Importing iMovie Clips

[FattyMembrane]

i've never really used imovie for anything, but i decided to try it out the other day, but found that it would not import any movie files. it will not import mpeg1, mpeg4, or sorensen encoded movies (which are the only type of clips that i have). why is this not working? all of these formats are supported by quicktime (which is what imovie uses, right?) so why does imovie refuse to import any of them? this makes any stock footage useless. does anyone have any suggestions? i appologize for such a trivial quiestion.

[WinterMute]

iMovie use DV stream video, which is the raw data you get from a digicam, it'll export to all of the file types you mention, but not import...

If you look at the import file selector, on the drop down menu marked file type you'll get a list of files it'll recognise.

Export the clip from quicktime as DV stream and it'll work just fine.

[arn]

As WinterMute pointed out... iMovie's primary purpose is to edit DV Video from Digital Video Camcorders.

arn

[JW Pepper]

When I export from Mpeg1 to DV stream using QuicktimePro6.1 I loose the audio. Is there a work around, I have no budget so I can afford FCP.

[vniow]

Originally posted by JW Pepper
When I export from Mpeg1 to DV stream using QuicktimePro6.1 I loose the audio. Is there a work around, I have no budget so I can afford FCP.

http://www.versiontracker.com/moreinfo.fcgi?id=14618&db=mac

[JW Pepper]

Yes I have seen that , but I have also read the reports and other people have had no sucess with that programme.:(

[vniow]

It's worked fine for me, just locked up one time, the rest of the time it's been flawless (if a little slow)

[JW Pepper]

i end up with two files and audio and a video file. What do I do with those. All I want to do is create a .dv file to import to iMovie?

[vniow]

Open iMovie, go to File/Import/wherever-you-put-the-demuxed-files/click ok and you should have one of them in iMovie, do the same for the second track and there ya go.

It's not iMovie's or Quicktime's fault that this is so difficult, it's the MPEG format itself.http://img.ranchoweb.com/images/veronica/damn.gif

[JW Pepper]

I realise that... but my friend who travels the world with a Sony P100 digicam which has mpg recording mode bought an iBook so he could edit them in iMovie. He is now of the opinion that Apple sucks because he can't do what he wants. Seemingly, this does not seem to be a problem in windows.

Why can't Quicktime demux and re-stitch the sound track when you export an .mpg to .dv format. Apple need to address this issue as soon as possible because digicams are becoming very popular and if Apple wants to be the digital hub it needs to transcode the format. I would like to see iMovie import .mpg files directly. Do we know if iMovie3 has this caperbility?

[WinterMute]

Most cameras have firewire connections in and out now, at least that's what you'd look for in a camera, why degrade your video through MPEG when you can run DV stream (yes, I know it a codec) directly to your HD via iMovie, FCP or FCE?

iMovies original purpose was to edit DV stream, if you want to use MPEG1, go get Cleaner 6, it's a much better renderer of the MPEG format than QT anyway, and allows muxed and de-muxed audio in many codec forms.

Video quality is much better in DV Stream, Clean it to MPEG2 and iDVD it. (or DVD ST Pro if you like, now there's a package)

Apple's digital hub works like a charm, but you've got to play the game a little:)