Movie files suddenly don't import into iMovie

I have been importing dozens of MVI_ .MOV files shot on a Canon 60D and store on my iMac into iMovie no problem. Now after two months when I choose import movie and select the same files a box comes up saying the file (approx1 GB files) is processing and it will take less than a minute but the box disappears after 10 secs or so and no file is imported into iMovie. How can I fix this problem that has developed. I've tried with several different files and restarted iMac.

Hi John - welcome to the forum!
Here's some light reading on the subject!:
iMovie Cannot See or Control Camera:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=43000
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/vt3/10228
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?forumID=858&threadID=231694
Useful tip to ‘kick-start’ the connection:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=463729&tstart=0
esp. see Beverly’s work-around
The above problem with ref. to QuickTime Versions:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=263662&tstart=0
The ‘Garage-Band’ Fix:
I quote QuickTimeKirk:
”Open the Audio MIDI Setup application (Utilities folder).
Try changing the settings to 44100Hz (CD Quality) or to 48000Hz (typical of the iMovie formats).
Others call this the GarageBand fix. Opening GB also resets the Audio MIDI Setup.”
This has a good list of ‘fixes’ – from Bengt:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=397899&tstart=0
G5 Dual 2.0 ghz Mac OS X (10.4.9) 1.5 GB RAM; VidCam: Sony DCR TRV80E

Similar Messages

What movie file formats can be imported into iMovie?

Can you directly import .avi, mpeg or .mov files? What about a Quicktime movie file? Just trying to figure out which file format iMovie will accept. I have a movie that was edited on Adobe Premiere and want to make sure I export the movie in the correct format.
Thanks.

read Jon's reply in this thread ..
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/1891778?start=0&tstart=0
keep in mind: avi nor mov are 'formats', just media wrappers = box of chocolate, you'lll never know ...
stay within normal video standards, such as 1080i or 720p, 25/29.97fps ... mov encoded with h264 should be fine.
and avoid fancy stuff such as surround, Dolby 5.1., 3D ........

Is an 8.7GB file too big to import into iMovie 9?

Is an 8.7GB file too big to import into iMovie 9? I am using iMovie 8.0.6 on a Macbook Pro running OS 10.6.8 on 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 2 GB Memory. I can't get my movie file to import into iMovie...any advice would be much appreciated!

When you import into iMovie, your video is converted into DV format. This uses 13 GB per hour of video. So the first thing you have to do is make sure you have 26 GB free on your hard drive, plus another 10GB free for OSX to perform, plus 10GB free if you plan on burning a DVD.
iMovie has non-destructive editing. If you have used any part of a clip and discard the rest, that entire clip is still saved in your project - unused but eating up disc space. If you use no part of a clip and discard the clip, then the clip can go in the trash and you get back disc space. So...
If you import 2 hours of video (26GB) as one clip, and only use 2 minutes, your 2-minute segment retains its 2-hr source in memory. 2 min = 26 GB.
One thing you can do is set the iMovie preferences to automatically create new clips every 3 minutes. (2 hours of 3-min clips = 40 clips.) This allows you to find the 2-minute segment you want and delete all of the unused clips. Say your 2-minute segment comes from 2 of these 3-min clips, so you keep 6 minutes of source footage and delete the rest. Clips that are entirely unused will be completely deleted and give you back disc space. At .65 GB per clip, your 6-minute project is now only 1.3 GB, and you've just regained 24.7 GB of disc space.

Saving files from Photoshop to Import into iMovie 09

1. What is the best file format for saving images from Photoshop to bring into iMovie 09?
2. What should the image size of the file be set to from Photoshop? I would like the best quality while working in iMovie prior to exporting and compressing after I am done editing.
Thank you in advance.

kat.hayes wrote:
1. What is the best file format for saving images from Photoshop to bring into iMovie 09?
I see you have not marked your topic "Answered", so you may be hoping for some other suggestions. If your item 1 is intended to ask about file "type" (.psd, .jpg, .png, .tif, etc.), here is my suggestion.
Because of the large file size of PhotoShop (PS) .psd image files, *unless you need to keep the PS version with Layers, Adjustments, etc*., _and unless you do NOT keep a separate folder of PS images_, I suggest that you NOT save the PS .psd file "format" (type) into iPhoto (or iMovie.)
I keep all PS (.psd) image files that I want to retain in separate folders outside iPhoto. I also save the finished (PS) image as a .jpg or .png version which I import into iPhoto for easy import into iMovie via the media browser. Whether to use jpeg or png depends on the image quality I need.
If you are capturing the snapshots that you are editing with PS from an iSight, other webcam, or a Flip camcorder, the jpg version will probably give you all the quality you need. However, to make your decision easier, you can save multiple file type (and compression settings) versions of the edited file when you are finished in PS. Then import all the various jpgs, pngs, tiffs, etc, into a test movie, lable (title) them for easy identification, save the movie, and see if you can tell any difference in quality or each image when you replay your test movie. If you can tell a difference, you can decide how much quality you need and match that need with the file type and size that gives the necessary quality level. If you cannot see a difference in the move regardless of which file type or compression level, you can save space by using the smallest image file.
+re: your item 2:+ I have nothing to add to Karsten's expert comments on resolution and file size.
EZ Jim
G5 DP 1.8GHz w/Mac OS X (10.5.8) PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11) iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9) External iSight

Purchased itunes play but don't import into iMovie

I am trying to import a purchased iTune into an imovie but it says my computer isn't authorized. I can play the song, and even burn music discs, but I just can't get it to import into the movie. I tried this with a couple of other purchased songs and it's the same. When I authorize the computer, it shows a message that it was successfully done, but imovie pops up another message saying that there was an importing error because the song wasn't authorized for the computer. I have made iMovies before using other songs not purchased through iTunes. Please advise.
Thank you!
gbarch

I had the same problem, but was able to solve it with a long involved "work around".
I have the software WIRE TAPE from Ambrosia Software. At one time it was freeware, it can grab sound from any CD, tune playing in iTUNES, or even a sound bite from a movie playing in the DVD player. Wire Tap will only record a song at a good healthy volume if you are playing the file you want it to copy, at a good volume, it has no sound adjustments and can only copy what it "hears". It records in a Quicktime format. It will give you the Quicktime player keys, but once you double click on the desktop the file will appear like a little document with the blue Q in it and a computer selected file name which you can easily change. Don't erase the extension after the "." I have found problems in some situations just because a file extension was listed with the file name (fussy computers).
I recorded a song playing in iTUNES and then dragged it back into the iTunes library window. I then had to highlight the file and select from the advanced menu in iTUNES>convert selection to .AIFF. This makes yet another copy of the file, but once it was converted by iTUNES to .AIFF I was able to use it in iMOVIE. I have performed this numerous times on numerous sources I have ripped with wire tap with no problems. I am working in iMOVIE 3 as I am running what I feel is the more stable and bug free 10.2.8. If you are running another revison, I don't know if you will get the same results. Hope this helped.
iMAC G4 Mac OS X (10.2.x)

File size limitation to import into imove

I can't import a movie into imove that is 999 mb. Does this application have a file size limitation. The file is saved as a *.m4v. Thanks for your help using imovie 09.

EyeTV should have an iMovie 09 Preset. That should make sure there are no extra tracks included.
Another way to get files out of EyeTV3...
Get MPEG Streamclip, which is free.
IN EyeTV 3, right click on the recording, and Reveal in Finder
Right click on the .eyeTV file in the finder and SHOW PACKAGE CONTENTS
Drag the .mpg file into MPEG Streamclip.
FILE/EXPORT TO QUICKTIME from MPEG Streamclip, choosing Apple Intermediate Codec.
Import this AIC file, which will be in a .mov container, into iMovie.
Note: You may need the Apple QuickTime MPEG2 Playback Component for this to work. MPEG Streamclip will tell you if you do. It costs $20 from Apple.
Message was edited by: AppleMan1958

Suddenly Can't Import into iMovie

Hi,
I was able to import dv into my MacBook as well as into my kid's iMac until this weekend passed. Only change is that I went to NYC for the weekend and took a few minutes of vide. No changes to camera or Mac's that I can think of, unless I hadn't imported since updated to 10.4.9...
Clock on computer and Sony DCR-28 match, tried resetting Handycam, not luck, I'm at the end of my rope here. Thanks for any help....
John
Macbook/imac Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Hi John - welcome to the forum!
Here's some light reading on the subject!:
iMovie Cannot See or Control Camera:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=43000
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/vt3/10228
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?forumID=858&threadID=231694
Useful tip to ‘kick-start’ the connection:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=463729&tstart=0
esp. see Beverly’s work-around
The above problem with ref. to QuickTime Versions:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=263662&tstart=0
The ‘Garage-Band’ Fix:
I quote QuickTimeKirk:
”Open the Audio MIDI Setup application (Utilities folder).
Try changing the settings to 44100Hz (CD Quality) or to 48000Hz (typical of the iMovie formats).
Others call this the GarageBand fix. Opening GB also resets the Audio MIDI Setup.”
This has a good list of ‘fixes’ – from Bengt:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=397899&tstart=0
G5 Dual 2.0 ghz Mac OS X (10.4.9) 1.5 GB RAM; VidCam: Sony DCR TRV80E

Some of my clips from my camera are not importing into iMovie`

I just got a new video camera and I started using iMovie for my first time with it. It's a Panasonic DVD video camera. The first time I loaded my DVD into my computer with it, it imported all of my clips just fine. But now it seems, random clips will not import. When I get my import screen, where I can check and uncheck movies from my DVD to import into iMovie, some clips have thumbnails and import correctly. Other clips have no thumbnail, but instead just have the little "filmstrip" graphic on them. iMovie still knows how many seconds those "mystery" clips are, and it still acts as if it is importing them when I check them. However, they don't show up in iMovie when I go to edit them. They are not blank clips, they simply just don't show up. However, on my camera, ALL of the clips play fine.
Why is iMovie not gathering thumbnails/importing certain clips but it gathers thumbnails/imports the others? I know the disc and the camera is fine because the camera will play them, sound and video. What is up with my iMovie/computer?

I'd like to add that after I import these clips without thumbnails, iMovie does give me an error and say that they could not be imported. No explanation as to why, though. Again, they play fine on my camera.

Trouble opening mpeg movie files and importing into iMovie 08

Hi, I'd be most grateful if anyone could provide any solutions to the following problem...
A friend has emailed me two .mpeg movie files which are parts 1&2 of a home movie which I want to edit in iMovie and burn to DVD. The footage was shot on a miniHDV camcorder (not sure which brand).
Opening in QT 7.6 gives the following warning dialogue: "The movie could not be opened. The file is not a movie file."
The files will however play fine in VLC Media Player, but not in mpeg Streamclip (the file appears to play but the viewer is blank with no audio/video). Trying to import into iMovie is unsuccessful. The iMovie browser won't let me choose the files or drag/drop.
Any ideas. I read somewhere that iMovie 08 can't import mpeg-1 files. Do I need to convert the files, and if so how?
Thanks in advance, and apologies - this is my first experience of video editing.

I have QT Player but it hasn't "kicked in" when I try to import my videos.
Something called PIXE VRF Browser is supposed to help in the conversion. The QT MPEG-2 thingy won't install until I buy QT Pro, according to what I get on the screen.
Sounds like you have too many applications trying to do the same thing. Either use the Pixela Pixe VRF Browser or use the Mac applications (Mac OS Finder, Apple QT MPEG-2 Playback Component w/MPEG Streamclip) but not both to do the same job. The Apple Finder should be able to copy multiplexed VOB/MPEG-2 files from either your PC burned DVD or directly from your camcorder DVD to your MAC hard drive where MPEG Streamclip/QT MPEG-2 component can convert them for use in iMovie '08. Frankly, I don't understand your work work flow or why you want to import your files to a GOP editor in the first place if your goal is to do frame level editing in iMovie '08.
As for Jon's suggestion, I am on dial-up and cannot download big files at 3-4 Kbps snail pace.
What does this have to do with importing your camcorder files to your PC and re-burning them to DVD for use on your Mac? If I were to make a recommendation here, it would have been to use an external hard drive here rather than DVDs for transporting files between platforms and then only if you want the files available to both. If your goal is only to edit them in iMovie '08 or iMovie HD on your Mac, then why not cut out the "middleman" platform?
I wish I could purchase these updates on DVDs but the genies couldn't even tell me if there's such a service.
Totally confused here. Are you saying your DVR-D300 files were commercial produced or that you are dealing with torrent downloads of copy-written material? These are two separate issues with facets beyond the scope of this forum.
As for "platform", I have iMovie08. iMac does not read the mini RAM disks when I connect the camera to a USB port.
Are you saying the Finder doesn't read them or that iMovie '08 doesn't read them? Do you "finalize" your DVDs before trying to read them via USB as the manual states may be necessary as indicated on page 150 of your manual?
How can I find out that iMovie09 will let me import and edit my Panasonic videos?
You could try going to the Apple site and checking the the tapeless camcorder compatibility chart. The Panasonic DVR-D300 is specifically listed along with a hot link for additional information. However, this still won't help you you don't finalize the content.

Movie file won't import into iMovie

I have a digital camera that records video (Nikon Coolpix L4). It saves videos as .mov files. When I try to import them into iMovie, it gives me an unknown error. I have tried converting the .mov files into another format using MPEG Streamclip, but that also reports an error.
Any suggestions? Is this fixable or does it have something to do with my camera, not my software?

Hi
iMovie 1 to 6 is for miniDV Cameras and connects only via FireWire.
All other material has to be concerted.
.mov - is no specific file type - just a container.
Has to be converted to streamingDV to be imported into iMovie 1 - 6.
If You try iMovie'08 it might be able to import.
Or use MPEG Streamclip. Why this doesn't work I can't figure.
May be You need to buy and install: Apple mpeg2 component - BUT NOT SURE at all.
Yours Bengt W

Rotated movs not staying rotated after being imported into iMovie

Hi,
Used Quicktime to rotate some camera phone videos and saved them as .mov files.
They play fine but on importing to iMovie they have reverted to their unrotated state!
How annoying!?

Ouch!
QuickTime 7 has done away with the ability to freely rotate (or skew) video tracks and the link you've provided shows screen shots that do not appear in QT 7 Pro.
Version 7 allows rotation (90° increments) and "offset" (location of the track as a layer).
Since I don't own a camcorder I rarely run into this issue. Some people shoot in "Portrait" mode (turn the camera 90° and shoot) and then have issues importing to a DV app like iMovie. It wants to scale or squish of stretch your video capture to the DV dimensions (720x480).
So. What's a gal gonna do with portrait video?
QuickTime Pro 7 can fix it, too. Just not as easy as version 6 and with less visual "clues" as to what is happening while you edit.
QuickTime Pro can have up to 99 layers (tracks).
Make an image format file (.png if you need alpha channels) sized to the iMovie format size. NTSC is 720X480 pixels. The image will be all black (paint bucket tool) and saved as .png or even .pct. Don't use .jpg because it doesn't allow transparency and avoid .gif format because of the lack of colors.
Open this new 720X480 image using QT Pro. Select all (Command-A) and copy (Command-C). It's now stored on the Mac clipboard.
Open the video shot in portrait mode. Select all (Command-A) and choose "Add to Selection & Scale" from the Edit menu.
Not done just yet.
Open the Movie Properties window and single click on your video track (the real video track). Click the Visual Settings tab where you can adjust its "offset" and "scaled size". Adjust these settings to what works best for your video track size.
Switch back to the Player window and test. Adjust as needed until you're happy with the file and the position of your video track against this black background image. If you don't even see your video track you'll need to set its "layer" number lower than your black background image. Negative values can be entered.
All happy now? Are you sure?
Two options for this new file. Save As (self-contained) to make a QuickTime movie you could use in a Web page. Had you used a color other than black for the image this is where you could "blend" it into the background of your page.
Export. To DV Stream. This helps "lock" your file and it will rapidly import into iMovie where you can edit it further.
What about the added B/W .png file? It only acts like a placeholder to force your portrait movie be served in landscape format. I'll bet it isn't 20KB's in file size.
Hope this helps other users. Lots of steps but great results (when done correctly).

Importing movies from Sony Handycam HDR-SR11 into iMovie HD 6.0.3

I am unable to open the .MTS clips in iMovie HD 6.0.3 that I've copied to my hard drive via a USB connection from the HDR-SR11. This would be my first time attempting to use iMovie and have troubleshooted to no avail. I am unable to find a clear answer as to whether the movies from this model Sony camcorder would work with my current version of iMovie. Would I need to upgrade and purchase iLife '09?

Hi swimnfred7 - welcome to the forum!
.MTS files are AVCHD- based - a form of MPEG format. iMovie HD needs .dv formatted material, imported into iMovie via a firewire connection. It may be possible to convert your files to .dv (not certain about that) using:
MPEG StreamClip (free):
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/video/mpegstreamclip.html
Apple MPEG2 PlayBack ($20):
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/mpeg2/
It may be that you will instead need to use the latest imovie variant - iMovie 09.
I'm sure others will help you out here.

Certain mp4 files are not importing into iMovie

I downloaded various files from the video page at a blog website [ http://www.911blogger.com/ ]; they're mp4 QuickTime. They won't properly import into iMovie, and quickly return a "An Unknown Error Has Occured" message box.
This is confusing, especially since iMovie can make mp4 movies. And since mp4 is a QuickTime format -- and QuickTime is made by Apple, who also makes iMovie.
It doesn't matter what size of file; none import. I asked the guys who own/operate the blog website if they put any special locking features on their video file downloads from their podcasts, and they said they (paraphrasing) "didn't do anything except use an iPod video converter" or something to that effect.
So, any idea's?

I have QuickTime 7.1.1 installed, with a license for QuickTime Pro.
QuickTime Pro shouldn't affect the ability to import to iMovie. All QuickTime Pro does is enable certain movie editing commands in QuickTime Player. It doesn't add any codecs or new elements to QuickTime.
But third-party QuickTime codecs could certainly be affecting iMovie 6's ability to import a movie. If any are installed, they should be temporarily removed and the Mac restarted.
They are discussed here:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=1852869#1852869
Karl

1080P movie imported into iMovie at optimised 920x540 but is oddly finalised at 1080p?

Hi.
I have a video shot in 1080p which I imported into iMovie from my camcorder using the optimised setting (920x540px). I edited the movie and now want to finalise it. But I'm wondering why when I click finalise the project it says it's doing so in 1080p?
I assumed when it imported the project it did so at 920x540px and would have disgarded the additional data 1080p data.
What's happening?
Thanks!

Just had a thought. Something AppleMan1958 said in another post.
Is this because iMovie also imports the original 1080p file into the Camera Originals folder? So when I finalise the edited project it does with the original 1080p footage?

Converting files to import into iMovie HD

I've been searching the forum but cant find anything that helps me...
I have an mpeg (a .m2p file)
I've tried converting it into all sorts of things to import into iMovie, using the likes of "ffmpegx" and "mpeg streamclip".
I've tried converting to mpeg4 mov files, mpeg4 mp4 files, H264, .DV.
Most of the time even quicktime will not play them, or in the case of the .DV files, not only is it massive (like 50 gig) but takes hours to import.
Basically I have a 2gig .m2p (mpeg2) file and want to convert it into something that iMovie will read without taking 6 hours.
I'm new to OS X, and video editing/converting in general... someone please point me in the right direction.

.m2p file
Have you tried this with MPEG Streamclip (Notice that MPEG2 conversions require the $20 Apple MPEG-2 Playback Component):
"File/Export to DV.../Compression: DV (DV25)". Choose "Split DV stream in Segments" if the content is more than 9 minutes 27 seconds because iMovie 1-4 can't reliably handle longer clip files and it might be a good idea to limit the converted .dv file's size anyway (segmented clips play seamlessly in iMovie).
You can save the converted DV directly into iMovie project's Media folder to save time and HD space (iMovie prompts you what to do with the clip when the project is opened. Notice that iMovie HD 5 now stores its project folder as a package -- MPEG Streamclip can save straight into the package's /Media folder!)
http://www.sjoki.uta.fi/~shmhav/SVCDon_a_Macintosh.html#edit_convertMPEG

Movie files suddenly don't import into iMovie

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for