Importing widescreen video to iMovie HD?

I recently imported some old MiniDV video, from a Panasonic PV-DC152 into iMovie HD. The video was shot in the Panasonic's 16:9 mode (which is basically a 4:3 frame, with the top & bottom masked off). When I dragged a clip to the timeline window, it popped up a dialog box saying "letterboxing".
But, the results of that were not what I was expecting. Rather than cropping the black bars, and treating the video portion as 16:9, it seems to have stretched the whole 4:3 frame to 16:9. So, the black bars are even larger than before, and the video is stretched.
Is there some other way to tell iMovie what type of video is being imported, so it will use the proper 16:9 video portion? Ideally, I would like to make an anamorphic 16:9 DVD from this video.
Thanks in advance for any pointers!

I messed around with this a bit more.. I was still not able to get iMovie to convert my masked 16:9 into true 16:9, but I figured out a bit more about how iMovie operates.
- In the Preferences area, you can en/disable "Automatic DV Pillarboxing/Letterboxing". I am not sure in what scenario this would be useful. But, for my usage, it's better to turn it off. I guess this is used when you have 16:9 video that you want to make into 4:3 (or vice versa), because otherwise you do not need letter/pillarboxing.
- When opening a new project, you can select DV or DV Widescreen. While my video was intended to be 16:9, it was recorded in a 4:3 frame (letterboxed). So, the best setting for me was "DV". "DV Widescreen" stretched my video horizontally.
If there was a way to vertically stretch the video back to the correct aspect ratio, DV Widescreen would have worked nicely (and presumably it would allow output to an anamorphic 16:9 DVD through iDVD).
I also have the previous version of FInal Cut Express. Maybe I'll check that and see if it allows any more control over aspect ratio manipulation.

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I have been trying to import VHS video into iMovie via a Hollywood Dazzle bridge. Did not have trouble until I upgraded to mavericks. I have a mac book pro, 10.9.1, iMovie 10.0.2. Says it is recording, but when I go to check, it says the file is empty.

I have been trying import VHS video into iMovie via a Hollywood Dazzle bridge. I have been successful doing this in the past, but now it is not working. I have a mac book pro, 10.9.1, (mavericks), iMovie 10.0.2. Everything in iMovie looks like it is working. It reads "recording" in the upper left hand corner of the pane while the video is playing. When I stop the process to check on my clip it says that the file is empty. The only thing that has changed since I did it successfully is that I upgraded to mavericks from whatever I had previously. My system is about one year old. Any suggestions?

Hey, Clinton,
     Thanks for your help! I was able to go to iMovie 9.0.9 and import video. I was still curious as to why it didn't work in version 10.0.2, so I contacted Apple tech support. They were't sure at first as to why it wouldn't work, so they had me delete iMovie 10.0.2 and then re-install it just to see if something had gone wrong when it upgraded. That didn't change anything. In the end, they determined that 10.0.2 doesn't support the Hollywood Dazzle DV bridge. But I have a workaround path from them that I will share so that it's possible to import to 9.0.9, then move it to 10.0.2.
     1. Open iMovie 9 (finder/applications/iMovie 9.0.9
     2. Import from Dazzle Bridge to iMovie 9, note which event you are importing the clips into
     3. Close iMovie 9
     4. Open iMovie 10 (probably in the dock)
     5. File/Import Media...navigate to home(this was my name, on the left side of iMovie, under Favorites)/Movies/iMovie events. Find the event folder that contains your Dazzle clips (tip-try sorting by date modified to look at recent events.)
     6. Select the clips and import. Click the blue "Import Selected" button on the bottom right.
You may get a message that some files cannot be imported. Click continue import. It's a little glitchy. It imports your clip, and also makes a copy of it, too. On the copy, the audio is normal, but the video is choppy. In any case, you would delete the copy, anyway.
Hope this additional information helps somebody else. Thanks again, Clinton for helping me!

Download and import YouTube videos to iMovie for editing

Download and import YouTube videos to iMovie for editing
YouTube always provides people with raw video materials on all sorts of things happened worldwide in real time. Video lovers are fond of downloading these files as private collection, even using video editors like iMovie to do further editing of their favorite ones, so as to import them to portable devices like iPod, iPhone, PSP, Blackberry, etc. for playback, or upload to their own websites to share with others, or do something else as they like.
However, not all the people have found a proper way to download YouTube videos, not to mention how to add these files to iMovie for editing. YouTube videos are in the format of FLV, which is not a workable format in iMovie, so if you want to import YouTube videos to it without trouble, you should convert FLV files to iMovie compatible formats such as MPEG-4 and MOV in advance. With the special intention of solving these two problems, this guide will show you how to download YouTube videos and import them to iMovie for editing step by step. If you are in need, just feel free to go along with it.
Step 1: Download, install and run Pavtube YouTube Converter for Mac
This converter can process downloading and conversion simultaneously. Once you launch it, the interface below well pop up.
Step 2: Add URL, select output format and set save path
Press tag “Add URL” in the above interface, and then the following window will appear. Just copy and paste the URL of the YouTube video file which you want to download and convert to the text box after “URL”. Then select a supportable format for iMovie by clicking the drop-down list of “Convert To”. Here I choose MOV for example.
Afterwards, you can insert the storage file name in the text box of “Save As”, if not, the program will generate one automatically. Here I save my file as “mycollection”. Meanwhile, you are allowed to hit “Browse” in the opposite side of “Save To” to specify the destination folder. By the way, if you want to save the original FLV files, you are allowed to tick the checkbox “Save FLV File” to achieve this goal.
Step 3: Custom
This program enables you to adjust video and audio parameters like codec, bit rate, aspect ratio, frame rate, sample rate, and channels, so that you can change them randomly according to your own demands. Generally speaking, the options which refer to values are always in condition of the larger values, the larger file size, but better quality. Do remember click “OK” to save your custom settings.
Step 4: Download and convert
Once all the settings are done, you can click “OK” button to start. The following window will show you the progress of downloading and conversion.
Step 5: Import the output MOV files to iMovie
As soon as the YouTube video files have been downloaded and converted to MOV or other iMovie workable format, you can click “Open” at lower right corner of the above interface to find out the output files. Afterwards, launch iMovie, and click File > Import to add the output files to iMovie for editing.
Tips:
1. This program supports batch tasks so that you can download multiple YouTube video files in batches at a time.
2. Pavtube YouTube Converter for Mac adopts multi-threading technology, which makes its download speed is faster than any other similar YouTube downloader.
3. Besides YouTube.com, it can also automatically detect and download online videos in the format of .flv, and f4v from many other video-sharing websites, like Yahoo Video, Myspace, Google Video, Fox and more.
4. It also provides users with conversion function, with which you can convert any YouTube FLV/F4V files to other formats like MP4, MKA, WAV, AC3, MKV, FLV, MP3, M4A, 3GP, AVI, MOV, MPG, etc. at will.
5. If you only use it as a YouTube downloader without format conversion, you can take it as a piece of freeware.
All right, this guide is ending up now; hope it will do you a favor while downloading video files from YouTube as well as importing them to iMovie for further editing.

It's a clip from CNN (with all credits etc. added). When one refers to it as a clip posted on "YouTube", then people understand the quality will be poor.
I've watched television go from everything shot on a tripod with clean, meticulous editing rules, to almost anything goes. It has to do with cultural reference.

When i import a video into iMovie the quality gets very ******,but when its not in iMovie it looks awesome

when i import a video into iMovie the quality gets very ******,but when its not in iMovie it looks awesome, please help

Exact same problem

TS3355 I loaded video from an external hard drive to my desktop. How do I import the video into iMovie 09? I tried "Import Camera Archive". Didn't work.

I loaded video from an external hard drive to my desktop. How do I import the video into iMovie 09? I tried "Import Camera Archive". Didn't work.

It depends on the type of video. iMovie will only import video that it can edit.
In general, you would use FILE/IMPORT MOVIE...

I tried to import a video into iMovie. Its says their is not enough space on the destination disk. I deleted many projects, and events. Nothing changed. What files do I delete and how?

I tried to import a video into iMovie. Its says their is not enough space on the destination disk. I deleted many projects, and events. Nothing changed. What files do I delete and how?

Hard drive full or near full:
You are going to have to delete, move or archive your data to regain hard drive space.
Have you emptied your iMac's Trash icon in the Dock?
If you use iPhoto, iPhoto has its own trash that needs to be emptied, also.
If you use Apple Mail app, Apple Mail also has its own trash area that needs to be emptied, too!
Other things you can do to gain space.
Delete any old or no longer needed emails and/or archive older emails you want to save.
Look through your Documents folder and delete any type of old useless type files like "Read Me" type files.
Again, archive or delete any old documents you no longer use or immediately need.
Uninstall apps that you no longer use. If the app has a dedicated uninstaller, use it to completely uninstall the app. If the app has no uninstaller, then just drag it to the OS X Trash icon and empty the Trash.
Download an app called OnyX for your version of OS X.
When you install and launch it, let it do its thing initially, then go to the cleaning and maintenance tabs and run all of the processes in the tabs. Let OnyX clean out all web browser cache files, web browser histories, system cache files, delete old error log files.
Typically, iTunes and iPhoto libraries are the biggest users of HD space.
If you have any other large folders of personal data or projects, these should be moved, also, to the external hard drive and then either archived to disc and/or deleted off your internal hard drive.
You may have to Purchase an external FireWire or Thunderbolt hard drive to move these files/data off of your internal drive to the external hard drive and deleted off of the internal hard drive.
Good Luck!

Importing analogue video into imovie.

I am trying to import analogue video into imovie 5 using my canon i830 dv camera with tape out. imovie 5 will not import using this method and as I only have a few tapes to transfer I do not want to purchase further hardware. Will imovie 6 enable me to do this. Any sugestions?

iMovie has not changed in how it imports video from camcorders to the best of my knowledge. Your DV camcorder with a Firewire connection should import to iM4, 5 (HD), or 6. So it would appear that there is a problem with a setting, hardware, or something else keeping it from working. Sooooo....
Let's explore your setup. You have a DV camcorder right? It has a Firewire port? You are connecting the camera, with a Firewire cable, directly to the Mac? Daisy chained off an external hard drive? Via a Firewire hub?
Does the menu of the camera feature different connection types that you can select from (e.g. Firewire, USB, A/V jacks, etc.)?
What mode do you put the camera in when you attempt to import? Camcorder record mode? VCR play mode? Other?
When you hook up the camera what exactly happens? Do you get absolutely nothing? Do you get a message that the camcorder is connected but then can not get it to import? Do you get an error message?
Are you in an iMovie project when you attempt to import? Or are you trying to see the camcorder from the desktop?
Are you SURE the cable you have is OK? Have you tried it on another device to verify? Some cables have the molded over plastic higher on the connector than others. I personally have had devices with deep ports on them that a cable with more molded plastic (less exposed metal) not connecting but swapping to another cable with less molding and more of the metal connector exposed working correctly.
Patrick

Imovie09 copies videos but doesn't import. how can I import my videos into imovie?

imovie09 copies videos but doesn't import. how can I import my videos into imovie?

Can you tell us what you actually mean by "iMovie09 copies videos but doesn't import"?
If you have got your video into iMovie then it has imported it.Are you able to see your video in the Event Browser?

Importing a video into iMovie

I have a Sony SLT-A33 DSLR camera and I am having a problem with importing video files into iMovie. The camera records in two different formats 1920x1080 50i AVCHD and 1440x1080 25p MP4. I have heard that using 1440x1080 with 25 fps progressive MP4 will give better results so i filmed around 10 mins and when i plugged my memory card into MBPR iMovie did not find any importable files.
I then used a different memory card to check if something is wrong with card but iMovie found nothing again, however when recorded in AVCHD 1920x1080 50i iMovie can import.
I also have Aperture 3.4.4 installed and it recognised the MP4 files and imported them into Aperture library. I could then access the MP4 file through Aperture library in iMovie but the playback is very laggish and editing is almost not possible.
Could you advise me on what format I should use?
1920x1080 50i (interlaced) 25fps
1440x1080 (progressive) 25fps with pixel ratio of (1x1.333)
How can i import the files into iMovie for editing?
I was also looking at FPCX but being a bit pricey, I decided not to get it. Should I invest in FPCX?
I am using Macbook Pro Retina (Mid 20120
i7 2.3GHz - 3.3Ghz Turbo Boost
8GB 1600MHz Ram
Nvidia GT650M 1GB
256GB Apple SSD
Mountain Lion (10.8.3)
All softwares are fully updated.
Thanks

I don't have your camera, but this is worth a try...
Try importing your MP4 files by using FILE/IMPORT MOVIE... and navigate to your camera card to select the MP4 files.

HT202276 Importing recorded videos of iMovie from iPad mini to mac

I have recorded a whole lot of videos on my iPad mini using the recording feature of iMovie and the problem is these videos are not visible in iPhoto, so my question is, how can i import these videos from my iPad mini to macbook?

Here's the manual:
iMovie '11: How to import a project created with iMovie on iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch - Apple Support

No sound in imported photobooth videos into imovie

Very frustrated, as I need to edit my photobooth videos in imovie. I can import them with no problems, but for some reason there is no sound in the videos when I import them into imovie - although there is sound when I use a diferent video converter and in garage band for example, but imovie seems not to recognise the audio in these videos.
Please help as I urgently need to edit these videos for a deadline and I can't do anything with them in imovie at the moment.
Advice greatfully recieved.
Many thanks

What version of iMovie?
What Device?
Have tried to restart, soft reset your device?
What is the video audio source?
This forum is for iMovie iOS (ipads & iphones).
Are you referring to iMovie Mac?
If so I can get your post moved.

Can't import IPhoto video into IMovie

I imported a video clip into IPhoto '08 from a Casio camera -- came out in .MOV format. CAN'T import it into IMovie '08 and can't "save-as" into any other format (figuring that might help??). Help?

I exported my lessons video clips as MPEG4, Default Settings and I am able to see the mp4 files in iMovie, even though they look like crap compared to the originals are now 4:3 instead of 16:9.
Then don't use the default settings. Set dimension and frame rate to "current" setting used in original file. Set video data rate to same data rate as original source file. Set audio for 64 Kbps/channel at 44.1 KHz sampling rate or 80 Kbps/channel at 48.0 KHz sampling rate. If you're really having problems, simply export to iPod or TV presets.
Shouldn't DV files work in iMovie? The source files are .mov with DV/DVCPRO - NTSC codec. Isn't that one of iMovie's supported codecs?
As I previously stated, I would normally expect a DV file to be compatible. A DV stream file contains DV video with DV audio and should be iMovie '08 compatible. Since you keep saying the DV (video) is in an MOV file container, I keep telling you that an MOV file container may contain any "valid" audio compression format and not just ones that are iMovie '08 import/edit compatible. So once again, I am reminding you to check your MOV file audio compression format to be sure it is iMovie '08 compatible. If it is, then check to see if it contains an incompatible data track. For instance, iPhoto slideshows are not iMovie '08 import compatible because they contain a "Tween" track. If your "tutorial" files also contain a "Tween" track, they will not import either.
I just tried the Save Movie as Quicktime Movie again. It saved out using H.264, but iMovie won't recognize it.
One more time... H.264 is a video compression format. What audio compression format did you use?
It seems like MP4 is the ONLY codec I can get iMovie to recognize when importing movie files. That can't be right, can it?
It probably isn't. We are rapidly reaching a point where it would be much easier to tell what is going on if you you would simply trim a snippet from one of your problem files and either e-mail it to me or post it to a server for downloading and examination.

How can I import Jing videos to iMovie?

I am trying to import a video I made using Jing, and it saves the file as swf. I tried to convert it, but for some reason it's not working. Any ideas? Thanks!

Okay, this can still be done.
A DVD is a highly compressed video format. However, tools do exist to uncompress it and get it into an editable file. I've had to do this myself on a couple of occasions when the only thing people had was a DVD.
The software below is what I use. It will create a video file that should load into QuickTime 7 or QuickTime Pro, allowing you to eliminate the audio as described by Old Toad above.
I use it with iMovie 06 (and a few times with iMovie 11) and iDVD 11. It has several modes of converting the data. One mode is called "lossless".
http://www.amazon.com/Miraizon-10121201-Cinematize-2-Mac/dp/B0006AAO96/ref=cm_cr _pr_pb_t
By the way, I am pretty good with movie editing using iMovie HD 06 and sometimes the newer versions of iMovie. Old Toad is a much better expert than I regarding video. He has helped me countless times. However, others here can help you as well. Unfortunately, the iDVD section is not visited as often as it used to be. Once you have a working video file you might try posting in the iMovie or QuickTime areas as these are visited more often by experts.

How can't i import the videos to iMovie?, how can't i import the videos to iMovie?

how can't i import the videos for i movie?

Dear Mr. Chan-please tell us more about your hardware and what kind of movies you are trying to import into iMovie. as far as I know, iMovie only handles a few kinds of movies, mp4, m4v, mov and DV, and that's it. It will NOT convert every kind of movie out there to whatever. try something like handbrake, perian (with QuickTime) or MPEG streamclip to get the movie that you are maybe having trouble with into a more iMovie friendly format
John B

Can't import iPhoto videos into iMovie'11

Hi
I just discovered that i can no longer see any iPhoto videos in iMovie. I upprgaded to iLife'11 and to Lion. Not sure when the problem occured for the first time, i.e. at what upgrade.
iMovie does ask if i want to import iPhoto thumbnails, i select NOW but then when i got ot the event folder and select iPhoto Videos iMovie locks up with the beacjh ball, i go to Force Quit and it tells me iMovie not responding so I have to force quit. All highly annoying as I have video in iPhoto i want to edit and put together etc.
Can anyone help?
Thanks

Alright, sounds like a re-install of iMovie is in order, try ths:
Go to Mac HD > Library > Receipts > (look for iMovie.pkg) and move that to the desktop.
Got to Mac HD > Applications > iMovie.app (move that also to the Desktop
We're going to trick the Mac into thinking you haven't installed iMovie yet.
Reboot the Mac.
Now go to the AppStore icon and launch that while holding down the Option key, when it comes up go to Purchases. With any luck it will let you re-download the iMovie installer and run the installer one more time.
After you run the install, reboot the Mac and hold down the Option key again. Choose the Recovery drive. And run disk utility>Repair Disk Permissions from within the Recover drive (instead of running it from the Utilities folder). When it finishes Repairing Permissions, reboot one more time.
Try launching iMovie and see if it can find the iPhoto Videos.
Plists are where all the preferences get written so for iMovie to locate where iPhoto Library is kept it needs to read that from somewheres. Therefore it gets written in the preferences, along with the locations of the videos inside iPhoto, the names of those videos, etc. That way iMovie can just look it up without you having to launch iPhoto to find the videos.

Importing widescreen video to iMovie HD?

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