Imovie File Storage

I had to capture HD footage using imove HD on my mac workbook pro. now I want to edit this content using Final Cut pro. does imovie store its clips like FCP does and I need to find this folder or does it have some other form of majic and I need to convert the 1hr of HD footage into a super huge 30GB file??? ok thanks??

Gregg's Mac wrote:
.. does imovie continue to reference the original file for future use or could the original file be deleted with no consequence? ..
iM does import any files 'physically' into its own Library, no 'ref links' ..
I'm a bit shy about deleting original files.. for two reasons:
does the original use a different codec than iMovie? e.g. the modern AVCHD-codec from some HDDcamcorders gets converted by iM08 .. probably you're allowed in the future to edit 'directly' AVCHD.. but, if your originals are allready 'iM08 compatible' no need to think abut that...
and: backups, backups, backups.. the 'original' is a copy of your Event.. if you erase it, you have to backup the Libary..

Similar Messages

IMovie File Storage Recommendations

In short:
I want to keep all my clip material
And I want to be able to edit it again at a future date
But iMovie Help and tutorials doesn't explain the best way to manage the huge amount of digital file size this entails.
I am new to DV. I just converted my first old 2 hr analog tape through my DV camcorder into an iMovie project. Then I cut it down and burned an iDVD.
Now I've got this iMovie file taking up most of my available hard drive space (26MB) and I'm realizing there is no way I'm going to be able to convert a half dozen analog tapes and store them on the drive. I tried to export the iMovie file to an archive disk and it said it is too big.
I want to save all the original clip material in case I want to edit or use it much later on.
So the question is: how do people normally save and store all their iMovie clip material since after making a few hours of movies since the native file size is clearly way too big for a hard drive? Should I be saving it back on to my DV camcorder digital tapes? Or should/can I save segmented DVD archives (I couldn't see how to do that)? Are there different file formats I should consider? What is the most convenient and reasonable cost way to manage all the clip material?
thx
ed

Exporting the project to tape is a good backup solution. That helps get rid of unwanted material too. Only the content of the Timeline is exported to tape. It helps you "purge" stuff you don't want.
The trouble is, when you want to use it someday the clips are not particularly accessible. You have to watch the tape to find the part(s) you want to re-import.
To eliminate that hassle many buy a large external hard drive and store projects there. Each hour of imported video is about 13GB, so a single large drive may be sufficient.
(Note that with important video, it's never a good idea to rely on just one copy. Hard disks fail, as do tapes. So exporting a project to tape is a good idea too.)
So importing the video, doing a rough edit, exporting the Timeline to tape, then re-importing can help get rid of unwanted stuff.
Remember, iMovie is a non-destructive editor, which means that all the video of each imported clip is preserved. Splitting a clip, then discarding the excess and emptying the iMovie Trash does NOT remove the discarded video from your hard drive.
Normally, when we import video we tell iMovie to split the video at the scene breaks. But when importing analog material — which contains no scene breaks — all the video arrives as a single clip. Then, NONE of that clip is ever discarded, which means no disk space is recovered by emptying the iMovie Trash.
So when importing analogue material it's a good idea to set iMovie preferences to limit the size of clips to 3 minutes or something. Then you can discard an entire three minute clip and empty the iMovie Trash, which recovers that disk space.
Whatever method you choose, be sure to do a test run of the entire capture/export/re-import/edit process so you discover early any pitfalls.
Karl

Advice needed for network storage for iMovie files

Hi
I'm after some advice as to what a good solution for a school is to store iMovie files. I don't have a lot of Mac experience, however do manage the schools PC network and have a pretty good understanding of the general issues.
The schools media suite has 7 Macs (3 reasonable G5's). Because some units are better than others they don't want to assign students to certains PCs (which could allow them to work with files locally).
To date they have been storing all the iMovie files on a old G4 server, however this is running out of space and we want to provide a longer term solution for them.
When I say storing the "movie files" I mean the whole iMovie project -- the project file and all the audio and video clips. These are all stored on the network so the students can open them from any mac. Which has been working (more or less) ok from the old G4 just the disk space is the big issue.
We have tried using a Lacie Raid NAS device for the movie files but this had problems with the Mac extended character set in file names and wouldn't always open or allow saves to the device.
We have also tried using the Netgear ReadyNAS NV+ (using raid) which supports AFP and OS X and seems to work ok and faster in general than the Lacie device. However playback from the Netgear causes the video/audio playback to stop and start. I'm not sure this is the same stutter issue that has been discussed here since if I copy the iMovie file to the local disk it will play back ok. It appears to an issue of bandwidth. The Macs are all 100Mb, the Netgear is 1Gb, which is connected to a Dlink 1Gb switch.
Mostly the students movies are quite short (3-5min) but the project files have lots of clips and range in size from a few Gig to up to around 8Gb.
I can't figure how an old slow G4 can out perform a new 1Gb NAS Raid device.
They are using iMovie06, would upgrading to 08 help?
Any advice would be most appreciated.
Thanks,
Simon

simondg wrote:
... They are using iMovie06, would upgrading to 08 help?
welcome Simon to the  boards ...
definitely NOT.. iM08 has a very different file management concerning projects.. it offers a Library of ALL (=tons of gigs) imports ever ('Events'), and keeps Projects and Events in different locations; to delocate those makes the use of socalled SymLinks neccessairy...
plus, iM08 has high demands on the grafic-card of a Mac, so read the specs carefully before investing...
iMHD6 is a bit 'iffy' concerning drive's format.. as long as you're using 'MacOsFormatted' drives, easy does it ..
so, why not buying an external, firewire-connected housing for 3-4 standard (=cheap) ATA-drives, each 500GB (=cheap), connect that to goo' ol' reliable G4 and done?

Due to storage shortage I had to transfer my imovies files to an internal HD.

After doing this imovie won't show up any of my projects or any movies. All files are still on the computer so it seems to be a connection problem? How do I connect all the files up again?
To move the files I just opened up 2 finders and dragged the imovie folders into the internal memory.

Hi thanks for your quick reply! I have dragged across all of imovies files that I can find. This included the events library and the project library. Or am I mis-understand what you are saying here?
I'm a mac dummy as not had one for long and it's been a big adjustment!

Burnin a large iMovie file onto multiple DVD's.

I have a large iMovie file on my hardrive. I would like to back it up onto a DVD, but it is too large for a 4.7 Ghz DVD. Is there a way to copy the file onto several disks?
Thanks,
Kevin

Disk storage is cheap. For a modest amount of money, you can easily buy an external hard drive that's several times the capacity of a DVD, so I suggest you simply back up your movie file to an external hard drive.
If that option doesn't appeal to you can probably use iDVD to divide the movie file up into chapters, then burn the chapters to different different DVD discs.

IMovie file too big?

hey guys! thanks for the GREAT help on converting a mpeg file for iMovie use. anyways new question now.
i just looked at the iMovie file im creating now and its 7 something gigabytes!! is that actually how big the converted quicktime movie will turn out to be? or will it be smaller once ive converted it? im just freaking out a little, because i want to distribute this to a few people and if it gets any bigger, itll be stuck in my computer useless! (sorry once again if this is a dumb question, this is my first imovie! how fun!)
thanks,
chris

no dumb question, just dumb answers...
iMovie uses a (mostly) lossless video compressor, called "dv" - same as on miniDV tapes... 1h video = ~13GB of data...
that huge files are needed, because you want in an edit app all 30/25 frames per second to edit, and b) you want the whole beauty of your shots...
but…
that is for edit.
when you playout to tape, the file size stays the same, a miniDV tape has 13GB/h storage...
using iDVD, which is an authoring, encoding and burning app, your huge file gets converted, from dv to mp2 - which is a delivery format (no single frames needed..), looks good, not editable... much smaller: 1h = ~2GB... besides: iDVD cares for length (<120min) of project, not size! an average 2h iM project contains at last 20 - 30GB => will fit on a 4.4Gb DVD!
when you want to use your video in the web, you have many options/other compressors to choose from... click share/Quicktime/expert options... at this point, you get lost as a beginner... anyhow..
you can reduce the resolution (e.g. 160x120), the framerate (e.g.15fps) and for sure the compressor (mp4/sorenson/h264) - and pronto, your file shrunks to some dozend MBs...

"the finder cannot complete the operation because some data in [name of iMovie file] could not be read or written (Error Code 26)

Hi all,
I have an iMovie project in iMovie HD 6.0.3. (Mac OS 10.5.8)
It plays, but I cannot copy the file (including saving it to a flash drive). I get either a message
"the finder cannot complete the operation because some data in [name of
iMovie file] could not be read or written (Error Code 26)" or the
message "A project file is missing. The file [name of the QuickTime
movie inside the project.dv] couldn't be opened and is being skipped."
This happened suddenly, I was able to save a backup version numerous
times while working on the project.
I followed some of Karl Petersen's advise on apple discussions. I opened
the package contents, and everything seems to be there. The source file
(original QuickTime movie) is there and can be opened and played. I
replaced the current project file with the backup in the package
contents, but that did not change anything. I was able to export the
movie timeline into a new project as a single clip, but would like to be
able to copy the current project.
Thanks for any ideas..

Make sure all drives are formatted as "Mac OS Extended". (Journalling preferred, but not necessary).

Can't find imovie file on my hard drive

I have a imovie file on my hard drive that I can't find. I really want to delete it so
that I can free up some room on my hard rive. It's at least 15 gigs big. I tried using the search icon in the upper right hand corner and I tried using the 'find' option under the 'finder' menu, searching for any files over 5 gigs in size. Can anyone help me find this file so I can get rid of it?
[email protected]

An iMovie project is a package, not a file; the actual files inside it are smaller. Use a tool such as WhatSize to locate it.
(23171)

Moving an imovie file from one mac to another

My mac says it's too big to burn the file onto a disk and I don't have a DVD burner. So I've been trying to move the file to my friends mac. I've tried to export the movie and made it a DVD project and burned it as just a normal data file but when i try to open it onto my friends computer there are missing components. Now I've given up i just want the imovie to be on my friends computer.

Welcome to the forums.
The iDVD projects don't transfer because they are not self-contained -- they are drawing information from the iMovie projects. If you Shared/Exported from iMovie to Full-Quality Quicktime, and the resulting file was bigger than 4.5ish gigs, then some options (rather than a data DVD) are:
- connect your two Macs with Firewire or Ethernet and transfer the Quicktime file (I have a small Ethernet network that was very easy to set up).
- use an external hard drive to transport the Quicktime file.
- use Quicktime Pro (or similar) to break up the large Quicktime file into pieces that will fit on a DVD (I think Roxio's Toast 8 automatically splits files across multiple media).
The Quicktime file will be smaller (perhaps dramatically smaller) than the iMovie files, and it will be self-contained. Perhaps do a search in the forum and see if there are some other ideas for transferring video files/iMovie projects between computers.
John

Can I use one 2tb external hard drive for time capsule and file storage?

I would like to use time capsule, but also keep the hard drive on my desktop for file storage. Can I do this?

Apple advises against doing that.
Any data stored on the disk that Time Machine is backing up to can not be backed up.
Plus the data outside of the Time Machine backup database cause problems when Time Machine starts cleaned up old backups to recover space for new backups.
For these reason it is advised that the Time Capsule disk be used for one or the other but not both.
Allan

.tdm file storage vi's slow editing vi's

I am developing software using Labview 8.5 and have recently added some file storage vi's for the .tdm format for use in DIAdem 10.2. Upon using the open storage, set file properties, write channel group, write channel, and close storage vi's, the editing has become extremely slow - for any operation I try to perform there is a 10-15seconds delay before it occurs. If I remove the .tdm vi's from my diagram then the editing goes back to normal and changes/operations occur almost instantaneously as expected. My project is not large as far as I am concerned (Front panel - 121k, block diagram=1538k, code=0.2k, data=957k, total=2617k, total vi size on disk=389k)
I saw a similar post to the .tdm storage vi's causing this to occur back in 2005 and was supposed to have been on the fix list but it does not appear that it has 3 years later. I am sure many others are using these vi's so not sure what I may have done differently to cause the editing to slow down so much.
Anyone with ideas and fix would be greatly appreciated as I cannot afford to sit around 10-15 seconds for every step of my developement.

Yes, sometimes Storage VIs are slow. But They are Express VIs, supplying the easy configuration for users. If you feel they are too slow, I suggest that you can use TDMS files instead.

My home network has an Airport Extreme w/Time Capsule as the base and then an Airport Express and a second Airport Extreme to reach different areas of the house. Is there a way to use the second Airport Extreme for file storage on this network?

My home network has an Airport Extreme w/Time Capsule as the base and then an Airport Express and a second Airport Extreme to reach different areas of the house. Is there a way to use the second Airport Extreme for file storage on this network? Network is administered through an iMac running OS X Yosemite 10.10.2. Ideally, would like for the second Airport Extreme hard drive to appear on the list of devices in the Finder window.

Ok.. gottcha
The problem is network wise.. Yosemite is about equal to tin cans and string.. pathetic.
Here is my usual set of instructions to get anything working on Yosemite.
The best way to fix problems is a full factory reset of all the AE in the network.
Factory reset universal
Power off the AE.. ie pull the power cord or power off at the wall.. wait 10sec.. hold in the reset button.. be gentle.. power on again still holding in reset.. and keep holding it in for another 10sec. You may need some help as it is hard to both hold in reset and apply power. It will show success by rapidly blinking the front led. Release the reset.. and wait a couple of min for the AE to reset and come back with factory settings. If the front LED doesn’t blink rapidly you missed it and simply try again. The reset is fairly fragile in these.. press it so you feel it just click and no more.. I have seen people bend the lever or even break it. I use a toothpick as tool.
Then redo the setup from the computer with Yosemite.
1. Use very short names.. NOT APPLE RECOMMENDED names. No spaces and pure alphanumerics.
eg AEgen5 and AEwifi for basestation and wireless respectively.
Even better if the issue is more wireless use AE24ghz and AE5ghz with fixed channels as this also seems to help stop the nonsense.
2. Use all passwords that also comply but can be a bit longer. ie 8-20 characters mixed case and numbers.. no non-alphanumerics.
3. Ensure the AE always takes the same IP address.. this is not a problem for AE which is router.. it is a problem for AE which is bridged.. you will need to set static IP in the main router by dhcp reservations or use static IP in the AE which is tricky.
4. Check your share name on the computer is not changing.. make sure it also complies with the above.. short no spaces and pure alphanumeric..
5. Make sure IPv6 is set to link-local only in the computer. For example wireless open the network preferences, wireless and advanced / TCP/IP.. and fix the IPv6. to link-local only.
6. Now mount the disk of the second AE in finder... manually.
Use Go, Connect to Server and type in the AE ip address.
SMB://10.0.1.2
Where you will replace that address with the actual address. The network resource should be discovered and then it will request the password.. type that in and make sure you tick to save it in your keychain.
There is a lot more jiggery pokery you can try but the above is a good start.. if you find it still unreliable.. don't be surprised.
Do as much as you want of the above... not all of it is necessary.. only if you want it reliable.. or as reliable as Yosemite in its current incarnation can manage.
The most important thing is point 6.. mount the disk using direct IP address and not names.. dns in Yosemite is fatally flawed.
See http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/01/why-dns-in-os-x-10-10-is-broken-and-what-yo u-can-do-to-fix-it/

Viewing iMovie file with Windows Media Player

Is it possible to convert an iMovie file to allow viewing on a PC with Windows Media Player? Unable to use Quicktime on the PC due to unique reason while on mission.

RobbieSnr wrote:
AppleMan1958 wrote:
You will need [Flip4Mac|http://www.telestream.net/flip4mac-wmv/overview.htm]
I have a similar problem, which is that I want a Windows user to be able to view my iMovie file using Windows Media Player. I have Flip4Mac on my Mac but isn't that for converting the other way around - for viewing a Windows Media Player file on a Mac?
Sorry, I see that there is a Studio version that allows conversion to wmv - I only had the free basic version for Flip4Mac - should have looked more closely at the website!

How do i find iMovie file i moved to external hard drive

okay, i'm obviously ********. I moved all of my imovie files to an external hard drive and i can't seem to find them all to move to the main hard drive and be there when i open iMovie. I have to have the external on to see them but I think this may be why i'm having weird issues with the sounds in my project.
is there specific imovie files i need to put back?

in case i wasn't clear. i moved all of my files to external hard drive to reformat the drive. i thought i moved everything back to the main drive but i still have to have the external drive on to work on my project. i am unable to adjust volumes of sound files in my imovie project.

If i save my imovie file to my external hard drive, will i be compromising anything if I plug in my external hard drive into a friends computer (not a mac)

Hello All,
I am in serious need of some help at the current moment. I have a very large imovie file that does not fit onto my usb. I was wondering if I saved it to my external hard drive as a quicktime file and then plug it into my friends computer (which isnt a mac) would I be compromising the data already on my external hard drive?

Within the project library of iMovie you should see your external drive listed along with the projects stored on your mac. To copy a project you simply drag the project from its current position to your external drive. You will then get the option of copying just the project or project and events. As Bengt rightly states you should copy both project and Events. If you hold down the alt key as you drag the project you will get the option of moving rather than copying. I would NOT recommend doing this in case there are problems during the copying/moving process (I don't find iMovie to be the most stable of apps) and you might find the original project has been deleted without properly copying it across. Better to copy to the external drive, check it works ok and then delete original.
Hope this helps.
Russ

Imovie File Storage

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