S-L-O-W importing into iMovie 3

I am trying to import a 1.5GB Quicktime video file into iMovie 3 for editing and ultimate online posting. When I start to import it iMovie tells me the import will take 550 minutes (more than 9 hours!). This happens whether I try to import directly from the disc containing the file or copy it first to my hard drive and then start to import. (Also, first time I tried this my computer froze up a few minutes into the import and I had to bail. Sleep is set on "never;" display was set to go to sleep after 15 mins but that shouldn't affect import, correct?) Should this import really take this long? Is there something else I need to do?
Machine is Powerbook G4 550MHz 256MB RAM OS 10.3.9.

Should this import really take this long?
That depends on the running time of the movie, the codec used in your movie, the speed of the hard drive and the speed of your computer. All I know is the speed of your compouter, which is slow by today's standards.
The display sleep won't affect anything.
Just let it run over night and make sure you have plenty of free hard drive space.

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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.
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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.

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
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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.
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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.
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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

Can't select multiple video clips to import into iMovie

Hi, i can't select multiple video clips to import into iMovie, it only lets me import one video at a time. Apple please fix in next update or if anyone has a solution please post.

Obviously you can not select the video to import until after iMovie populates the list of videos that are available to be imported
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I need to share raw footage that is already imported into iMove, how do I do that?

I have raw footage imported into iMovie '11 that I need to beable to give to someone else, is this possible without first turning it into a project and exporting it that way?

Go to ~/movies/imovie/imovie events, then copy the files to a DVD or an external hard drive.

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?

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.
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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.

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.

Importing into iMovie

I was wondering what type of files are you able to import into iMovie? Thanks!!

I was wondering what type of files are you able to import into iMovie?
DV for all versions. HDV and DV for HD and later versions. Any "conversion" compatible compression format for which you have the appropriate codecs for versions prior to iMovie '08. "Edit" compatible compression formats for Finder level imports to iMovie '08 (to include DV, AIC, M-JPEG, Photo-JPEG, "standard" MPEG-4, "standard" H.264 with DV, Linear PCM (Big Endian, Little Endian, Unsigned Integer, etc.), AAC, etc.); Apple Animation and Apple Video will import and edit but cannot currently be exported properly. Additional compression formats via iMovie '08 "Camera Import" option -- AVCHD (Intel Machines only) and "muxed" MPEG2/AC3 from HDD/DVD camcorders or images thereof. Any file you can convert manually to an iMovie '08 "edit" compatible format in QT or third-party applications (e.g., Voltaic for import of AVCHD to PPC machines).

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

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

Why won't my video won't import into iMovie. There is a red ERROR message underneath clip.

I just imported 40 out of 43 clips of HD video from my JVC HD Everio camera into iMovie '11. It's my first time using either equipment for editing. I selected import all but only 40 of the clips successfully imported. 3 of the clips were not able to be imported but I can still play the clips fine from the import window. The clips all have red error messages underneath them. This is an issue that I've seen posted other places online but it doesn't seem to be resolved. It's very frustrating for me, I've been researching online to try to fix this for hours now. The closest I have come to a solution involved deleting extra 3rd party plugins from my quicktime folder however I don't have a folder named "Quicktime" in my Library. So I don't know what to do. Please help!

The error message appears under video clips already imported into iMovie. Like in this screenshot http://km.support.apple.com/resources/sites/APPLE/content/live/VIDEOS/0/VI57/en_ US/imovie-start-poster.jpg on my mac out of the 6 clips shown per row, only 5 of them have the word "imported" underneath them in white letters and then one of the clips has the word "error" underneath it.
I don't think it's a corrupted file because yeah I can play the three clips just fine. The page that I read that had that fix in it (deleted plugins) was here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/1893021?start=0&tstart=0 The correct answer is near the bottom of the page and was posted by iphonejunky. Maybe the fix would be that simple but like I said, I can't find a folder named quicktime in my library. I don't know if I'm just stupid or what.
I don't think I have Flip4Mac installed because I never consciously installed it. I use VLC for playing most video. The clips imported are all .mov

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.

Why doesn't my .AVi file import into iMovies

I cannot get iMovies to recognise my .AVI files (from my Samsung ST50).
I can download the files from my camera to my hard drive (so the computer recognises them), and I can play them via Quicktime, so I know they work. But I can't import the .AVI files into iMovies. It seems to process the video when I go to 'Import'>'Movies'...- then nothing appears. I just get a 'No Matching Video' message in the event folder.
However my previous camera (an old Pentax Optio S40) produced .AVI's which I can import into iMovies. Are all AVI's not the same? Or is it a setting in my new camera (I'm not too tech savvy!).

Hi Rocco,
Looks like we missed this post when you first asked. Sorry about that.
What message are you receiving when you try to print? What version of Windows do you have installed? If you're running Win7, you may be facing this issue: http://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat-com/kb/createpdf-desktop-printer-windows-7.html
-David

S-L-O-W importing into iMovie 3

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