Importing from Imovie 08 to FCE 4 - problems

Hi
Why cant I import projects from Imovie 08 into FCE 4. According to the manuel it should be possible. All I get is a "File error, wrong type" ????
The manuel:
To open an iMovie project:
1 In Final Cut Express, choose File > Open.
2 In the dialog that appears, select the iMovie project you want to open.
The iMovie project opens in the Browser and contains the sequence and the clips as
they appeared in the iMovie Clips pane.
Important: Final Cut Express does not import iMovie sound effects, audio levels, or
transitions. All other applied effects are imported.
3 Double-click the sequence to open the iMovie project in the Timeline.
4 Render the sequence.

Look at FCE tutorial page:
http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress/tutorials/
Michel Boissonneault

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Importing from iMovie 09

I have iMovie 09 and I just bought Final Cut Express. I created a simple movie in iMovie 09. I exported it as Final Cut XML. I imported the file in Final Cut Express. All as described in the Final Cut Express video tutorial.
However, I just get a "Media Offline" message... the import doesn't seem to work. I have tried this multiple times.
I have tried reconnecting the files, but it doesn't seem to let me select the right file...
Very confused... Is there anything I can do to get this working? (Preferably without having to attempt to reconnect the files)
Thanks!

Thanks Tom.
In the video tutorial it appears as if you do not need to reconnect the files. I assumed that this would only be necessary if the files had been moved, but I didn't move them. I thought that the XML files would include directions to where the video clips are stored. Do you have to manually point to the files every time that you import from iMovie?
My iMovie project is a screen recording. It consists of several .mov files. I have tried removing all the titles / fades / transitions but it still cannot see the video clips when I import them to FCE.
The movie's about 8 minutes long. It's in widescreen. I haven't changed any settings.

Importing from iMovie to FC Express

I have attepted to import AVCHD files from my Canon XA20 Camcorder to FC Express with no success. I then attepted to import the same files into iMovie with success.
I have 2 questions.
1. How can I import AVCHD files direct int FC Express.
2. To import from iMovie to FC Express I cannot find where iMovie video file are on the system. In FCE you can nominate a drive for the files to be put.

That is PAL 25 fps?
The data rate should be fine.
AVCHD is possible to ingest directly to FCE.
Make sure you set the comatching Easy Setup BEFORE trying to capture.
Use Log and transfer over USB cable.
Al

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

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.

What are highest quality export settings from iMovie to FCE 4.0?

I am using iMovie '08 to create Ken Burns effect movies from iPhoto photos to import into FCE. I want the least amount of loss from iMovie to FCE.
What are the highest quality settings for exporting from iMovie to FCE.
I do not care about size of file etc. Highest quality is all that matters to me.
Cheers,
Chuck

Well here are the facts.
My original question rephrased: "I want to know what are the settings to export Ken Burns created movies (therefore using photos) from iMovie (in this case iMovie '08) with the least loss and regardless of file size for importation into Final Cut Express".
I went to the local Apple store and some of the users (employees) of Final Cut Pro mentioned appropriately they thought .DV would be the best. However when we played some created videos they looked horrible when compared to .MOV with H.264. This just did not make sense, but we went by what we were seeing. Not being able to think with this I did more research and found this article which explained why .DV lookes like pooh pooh compared to H.264 video.
The article http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93002 explains a setting in Quicktime preferences that if not selected some videos appear pixelated.
So, when this preference in Quicktime is selected (never thought to try playing on VLC) the .DV movies look better than those using H.264. So with this resolved then my trial and error testing was realistic. That is I could try different export settings and see which ones looked better to determine the best export setting.
I tried what I thought was everything as far as "Export using Quicktime..." settings. Then I read in "iMovie '08 & iDVD: The Missing Manuals" under "The Video Codecs: A Catalog" an explanation of every type of compression when using the settings under "Movie to QuickTime Movie". Finally someone wrote more data on the codecs. I never found such explanation on the apple website (discussions etc). I really got tired of reading how H.264 is the better than sliced bread "greatest quality for the file size" which I think is true but did nothing to answer my original question. The book then mentioned the option "none". I was like I don't remember this option for "Compression Type". (BTW this all applies to iPhoto '08, Final Cut Express 4, and QuickTime Pro). So I tried "None".
Wow! Zero pixelation! Vivid colors! So I created three videos. One using H.264, DV/DVCPRO - NTSC and None (I had already tried many others but for this last experiment just these three). I also maxed out the Quality for each compressor. Results:
- H.264 colors looked a little faded from the original photos and minor minor fuzziness, file size about 6 MB
- DV/DVCPRO - NTSC colors a little more vivid and less fuzziness, file size about 60 MB
- None...Bam! absolutely photo quality resolution and color, file size about 600 MB. I didn't care about the size.
So, bingo "None" as as the compressor settings in Quicktime to export iMovie '08 Ken Burns effect slide shows for importation into Final Cut Express (FCE) with minimal loss and who cares about the file size. Yeah, this is mammoth file but this allows me to make snappy Extremely High Quality Ken Burns effect videos in iMovie for FCE. Then when I export from FCE I don't make a copy of a copy but make my first compression of the video.
That is my answer!
I consider this thread closed and will only open if I find any of this is incorrect. BTW I already imported the iMovie '08 video with compression "None" into FCE and after rendering it looks awesome and plays well.
Cheers,
Chuck

How does one transfer from imovie to fce without loss of quality. Using a panasonic hdc-tm15 full hd 1920x1080

I am capturing my footage on a Panasonic hdc-tm15 full hd 1920x1080 avchd. The format recorded is not compatible with fce so i have to import to imovie first. what export settings do i need to use to ensure i dont lose quality when going from imovie to fce?

It is suggested to output MOV with AIC codec to keep the raw video quality at max.
Output like this: Share->Export Using QuickTime..
In pop-up windows, click Options->in Moive Settings pop-up window, click Settings button->In Compression Type box, choose Apple Intermediate Codec
Good luck.

Hey Apple, How do you export from imovie to fce without losing quality?

I am capturing my footage on a Panasonic hdc-tm15 full hd 1920x1080 avchd. The format recorded is not compatible with fce so i have to import to imovie first. what export settings do i need to use to ensure i dont lose quality when going from imovie to fce?

If you shot Progressive it won't work directly, whereas Interlaed will with the suggested File>Log and Transfer method over USB.
You will also need to select the matching Easy Setup before starting a New Project and transfering clips.
That's usually an AVCHD 1920 x 1080i 50 or 60.
50 for PAL, 60 for NTSC.
Al

Importing from iMovie 06, lose capture dates

When I import old iMovie 06 movies, the capture dates gets lost. Here is one of the original clips in iMovie 06:
However, after importing in iMovie 11, the capture dates are lost. I tried many variations, like import the iMovie 06 project, or cd to the *.iMovieProject directory and import the actual clips, etc.
Now, good iMovie11 clips have the capture date imbedded in the file name (as in clip-2010-03-14 hh;mm;ss.dv). However, the ones imported from iMovie 06 end up in iMovie 11 with simple names such as clip55.dv. So it's not surprising I cannot see the capture dates in iMovie 11.
So I looked inside the *.iMovieProject directory hoping to find the capture dates either in the file name or in a plist, but I couldn't (nothing in the plists below)
... Jan 23 2010 Cache/Thumbnails.plist
... Jan 23 2010 Cache/Timeline Movie Data.plist
... Jan 23 2010 Cache/Timeline Movie.mov
... Nov 8 2009 Media/Clip55.dv
etc
Finally, I opened Clip55.dv in QuickTime and looked at MovieInspector, but I could not see any capture date (similar to exif in jpegs).
So obviously I missed them. My question is where in the iMovie 06 project can I find them? If accessible, I can write a script to fix the clips imported in iMovie11 by changing their names. I tried it manually, and it worked.
Thanks in advance

Hi - Couple of things.
Click on the offending clip that you imported from iMovie in your FCP Bin and type Command + 9 to see the item properties. Either report those item properties, or if easier, take a screen shot of the item properties and post that.
Then click any where on the timeline you are having trouble with and type Command + 0 (Zero) to see the sequence settings. Either report those settings or take a screen shot of the Sequence Settings window and post that.
In order for FCP to use the video without rendering, both the items properties of the source clip, and the sequence settings must match - and both must be within standard production parameters.
Also, you can click on the source clip in the FCP Bin, then control-click on the clip and select Reveal in Finder from the drop down menu. Once that file is revealed, open it in Quicktime 7 and see if if plays correctly there.
Hope this helps.
MtD

I am trying out Final Cut Pro X and trying desperately to import a project from iMovie 11 (version 9.0.9). There is no export to FCPX in iMovie 11 nor is there import from iMovie in FCPX.

Can someone please help me?
I am trying out Final Cut Pro X on a 30 day trial. So far so good.
I am now trying desperately to import a project from iMovie 11 (version 9.0.9) into FCPX.
I have read multiple posts on this subject and they all recommend File/import/ from iMovie project in FCPX
However there is NO such option under File/import in FCPX - nor is there an option to export to FCPX in iMovie 11
Can anyone please enlighten me.

The current version of FCPX does not work with that version of iMovie. You need version 10.0.3, which allows you to send a project to FCP.

I have recorded mono on a sony hxrmc200e how can i play stereo when I download from imovie to fce 4??

I have recorded mono on a sony hxrmc200e how can i play stereo when I download from imovie to fce 4??

While you really can't make a mono track true stereo, you can make it play to both left and right channels. Pan the track to center (0), or you can duplicate the track and pan one copy left (-1) and the other right (1) ... or select both tracks in the Timeline (original and copy) and hit Option l (lowercase L) to make them a stereo pair.
-DH

Importing from iMovie HD project

I bought a new iMac and i'm importing in iMovie 08 a project from iMovie06.
But i have 2 problems: first not all the clips are imported and second that the clips that are imported are not in the same order of the original projct.
Does anyone have any ideas?

If in iMovie 06 have a project with 20 clip in iMovie 08 found less clips but everyone is complete. Entire clips are missing.
1) If you are counting "rendered" clips in the "Project.PKG > Media folder," they are not included in the import. You will have o move them manually if you want them.
2) If you are counting clips included in the source bin, then I don't know if they are supposed to import or not. (I.e., I don't use the built-in HD import option in iMovie '08.) You can check and see if these are your missing clips. if they are, then add them to the HD project before import and see if they are imported to iMovie '08. If they aren't, then you may need to send a feedback to Apple regarding this issue.
And the order in which are imported is not the same as in the original project
Editing and rendering in an iMovie HD project will change the clip names which, in turn, may re-order the files as the finder "sees" them. (I.e., they are ordered alphabetically in the project media folder.) So, if they are imported in alphabetical order, they would be out of their original "source" or timeline order.

Importing from imovie to HD

Im sorry if this is has been already answered, but its 4am here in aus and I just want to finish this schoolies project and then go to bed. Can anyone help me? When I try to import my movie from imovie to imovie HD this message comes up - The file could not be imported" "the file macintosh HD/users/computername/Movies/iMovie projects/" cannot be imported, quicktime couldn't parse it: -43
anyone got any idea what this means? I would really appreciate an answer. Thanks!

So I decided to export the file to the desktop and hope that that works out, if not then hopefully someone will have suggested another way to get around this problem other then starting the whole project again. Thanks again.

Importing from iMovie HD is not bringing any of my edits!

According to the iMovie 09 help file:
"When you import video from iMovie HD projects:
- All clips from the clip viewer are added to a new Event.
- All clips from the timeline are added to a new project."
But when I import, ALL my work is lost. I get one long event that is the original source and NOTHING else. No new project s created, even though there is stuff in the timeline. (Stuff that took hours to create.) Is the help file lying? Did I really just loose hours of work?

I have exactly the same problem >:-(
The only solution I can think of is exporting each clip, one by one, to full quality QuickTime files, then importing those into iMovie 09. I'm doing that now (roughly 100 clips. Grrrr...)

Audio tracks are lost after importing from iMovie...

After importing my movie from iMovie I lost my audio tracks. What is the problem ?

Hello kropacd (and Karsten;)):
I realize at this late time that this will be a pain..but you might want to try to extract your audio prior to exporting (sharing) to iDVD to se if that helps...
The only other thing I can imagine is that you used 12-bit audio in your video instead of 16-bit? It really needs to be 16-bit-check the setting on your camera.
Sue

Importing from Imovie 08 to FCE 4 - problems

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