the 1920x1080 mode and editing with the stretched imports. Then I just share using Quicktime and change the size to 1920x1080. It seems to be working well. The picture quality is still very nice.
Hope that info helps.

Imovie and final cut

hi
i have i movie hd, and final cut express2. i have not been able to find a way to capture in final cut, but is it possible to capture in imovie, compress it to a quicktime file through "share" in the file menu, then edit it in final cut?

Yes, it is.
But you must be careful about some points:
- this approach has 2 disadvantages: 1st you lose the timecodes (FCE does record them, iMovie does not); 2nd you have to render audio in FCE, because FCE file format is different from iMovie exported files.
Either or both points may be relevant or not to you, depending on your editing style and project requirements.
- from iMovie you must export to QuickTime Full Quality, and NOT compress the movie, to avoid quality losses.
I suggest you to read this thread about: Capturing in iMovie vs FCE
Then: why are not able to capture in FCE: missing instructions, or errors of some kind ? This is the best way to go, if you can make it work.
Piero

Exporting DV/HD files from iMovie to FCE-different sizes in canvas?

Hi!
Desperately need your help. I have a problem with moving my files from iMovie to FCE to edit. Pre cut in iMovie from both DV and HD files (canon 5D) and moving the project to FCE through XML. When in FCE the files line up with different sizes, the old DV files small, 1/3 of the canvas, the HD files perfect.
Are there any settings which can be changed to fix this?
Another problem I have is when exporting to QT the quality simply is not the same as when I export from iMovie and play on 50" plasma. Why? I have tried all options available.
Hope someone out there has some experience and advise.
Kind regards
Olafur

When in FCE the files line up with different sizes, the old DV files small, 1/3 of the canvas, the HD files perfect.
I assume your Sequence settings are for HD which would be why the SD files are so small in comparison.
-DH

Slide Shows With iPhoto And FCE

I have made slideshows with both these programs and of course iPhoto gives stunning quality.
However, as far as I can see, the iPhoto slideshow can only be played via a computer - which can be a problem when you visit somebody and your computer is a back-breaking eMac!
Is there any easy way of importing such a slideshow (complete with effects etc.) into FCE or iDVD?
I am fairly sure that the brilliant sharpness etc. will drop to standard DV/DVD quality if that is done?
Ian.

Hi Ian,
iDVD will do this. Basically you create an album in iPhoto, then open iDVD and import the album (Media pane > Photos, then drag the album to the DVD menu). You can change the sequence, add, delete images, change buttons, etc. (I think you can only apply one transition type, though, for the entire slide show.) You can also add an audio track and have iDVD adjust the slideshow timing to automatically fit the length of the audio.
I suppose you would have to call it DV/DVD quality however I've done this and the results look great, at least for the intended audiences/purposes.
With regard to varying the effects/transitions between slides, we had to use iMovie or FCE to do that.

Are FCP and FCE user interfaces the same?

I was recently talking to a pro videographer and complaining that I miss the old iMovie, it was so easy and intutive to use, Final Cut Express confuses me, etc. He said that I should try Final Cut Pro because the user interface is better than FCE. Is this true? I thought that FCP and FCE have the same user interface?
I just edit HDV videos for my business or personal videos. I don't do anything "pro." I just want a video editor that's easy, intuitive, and fast to use. I don't edit videos often so I don't want to spend an hour reading the manual every time I edit a 3-minute video, i.e., use FCE. iMovie drives me up the wall.

Thomas Kehoe wrote:
He said that I should try Final Cut Pro because the user interface is better than FCE. Is this true? I thought that FCP and FCE have the same user interface?
No. Just download the trial version and see for your self

Want to upgrade from iMovie to FCE. What will be the difference?

I am currently working through hours of DV footage from my camcorder using my Macbook and iMovie. Although I have been pleased with the results I know now that I want to upgrade to both a better computer and to Final Cut Express. I have also been considering going the full way to Final Cut 2 but as this is a lot more money I am wondering whether the upgrade to FCE will be enough. What extra do you get with FCE over iMovie and what more will it allow me to do. I have been pretty amazed at how good iMovie is at a consumer level so would expect FCE to allow me to be even more creative but am not sure exactly how. Is the upgrade enough or would FC2 be a better option. I will not be needing to make broadcast or professional productions, just do a good job at a serious amateur level. I do not need to use a lot of effects but I do want to be able to add good soundtracks and transitions. The audio is an important part of my movies.
thanks

Brilliant..just what I wanted. Thanks. Looks like I will need to read up on some of the terminology to get a good idea of what each feature before buying but thats a great table.

Is a switch from imovie to FCE HD with 10.3.9 OK? Or do I need Tiger?

OK, finally looking to switch from imovie to FCE, but have reviewed many posts regarding compatibility with Panther vs. Tiger, and I've been through the QT7 upgrade mistake with 10.3.9, and then went back to QT 6.5.2 (this is my first post, as most other imovie problems I have been able to resolve after checking the imovie posts - such as the QT7 issue and purchased iTunes songs not uploading unless burned to a CD first, etc., etc....).
The FCE 3.5 requirements recommend 10.4.6+ and QT 7.0.4+, but it looks like many FCE users are still with 10.3.9, but maybe they're not using FCE 3.5. Should I try and find an earlier version of FCE and stick with 10.3.9? Any other recommendations or upgrade suggestions based on my current configuration for a "smooth" (not "jaggy" or "jumpy") transition from imovie?

Ideally if you do serious, processor intensive work, such as video editing, music production or photo-manipulation, you should have a dedicated computer that nobody else touches - especially kids!
Machines are like animals and wives - they should have only one master!
I realise that last statement is not considered PC but as we are on a Mac forum, anything that is not PC should be OK.
Anyway, I'm the master in my own house, when my wife lets me.
Your machine may benefit from a little spring-cleaning. Open Disk-Utility and "Repair Permissions" on your boot HD and "Repair" all the others.
Also run the Cron scripts with a free utility like MacJanitor:-
http://personalpages.tds.net/~brian_hill/macjanitor.html
Actually, you haven't said why you want to move from iMovie. Is there something you need to do that iMovie cannot?
Ian.

Opening an iMovie in FCE

IMovie captured from the camcorder. I used all the event files to build the project in iMovie, assigned the name "George," and quit iMovie. In FCE, I clicked Cmd-O > Home > Movies > iMovie Projects > George > Choose. The system returned "Wrong File Type." How come?

You cannot open this version of iMovie file in FCE. You have to export an XML file from iMovie and import that into FCE. It only moves limited sequences, no effects, titles, iTune music.

Problems importing into iMovie and which is the required space..

Hi Karsten!
I could see that you know about video editing. And I have some problems and doubts I would like to ask.
The thing is that I have just bougth an ibook of 80 Gb hard disk RAM 512 MB Speed 1.67 GHz and I am trying to edit a documentary with it. The thing is that I started to importing images from a HDV 1080i Sony Camcorder into iMovie and the speed wasnt in real time, was slowing down to half of the original speed. I went to visit the help of iMovie it was saying when it happens is due to the desfragmentation of the disk, but I dont know if it is the real problem, it is a new computer, and how I can solve it.
And I also would like to know if I could have better results in the video importing and editing with an external hard driver other wise I could add more ram and more memory for the hard disk in the computer...
And the last thing, I would like to know how much space would I need in my computer for install and using Final Cut Pro and if it would be easy with more memory or an external hard drive...
Please Karsten or whoever who can have knowledge about these matter could help me. I really need it so much to start with my docu...
Thank you
Mac OS X (10.4) 80 Gb hard disk RAM 512 MB Velocidad 1.67 GHz

"..which is the difference between FCP and FCE?.."
FCE is Final Cut Express, a cheaper and 'cut-down' version of FCP (Final Cut Pro).
FCE changes HDV (hi-definition) video into a slightly different format called 'Apple Intermediate Codec' when it's importing HDV material - just like iMovie HD does. This means that importing is generally slower than importing ordinary DV, because the movie has to be converted while it's importing. On a G4 PowerBook or iBook HDV might import at half-speed, or take even longer (..maybe 4x 'real time'), as you've found.
The latest version of FCP can import HDV, and edit it, without any conversion, Apple says. But I don't know if that applies on any Mac, or if that needs a special capture card to be fitted into a PowerMac. In theory, I'd expect that importing and editing HDV using FCP HD 5 (..the latest version..) would be faster than on a PowerBook - because there's no conversion involved - but I can't say for certain till I receive my latest version of FCP (..I just did an Apple "cross-grade" to convert my FCP HD 4.5 into FCP HD 5).
HDV doesn't take up any more room on a tape than normal DV, because the high-definition is 'squashed' onto the tape, using MPEG-2 compression. Because iMovie HD and FCE HD can't handle this kind of compressed material directly, they convert it into the Apple Intermediate Codec, and that form of the video takes up more storage on a hard disc than the normal DV does!
So although normal DV uses about 13 gigabytes of hard disc space per hour of running time, the converted HDV (..converted into 'AIC'..) takes up, er ..I'm looking for a recent project ..most are on an external disc ..are here's a simple one: one-and-a-quarter minutes' worth uses 904 megabytes; nearly 1 gigabyte! ..Here's another: four-and-a-half minutes' worth takes up 6.5 gigabytes!
Using normal DV, 6.5 gigabytes would hold half an hour's worth of video, not 4.5 minutes' worth!
So you will need a big external hard disc to store hi-def footage. At least, with iMovie HD or FCE HD.
I don't know if FCP HD 5 would store imported footage in the original HDV format, that is with the same storage requirements of ordinary DV - like HDV tapes. If so, that means that you could store hi-def (..if you're using FCP HD 5..) in just the same amount of space as normal DV ..but I don't know for sure. Maybe you could ask in the FCP Discussions. I probably can't tell you till next week or so..
Where to get a 300gb hard disc? I'm sure there must be at least one shop, or electronics store, in Istanbul which sells them at reasonable prices. Otherwise, look online. There are many companies which now sell 300gb discs: Maxtor and LaCie, for example. But you do need one with a FireWire connection; not just USB. You don't need to buy from an Apple store: buy one from any computer shop ..an external hard disc for a PC works exactly the same ..but you must format it for use with a Mac, as described before.
All I know of Istanbul is Cumhuriyet Caddesi, Taksim Square, and the areas around what used to be the floating bridge, and the Spice Market, and round Haigha Sophia, but there must be lots of computer shops somewhere in the city.
"..I have never used iMovie for editing, I understood it is only good for capturing, sample and concise.." and it's also good for transitions, titles, adding photos and audio, adding video effects and for audio tweaking. And it integrates perfectly with iPhoto, iDVD, GarageBand ..and now 'iWeb'.

IMovie and FCE

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