So, why WON'T iMovie import .mov files???

This is ridiculous--.mov is the default video file used by Apple! Save a video in Quicktime and it's automatically in .mov format!
But whats the one file type iMovie REFUSES to import?
.mov!
A Google search shows that people have struggled for more than five years with this insane limitation, with the best workaround being "use third-party software to convert he .mov to another file type, and then import THAT."
Why would Apple create video editing software that rejects Apple's own default video format??

A .mov file is just a "container" (a bucket) that can hold dozens of different file compression formats.
Not all compression formats are supported by iMovie.

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Why can't I import .mov files to Aperture 3.4.3?

I have three movies (.mov files) transferred from an iPhone 4 (using Image Capture) to my Mac, where the movies play just fine. Aperture can't even see these files if I navigate to them using the normal Import function, and if I drag them from the Desktop into an album, the cursor shows the 'plus' sign indicating that a copy is to be made, but nothing happens except for an alert informing me that 0 files have been successfully imported. The Aperture manual says that it will import .mov files, so what am I doing wrong?

Thanks Léonie, but my settings are exactly as per your screenshot, and I've tried all other options in the RAW+JPEG menu, without success.
I'm sure the movies are not corrupted as they play in QuickTime Player and can be drag-imported to iPhoto with no problem at all. (They cannot, however, be dragged from iPhoto into Apeture, as still images can.)
I have just tried importing a couple of different movies but the same problem occurs. It seems as though some component of Aperture is missing. Is that possible? Should I reinstall Aperture?
Thanks, Steve.

Why don't my imported movie files show in iMovie?

I have a frustrating problem, and I don't know what to do. Sometimes when I import a movie file (usually a dv file) into iMovie, it doesn't show up. If I go to my finder, however, and look in the coresponding event folder, it's there. I can even open it in Quicktime and watch it no problem. It just doesn't show in iMovie when I have iMovie open, therefore I have no way of editing it. Sometimes if I try and import it again, it'll work fine, and sometimes it will only show a portion of the video in my iMovie, while the entire video is seemingly intact in the finder. I have plenty of room on my hard drive for the video. It does this with mov files too sometimes. Is there just a roblem with my iMovie?

This has been driving me barmy as well. I am on early 2011 MacBook Pro unibody, Lion OSX10.7.4. Clicking 'import' and navigating to the movie file just would not work. Why oh why? Your answers about showing 'all clips' in the event window or iMovie marking them as rejected were not relevant. Also these are movie clips I have put on my hard disk from my phone, they have not come through iPhoto.
Despair. No forums hold the answer. Until I remembered a Microsoft glitch in Lion that I just found out yesterday. (Does anybody else think that Lion is actually all downsides from 10.6.8? I haven't yet found a single thing that makes it better, and loads of things that make it worse. And I waited a year to 'upgrade'). Exel files with a '/' in the filename give you this infuriating message saying they are in use by another user. Er... doh, no other users are connected, no one else even knows these files exist, never mind uses them at the same time. Magic: Delete the '/' from the filename, and hey presto all is fine.
EXACT SAME THiNG with iMovie files. I took the '/' out of the filename and import now works fine. There you are. Yet another bit of Lion poop.

Why can't i import .mov files into imovie

Everytime recently I've tried to import a .mov file into imovie, its come up with the optimizing video box but nothing happens, I used to import straight from the camera, but I've recently emptied my camera onto my hard drive after a trip to New Zealand and now, when I have tried to import the footage from my hard drive, it does the optimizing video freeze on me. I would like to be able to get these movies into Imovie without having to pay a rediculous amount of money for some little converting program. I originally bought a apple computer, because I thought everything worked with each other, but now, I'm not so sure about that anymore.
Also, I've tried MPEG streamclip and all that did was either freeze on me or make the video size smaller, as in, the sides were pushed in and it ruined the video.
Camera: Canon HD Legria HFR38

What codec are the files? .mov is a container that can house many different video codecs.
Is your camera supported?
iMovie 11 - cameras supported:
http://help.apple.com/imovie/cameras/en/index.html?lang=en_US
iMovie 9 - cameras supported:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3290?viewlocale=en_US

Why can't I import .mov files?

I am trying to add .mov files and nothing happens no matter which import method I use. They are not under Home Movies or anywhere else. It seems like every time a new update or software version comes out, it breaks more than it fixes.

I merely saved the PPT with its timings as a .mov from PowerPoint for Mac.
FCPX wasn't able to recognize it, but IMovie was. I merely did a straight import
It was about 30 minutes long. The audio didn't transfer however, so I was going to use Final Cut to add it.
The information I got from the quicktime inspector was:
640 x 480 pixels (Actual)
218.65 kbit/s
33.8 MB0.03
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Why won't FCPX import .mts files?

I love shooting 1920x1080/50p, but FCPX will not recognise the files. Both Panasonic and Sony use this framerate now butto get work into FCPX I have to shoot at 50i. I know I can convert using clipwire and the like, but why should I have to go to that trouble?

Hi Tom
used two different formatted SD cards shot 2 clips on 50p and on second formatted card two clips on 50i. FCPX could not import the 50p from the camera, it just would not launch it. It would load the 50i with no problem see screen grab - both are .mts files.
When I downloaded both sets of clips to the hard drive and then pressed import FCPX would not rimport either, se screen shot.
Most new sub £3000 cameras are now being launched with this AVCHD recording setting as it's top setting ie 1920x1080/50P why can't I import it into FCPX I really need this facility or use a different software.

Why can't I import .MOV files or Imovie project?

I converted a Power point presentation to a .mov and FCPX wouldn't recognize it. I got an alert that there were no importable files.
I did import it into IMovie, and could work on it there, but Imovie audio implementation is so bad that I didn't want to even mess with it, so I tried to import the project into FCPX form an IMovie project but it came up blank.

I merely saved the PPT with its timings as a .mov from PowerPoint for Mac.
FCPX wasn't able to recognize it, but IMovie was. I merely did a straight import
It was about 30 minutes long. The audio didn't transfer however, so I was going to use Final Cut to add it.
The information I got from the quicktime inspector was:
640 x 480 pixels (Actual)
218.65 kbit/s
33.8 MB0.03
Apple Animation, 640 x 480,Millions+

IMovie Imports .mov Files with Red Tint

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I have the same issue, when I import a screen capture to iMovie it all goes red. I did the screen capture using the program "Screen capturing tool" but same thing happens when doing the screen capture with Quick TIme. Pleas fix this Apple.
iMove 10.0
Mavericks 10.9 (13A603)
Macbook Air 2012

IMovie imports .mov file upside down?

I shot some video with my iPhone, turned the phone sideways to shoot landscape. The video shot fine, played back fine. It even imported into my iPhoto and plays back correctly. The icon is right-side-up. Everything seems to be perfectly normal... until I import it into iMovie 6 HD. Then, the clip is upside down.
Can anybody help?

Hi
*Rotating & Sizeing*
In iMovie 1 - 6 . You need a plug-in
In iMovie’08 . You can turn in 90-deg steps and enlarg the picture (but not shrink)
• With a lot of disipline You can do this in QuickTime-Pro (in 90 deg steps + enlarge and shrink)
• In FinalCut (Express or Pro) this is childs play.
Put video on new video track. Turn on Image + Wireframe and grab one of the corners to rotate (increments of a degree or to a full 360 turn) and change size (enlarge or shrink) at Your likeing.
Both in QT and FC (E or P) You can do picture in picture or even video walls.
Plug-ins to iMovie ? - 6 .
Stupendous software //www.stupendous-software.com
GeeThree //www.geethree.com
cf/x. //www.imovieplugins.com
Apple //www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/videoezediapluginsforimovievol1.html
//www.imovieplugins.com/fxhome.html
from Klaus1.
You can do this (90 deg rotation) using TransformMovie, available here
//www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/21859
Also, MPEG Streamclip can rotate video while maintaining the aspect ratio as well as the interlacing when converting to DV, which is what iMovie prefers as an input.
//www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/video/mpegstreamclip.html
from Rich839.
Bengt is right that there is no rotate feature in iMovie itself. But you can import them into iPhoto. Click the edit button, and then rotate them there. Then import them back into iMovie.
Yours Bengt W

HT201302 Why won't iPhoto import movies and photos from iPhone 4s?

This is crazy. iPhoto keeps saying "can't import a photo because of an error." I don't want to restore my phone and risk losing all the video footage I've shot.

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IMovie 09 won't import .mov files

Running iMovie 09 (v8.0.6) under 10.6.5 on MBP 13.
I'm trying to import a couple .mov files from an external hard drive. In the dialog box that results after choosing File:Import:Movies, I can navigate to where the files are, but their names are grayed out so I can't access them.
Any ideas?
BTW, problem does not occur with .mp4 file.

Here is the same! The iMovie 08 wont import .mov files. Even if I made it in the iWork/Keynote with H.264 or MPEG4 codec. You can work with the .avi files , they are opening in iMovie well, and you can edit them also. But not the .mov files. Strange...
Message was edited by: Laximus

IMovie 08 won't import .mov files

I've just installed iLife 08. The only video iMovie 08 will import are ones I have saved saved as movies from the previous version of iMovie. It doesn't seem to recognize any of the .mov files. In addition, I have several .avi files, can they be converted to a file that the program will recognize?

Here is the same! The iMovie 08 wont import .mov files. Even if I made it in the iWork/Keynote with H.264 or MPEG4 codec. You can work with the .avi files , they are opening in iMovie well, and you can edit them also. But not the .mov files. Strange...
Message was edited by: Laximus

Need help importing MOV files into iMovie

I am trying to import MOV files from a USB disk -- into iMovie's event library. When I click on the files on the USB -- they are grey and won't import. They will play in QuickTime. What could the problem be? I have the latest OS and am up to date.

Can you maybe try converting them? Download the free program called Miro Video Converter from the Mac App Store. Drag the video into the window and set the output format as mp4. iMovie should import that properly.
Sorry I couldnt be more of a help.
Let us know!

Importing mov files into iMovie events

Hi
This is my first post ever on this site. Here goes!
I am new to iMovie, but have had someone more experienced trying to help but to no avail!
I am trying to import mov files into iMovie Events. However in the file menu there is no "events' option, so I chose 'Import Movies'. But ultimately when I click on the mov files they are greyed out.
The version of iMovie I have is iMovie '08 - 7.1.4
When I first opened iMovie it offered to update to the latest version, but in the end it said 'No updates available'. When I looked into this in the Apple Store, it said you need Mac OSX 10.7 or above to get the latest version. My Mac is 10.6.8, so won't support the latest version. However, can I not still use the version I have? What is wrong here?
Any help much appreciated - thanks.
Ermina.

If you don't get an answer here, you might want to post your question in the iMovie discussion here.

Disk usage after importing movie files into iMovie

The movie files on my iMac consume about 200 gig of space on a 1TB hard drive.
It seems that after I imported them into iMovie, much more of my hard rive is consumed.
Does importing the movie files into iMovie double the disk space used?
Len in NC

Yes you should expect that imported movies will be much larger than the original on the camera. That's because the camera's AVCHD format records a full movie frame only about once a second. In between it stores only differences from the previous frame. That saves a lot of space, but requires a lot more processing power to display the movie during editing. It would also require reprocessing of multiple frames each time you split a clip somewhere that happens not to be a fully-recorded frame.
That's why all of Apple's video software (even Final Cut Studio) converts AVCHD at import time to a format that makes each frame independent, but that uses several times as much space. Actually the pro software uses an even bulkier format than iMovie, to provide more bits per pixel, so that you can do more extensive post processing without loss of quality.
You may want to get one or more big external drives (preferably firewire 800 for speed) to hold your imported movie files.

So, why WON'T iMovie import .mov files???

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