Problems with Canon HF100 (NTSC) importing into imovie

I know this question has been asked, but nothing I have tried has worked. I have a Canon HF100 and when I try to import my files (mts) into imovie 08 I get a message that says, "There was a problem with - out of - of your clips. Check your clips." or something to this affect. While it looks like they've imported, they are nowhere to be found in the event. What am I doing wrong? I have VoltaicHD which worked for the first clips but now everything I try to convert "fails". Please help.

hey there tomaswk, welcom to Discussions.
1) when importing HDV, iMovie/FCE HD converts it on the fly to A.I.C.-Apple Intermediate Codec. you'll need @ least 2 GB of RAM to approach realtime ingest to your MBP. i have 2.5 GB on my DP G5.
2) the conversion also results in file sizes about 4 times the size of SD video. plenty of RAM is a necessity for HDV in iMovie or FCE HD. sounds like the partition could be the culprit. maybe get an external FireWire HDD for your HDV iMovies.
good luck.
Message was edited by: Donna Jones1

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FireWire is the only way to import Canon HV20 Camcorder videos into iMovie?

As a followup to my last post a moment ago tonight 1/30/08:
Is it true that I need a FireWire cable to import Canon HV20 Camcorder videos into iMovie?
If so, the Apple salesperson is wrong.
He told me last Monday that purchasing the new iLife 2008 (that contains iMovie 2008) would allow me to use my current USB cable.
Given I see NO FireWire port on my new MacBook Pro (bought in 8/2006), I don't see a solution.
Note the camera, an HD camcorder (the Canon HV20) did NOT come with a FireWire cable; it only came with a USB male plug on one side of the cable and the other is a small square-like male plug that connects to a female port on the Canon HV20.
Solution?
Thanks for any suggestions, Daniel

The USB cable is for importing still photographs. Not video.
The firewire 400 cable you need is one that goes from the 6 pin full size male connector to the small 4 pin form used for DV.
The cable plugs into the camera in a socket behind a plastic flap near the eyepiece. Its marked HDV/DV. The other end plugs into the MBP on the right-hand side. 4th from the back.

How can I easily import Canon Mark III video into iMovie or Final Cut Pro X? Do I need a converter? Thanks!

How can I easily import Canon Mark III video into iMovie or Final Cut Pro X? Do I need a converter? Thanks!

Just click the import button and point it at the camera card.

Older DV Tapes Will Not Play or Import Into iMovie

I have a lot of DV tapes shot ten years ago on a JVC camcorder that I want to import into iMovie.
I have a new Canon Vixia hv 30 and I'm assuming these older mini DV tapes are compatible because these old tapes play fine in the camcorder itself, and also on my TV, but when I try to import them into iMovie, they do not display in the iMovie import window. However, new tapes shot recently with the new hv 30 display and import just fine.
Is there a problem with the old tapes being incompatible in some way I'm not understanding?
Dino1956 answered a similar problem in 2008:
*iMovie Camcorder Import Fix*
*Connect your camera. put it in 'play' mode (sometimes also called vcr). start up imovie (hd or 08; both work, but i use HD). go to the blue 'import' screen. it should just say 'camera connected'.*
*Now comes the trick. don't click import, but instead put your camera in 'record' mode. you should now see whatever it is that your aiming the camera at on your computer screen.*
*QUICKLY put your camera back in play mode. again very quickly press the 'play' button, either on the imovie import screen or on your camera. your DV tape will start to play back.*
*-On my computer, the video now suddenly shows up in imovie! You can now click the 'import' button in imovie, and imovie will start importing the tape in realtime. This is a bit slower than the normal import method, but hey, at least you can now get your video into imovie!*
...but this solution doesn't work for me. I cannot "quickly" click the Play button on the camera monitor or in the iMovie window after switching from record to Play on the camera because there is a 5 second time lag on both the camera's monitor and in the iMovie window while the iMovie screen/camera monitor switches over from Record to Play.
Is there any way I can get older DV footage into iMovie from my Vixia hv 30? My resources are at a very low ebb right now.

I found a clue on the www.hv20 website: Old DV tapes recorded before HDV...you need to go into the hv 30 menu and select "DV" rather than "HDV", then the video shows up in the iMovie import screen and imports easily.

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

Why do some AVI files not import into iMovie?

Some of my AVI video does not import into iMovie. When I try, it gives me a non-specific error message. Is there a way I can import it? Other AVI files import with no problem.

AVI is a container, not a format; the audio and video in an AVI may use any codec, and some codecs can't be used in Mac OS X. Installing Perian may help.
(34138)

Screen Capture Video Loses Quality When Imported Into iMovie - WHY?

I am using screen capture software to make a video of my screen at 1024x768. The video is for a tutorial. I want to use iMove to get things like transitions and such into the movie, and to add text and audio. The problem is that, although the video looks great in QuickTime, it loses quality significanly when I import into iMove. The text on the screen is blurry, and the quality of everything else is terrible as well.
Is this s limitation of iMove? Can screen capture video be imported? Does it only work with DV?
Also, I tried to convert the file to many other formats, from QuickTime to MPEG-4, so it's not the file type.
If anyone can help me out, I've be very grateful.
Thanks!
iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.5)

Your dimensions are getting in the way. iMovie converts your 1024X768 to a DV Stream file that is 720X480.
One workaround would be to set your display resolution smaller. Try 800X600 (if your windows fit that size).
If you're using Snapz Pro you should set your window capture to 640X480. This size will import nicely into iMovie.
An even better way would be to do all of the work using QuickTime Pro. Again a 1024X768 QT.mov file would not fit on the most common display settings used. When you add the QT Player window the controller would be below the screen and not accessible for most users.
800X600 would make a better file (smaller, too). It would still be 4:3 aspect and would also import into iMovie.

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 clip won't import into iMovie.

Hi
Ok at the risk of sounding like a complete dumbo...
I have a JVC Everio G 30Gb Hard disc camcorder. I can't get my clip to import into iMovie. All I get is the following message...
"The file could not be imported: The file “File Name Here” can’t be imported; QuickTime couldn’t parse it: -2048"
Can anybody help or know some way around this?
I sorta figured that like iPhoto, where you can pretty much download from any big brand digital camera, it would be the same with iMovie.
eMac Mac OS X (10.4.3)
eMac Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Hi iMovieNewbie - welcome to the forum!
Many people have your ailment!! The problem is that your camera records in MPEG2 format which is really not compatible with iMovie. iMovie's native format is DV, which is designed to be a no-loss, editable format. MPEG is really just a viewing format.
There are workarounds, but they involve converting MPEG into DV, for which you will need:
MPEG StreamClip (free):
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/video/mpegstreamclip.html
and
Apple MPEG2 PlayBack($20):
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/mpeg2/
Read about it all here:
http://www.sjoki.uta.fi/%7Eshmhav/SVCDon_a_Macintosh.html#edit_convertMPEG
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=267352&tstart=0

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).

Why do 4 video clips import into iMovie and one doesn't?

I attempted to import 5 short clips into my MacBook Pro from the same event, shot with an ipad2. Four of the clips easily imported into iMovie. IMovie said that the fifth clip wouldnt import because it is 'not compatible with iMovie'. All of the clips are 1280x720, H.264/AAC, encoding 7.0.2. Importing to IMovie 11, version 9.0.9. I've read thru some of the strings but haven't quite found this problem. Any ideas?
thank you

I think this is an SD memory card camera. It does not work in a format that FCE uses. FCE only works with DV, HDV or AVCHD material. Everything else has to be converted to a format FCE works with.

Trouble importing into iMovie from Sony Handicam

Recently I tried to import video from my sony handicam into iMovie11. The video imported, but there was no audio. I used to be able to import with this camera no problem. Did apple do something?
Anyone have problems importing with thier Sony Handicam DCR - SX43? Video imports, but audio will not import into imovie anymore.

hey there tomaswk, welcom to Discussions.
1) when importing HDV, iMovie/FCE HD converts it on the fly to A.I.C.-Apple Intermediate Codec. you'll need @ least 2 GB of RAM to approach realtime ingest to your MBP. i have 2.5 GB on my DP G5.
2) the conversion also results in file sizes about 4 times the size of SD video. plenty of RAM is a necessity for HDV in iMovie or FCE HD. sounds like the partition could be the culprit. maybe get an external FireWire HDD for your HDV iMovies.
good luck.
Message was edited by: Donna Jones1

Older camcorder (USB) imports into iMovie

I have a Sony camcorder that does not have firewire, but has USB. It uses mini digital video cassettes. In the past, I successfully imported into iMovie, but have forgotten how. Can anyone help?

Thank you for helpfully pointing that out, Lennart. Yes, it does have iLink. It's a Sony DCR-PC300 NTSC Handycam 3.0 mega pixels (Japanese model). But the instructions say that it will only work with a PC. I refused to believe there wasn't a workaround, and I was right, though--believe it or not--I am pretty sure I fed it in (very slowly) through the USB connection. Of course the iLink/firewire would be faster, but again, I don't know how to do it (how I did it), whichever way. Thank you in advance for your kindness.

AVCHD Import into Imovie

So here is my problem, and it a big one. I recorded some video with a sony camera that records AVCHD ( .mts ) So I imported into imovie first try everything was great! So i recored more and now i want to import the footage. Same camera Same computer same program. I connect the usb to the camera and computer. Click connect usb on the camera just like i did before. Now in imovie I see the little circle spinning for a few seconds then quits. No window pops up. Then I click the camera button in imvoie and my webcam comes up. My camera is showing up on my desktop. I dont understant Before I could esaily import every thing. Now I cant? What is the problem? I browsed ever forum on this topic and cant find anything like it... Please help. Im using imoive 09.

Any ideas? Without converting, say to mp4 or something?

How can i import into imovie using the camera's built in memory?

How can I import into imovie from my cannon video camera built in memory. All that comes up when I connect the USB cable is what is stored on the memory card and it doesn't give me the option to use what is stored on the built in memory

That is not a feature of iPhoto - suggest to Apple - iPhoto Menu ==> provide iPhoto feedback.
With the new Photo app later this year the integration between IOS and the Mac will be much greater
LN

Problems with Canon HF100 (NTSC) importing into imovie

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