Why Does Imovie Quit When I Export A Movie?

Question

When I attempt to export my finished movie as a file and save it to my desktop, the file export process goes for quite a while - usually at least an hour - and then crashes.
Imovie exits, and the error message tells me "Imovie quit unexpectedly."
I'm exporting in 720P.

Answer 1

Hey there RusticBohemian,
It sounds ike you are trying to esxport or share your project but it is quitting when you try. I found the following article to help you troubleshoot or isolate the issue:
iMovie: How to troubleshoot "Application Unexpectedly Quit" messages
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3143
1) Verify your software is up to date by running Software Update.
The updates necessary to resolve the issue are those relating to QuickTime, iLife, iMovie and Mac OS X. If any of these updates are available, install the updates. After you install the updates, run Software Update again to verify there are no more updates for that application available.
2) Disable non-essential QuickTime components.
Navigate to /Library/QuickTime/ for a list of components currently installed.
Temporarily disable any components that are not in the list below. You can disable the components by moving them to the Desktop or another folder outside of the /Library/QuickTime/ folder.
Open iMovie and see if the issue is resolved. If iMovie no longer unexpectedly quits, check to see if an updated component is available, or contact the developer of the component for further recommendations.
iMovie uses the following components, and should be left in the QuickTime folder:
AppleIntermediateCodec.component
AppleMPEG2Codec.component
Note: There may also be a similar folder at ~/Library/QuickTime/ depending on the components you have installed. If this folder is available on your Mac, remove any components as instructed in step 2. Both of these locations hold QuickTime components. The components help you encode or decode different types of multimedia content.
3) For iMovie 6 or earlier, try disabling iMovie components provided by manufacturers other than Apple. Start by quitting iMovie 6. Navigate to ~/Library/QuickTime/ and /Library/QuickTime/ and use steps 2 and 3, under "Disable non-essential QuickTime components," to determine what components to disable.
4) Check the Knowledge Base.
Search Apple's Knowledge Base for further recommendations. You can use search strings such as "iMovie unexpectedly quit" to locate new or updated articles describing specific iMovie scenarios and possible resolutions.
5) Run Apple Hardware Test and Disk Utility
If you are experiencing unexpected behavior in other applications, check your hardware by using Apple Hardware Test. You can also test your hard disks using the Verify and Repair functions of Disk Utility.
Note: If the issue only occurs when importing footage from a camera or device known to work with iMovie, consult the articles "iMovie '08: Cannot see or control camera" and "iMovie 6 or earlier: Cannot see or control camera"  for additional recommendations.
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
All the very best,
Sterling