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

Similar Messages

Why can't I import DV files into iMovie 09?

Help, I have mpeg files from a Sony Handycam, and I want to use them in iMovie 09. I have downloaded MPEG Streamline to convert them to DV files and I have Quicktime MPEG2 installed, which I bought from apple. The files are converting to DV ok and they were importing into my movie project. However, suddenly I started getting a message saying that the files could not be found, even though they were on the desktop and iMovie has deleted all of the film that I had imported and will not import any at all now.
What am I doing wrong (besides using a Sony Handycam of course)? Is there any way around this?

Hi Jeff,
Just came across your posts, so sorry about the delay in responding.
You said:
I want to tag on with a follow-up question because I can't figure out how to post to the group
To start a new post with your own topic, when you first come into the iMovie Discussion page click on one of the iMovie headings, such as iMovie '09, iMovie '08 etc, depending on which version you want help. Then click on "Post New Topic" just above the listing of Topics.
I'm not sure what to suggest regarding your DV files being greyed out. File>Import - Movies should enable iMovie to see the DV files, provided your external FireWire drive is connected. Try dragging one of the files to your Desktop, then importing from there.
I haven't used DV with iMovie '09 as I mainly shoot with my Sony AVCHD hard drive camcorder now. I use iMovie HD 6 for my older DV projects, but am considering switching to iMovie '09 for any future DV projects that may arise (depending on possible quality issues).
If you don't have success with importing the DV clips, try converting them to AIC or H.264 using MPEG Streamclip, as discussed earlier in this thread.
Sorry I can't help further. If I think of anything useful, I'll post back. It may be better if you raise your own question in the appropriate forum (as I described) - you mentioned you were using iMovie '08 (but do have access to '09). Perhaps try the '08 forum first.
John

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+

Why can't I import DV files into iMovie 11?

This is more a curiousity, because I'm working in iMovie 6 HD, which I know well. But I wanted to play with iMovie 11 effects, and could not import my DV clips into the program. I thought iMovie 11 supported DV clips. I know I can use Streamclip to alter, but don't want to, since I wanted to interchange the clips from iMovie 6 HD to iMovie 11.

If you have an iMovie 6 project you want to use in iMovie 11, click FILE/IMPORT/iMOVIE HD PROJECT

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.

When I try to import mov files into iMovie'08 (7.1.4) the files are greyed out. Any suggestions?

When I try to import mov files into iMovie '08 (7.1.4) the files are greyed out. Any suggestions?

Hi Appleman - thanks for your guidance.
OK RealTime Inspector: Dimensions of my clips - as I don't know which bit this is I will list everything under Inspector, including Format:
00117
00117
33.30
Format:MPEG-4 Video, 1280 x 720 millions
AAC, 2channels, 44100Hz
FPS29.97
Data Size2.57GB
Data Rate 10.20 Mbits/s
Current size 1280 x 720 pixels (Actual)
And re the types of tracks you mention that iMovie '08 can't import, I don't much about film clips so haven't yet made sense of this, tho I do see that the clips are organised into chapters, so presumably this is 'chapter tracks'?
Thanks - I'll await your further instructions :-)

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.

Cannot import .mov file into iMovie '08

I have about 50 .mov files that I need to import into iMovie '08. I am unable to drag-and-drop or import the .mov files into iMovie.
The files originated from a Flip video camera. Is it possible that maybe Flip and iMovie '08 do not interface? Please let me know if you have encountered this before. Thanks!

is this also the case for imovie '09?
i've taken some video with my digital camera that's been imported into iphoto along with pics. i've been trying to get them into imovie for editing purposes, but have had 0 luck...the files aren't selectable when attempting to import.
you're saying that the solution is to buy yet ANOTHER piece of software to convert the file to something else that imovie will read? what the..?!?
it's rhetorical, but why wouldn't they enable imovie do this for you?!?
not sure why it's this difficult and/or why anyone would want to go thru that effort. i "need" to be that much more educated about file types and compression and tween tracks and all that nonsense? seems both counterintuitive and counterproductive.
look, i just want to take some video and edit it...why do i need all the other headache?

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.

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!

Why can't I import .jpg files into PRE 9 slideshow project?

I have a Windows 7 computer and use Photoshop Elements 9 and Premiere Elements 9. I recently completed a slideshow for my father's 90th birthday in Photoshop Elements that contains about 360 photos, 12 songs/partial songs, and lasts 24 minutes. My intention is to burn it to a DVD so that it can play on Windows and Mac computers, as well as on televisions in DVD players.
When I tried to import the project into Premiere Elements I got an error message: "Adobe Photoshop Elements Slideshow Import Error: Following file formats could not be imported in Adobe Premiere Elements - .jpg."
From a little digging I have done I saw a post that said that my photo files have to be: 1) 24-bit RGB color, and 2) no larger than 1000 x 750 pixels. If this is true, then many of my photos have too many pixels, which must be causing the error message. Does anyone know if this is correct? If so, is there any way that I can fix my problem without going in to each photo file and reducing the size of the pixels/file? I am also wondering if upgrading to the most recent versions of Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements could help me. Thanks very much in advance for any advice or suggestions.

welcome HarleyQ to the  boards ...
avi and mov are socalled containers, some say "wrapper"; inside such a container are all kind of "codecs" (formats...)
iM is meant to work with miniDV camcorders; these use a codec called dv..
so, iM prefers a dv (inside a mov.. or an avi, if the file is made on a PC...)
QTpro allows you, to look inside an avi (or mov), and looking for the used codec; QTpro also allows the conversion of many codecs into dv.. but not all; you can teach QT new tricks, by installing plug-ins, codecs for divx, wmv, ...
goto www.perian.org, and install that plug-in.. probably, it helps to handle your avi................

Can't import .mov file into iMovie

I have a video clip in .mov format that won't seem to import so that I can edit it. I'm a guy who's worked with windows for years and I am Mac illiterate. Is there a reason why I can't import the clip, but it still plays in quicktime?
G5 Mac OS X (10.4.4)

Hi Solace,
welcome to this forum
to give you some background info for better understanding in the future:
the file extension".mov" is a bit irritating, should NOT be translated with "movie"! a .mov is just a socalled container, it can contain (sic) many kind of media: stills, music, VR...- and for sure video.
just to impress you, have a look in this list:
Apple's list of formats supported by QT
iMovie is an edit-app meant to work with firewire-connected miniDV camcorders..... you can import "other" files&formats, but then it gets a bit tricky....
so, my usual guess, you're trying to import some mpegs (contained in a .mov file, you don't read .mpg as suffix.....)
some very good advices here, in plain english:
http://danslagle.com/mac/iMovie/tips_tricks/6010.shtml
http://danslagle.com/mac/iMovie/tips_tricks/6018.shtml
have fun with your Mac!

Can't not import mov files into AE.

This problem has appeared for some of the time. It causes several things I can't do in my After Effect, but I really have no idea how I can fix it.
Problem 1: wait a long time to open the AE, it hangs on the initializing media core and takes about 10-15 mins to get through.
Problem 2: can't import the mov files, and if I import the mov to the AE project, this pop up comes
"After Effects error: file 'file name.mov' cannot be imported - this 'MooV file is damaged or unsupported.'"
Problem 3: can't output the comp as mov. and this pop up warming comes
"After Effects: One of the output modules could not be imported. It has been reset to use the default setting for the selected file format."
I read some threads and I knew this might cause by the blocked communication between AE and QT. But I have double check my QT, it is version 7.6.6 and I have no firewall software installed, hence the communication is okay (i guess, since I can play the mov file normally and not the warm message that “QuickTime is not installed on this system…”) .
Some other thread says may because of the three party component in the QT Library. This may make sense, cause I install some converters for converting the wmv and avi before…
Here are the components in the QT Library:
AviImporter.component
FFusion.component
iChatTheaterPreview.component
IMXCodec.component
XviD_Codec.component
↑↑The above 5 component I have move them out, but no luck still ↑↑
AppleAVCIntraCodec.component
AppleHDVCodec.component
AppleIntermediateCodec.component
AppleMPEG2Codec.component
AppleProResCodec.component
DesktopVideoOut.component
DVCPROHDCodec.component
DVCPROHDMuxer.component
DVCPROHDVideoDigitizer.component
DVCPROHDVideoOutput.component
DVCPROHDVideoOutputClock.component
DVCPROHDVideoOutputCodec.component
FCP Uncompressed 422.component
LiveType.component
Could anyone give me some advise regarding to those problems, and is there any of the above component I should move away. DEL .\/.
Thanks so much in advance for any of your help and advise, really appreciate that! thanks!
Donna
Here are some background info about my mac:
Mac OSX 10.6.8
2x3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
8GB memory
AE CS5
QuickTime Player 7 version 7.6.6

I was having the same problem and so far this solution has worked for me. (knock on wood)
Try setting your default player for .mov files to QuickTime. (Mine was set to Windows Media Player)
Right click on one of the mov files you are having a problem opening in AE.
Select the "Open with" and select "Choose default program..." at the bottom.
Select Quick Time. (Make sure the "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" box is checked.)
Reboot your computer.
Open AE and see if it works.

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
Apple Animation, 640 x 480,Millions+

Why can't I import MP4 files into Premeire Pro?

I am on my MacBook pro using Premeire Pro CS6. It won't let me import MP4 files. Please help!
- Andrew

Analyze a clip and post a screendump in treeview with the program below.
MediaInfo Windows
MediaInfo Mac
@ NobeKaycee, please start your own thread in this forum.
Premiere Pro CS4 & Earlier

Why can't i import .mov files into imovie

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