Converting to Mac from PC...

[SHIGph]

Switched to Mac because the PC was brutal for video editing... have several .avi clips I am trying to convert so I can edit in iMovie. Any suggestions how to convert the files to a format iMovie will recognize? Heard MPEG4 was the best format to convert to?

Thanks

 

[hazmatzak]

One problem with iMovie '08 in particular is that it has more strict technical requirements for the codec implementations that it will allow (they have to be thread-safe). So the first question is: can you open the AVI in QuickTime Player?

It would help to know the codec. AVI is like the box that a pizza comes in; no one cares about the box. (Well, not quite that bad.)

In the end, you want to be able to edit the clips directly in iMovie. Translating them first into another (lossy) format will reduce the quality. If you are forced to do that, you should use a format like Apple Intermediate -- that's what it's for. MPEG-4 is a "distribution" codec (and confusingly, also a file format), not intended for editing.

 

[ppc_michael]

Have you tried dropping the AVI files into iMovie? I've opened iMovie maybe twice ever but it seems like if Quicktime is able to parse the movie at all it will convert it to the proper format for you.

Just a suggestion, but as I said I don't know iMovie at all.

Anyway MPEG4 would not be what you want. iMovie uses a Quicktime DV codec of some sort. It may be a conversion you have to do on the Windows side (export to Quicktime through Premiere or whatever you used).

 

[speakerwizard]

there is a free app called mpeg stream clip, that could convert your avi files to dv for editing. Is there a reason you are editing avi? its more of an output codec than a recording one such as dv or avchd? anyway that should sort ya, flip4mac and perian are great plugin codecs for quicktime for playing back avi etc in quicktime or quicklook. I would recommend taking the dv or whater straight off of the cam into imovie in future.