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Help with iMovie and framerates

KettyKrueger

KettyKrueger

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 17, 2007
509
4
UK
Hi All

So I'm trying to edit some camcorder footage but using iMovie produces jerky results.

The source is 720i at 50fps but I've noticed that iMovie only does 25fps.

Should I have shot my footage in 25fps? Is there anyway to change my footage to 25fps without loosing quality and making the footage jerky?

When I connect my camcorder directly to my TV and play it, it looks fantastic, really smooth. I ideally want to preserve that (footage is of my daughters birth and her life since then) so file size and time converting, etc is not an issue.

I'd appreciate any help please, I suspect I'll have to use MPEG Streamclip , if so I'd appreciate fairly basic instirctions please :p

Many thanks.

FYI - camcorder is Samsung HMX10.
 
The source is 720i at 50fps but I've noticed that iMovie only does 25fps.
Click to expand...

720i does not exist. 720 comes in one flaver, 720p but with varying framerates.

25 / 50 fps are for PAL, so I guess you are from Europe.

To be honest, I really don't think the camera shoots at 50 fps Progressive under 720p. Only high end cameras can pull that framerate off.

Did you shoot in SD? I know that Final cut doesn't interlace in the canvas and just shows the progressive copy. It does look choppy, but with a reference monitor it is fine.
 
ChemiosMurphy said:
720i does not exist. 720 comes in one flaver, 720p but with varying framerates.

25 / 50 fps are for PAL, so I guess you are from Europe.

To be honest, I really don't think the camera shoots at 50 fps Progressive under 720p. Only high end cameras can pull that framerate off.

Did you shoot in SD? I know that Final cut doesn't interlace in the canvas and just shows the progressive copy. It does look choppy, but with a reference monitor it is fine.
Click to expand...

Yup, I meant 1080i, sorry. And yes again, I'm from the UK.

I shot the footage in 1280x720. When I play the clip in Quicktime, it states that the res. is 1280x720 and 50fps, but it's only playing in 25.

Like I said, previewing it in iMovie looks choppy (as well as QT) but when the camera is connected to the TV it looks awesome.

Thanks for the reply. Help :confused:
 
Just tried playing the footage with QT Pro again.

I changed the time to frame and clicked through each frame. I noticed that some frames were duplicated (not unique) so I guess I can change it to 25fps without losing quality? If so, any ideas how?
 
There really aren't many camcorders that shoot 50fps. What camcorder was it shot with and how did you get it into iMovie (precisely)?
 
KeithPratt said:
There really aren't many camcorders that shoot 50fps. What camcorder was it shot with and how did you get it into iMovie (precisely)?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply.

Samsung VP-HMX10

I'm using iMovie HD (don't get on with the latest iMovie). I put the movies from the SD card onto my hard drive, then dragged the clips in to the side panel. Does that sound about right?

The link above gives a fairly detailed spec of the camera, it definitely records in 50fps (or least, it says it does!). Could it simply be recording in 25 but duplicating every other frame?

If so, can I continue editing with iMovie and export as I would normally, or should I convert the frame rate somehow? I'm fairly new to the world of digitial editing, so appreciate any help I can get!

Thanks again for the reply, much appreciated.
 
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I'm not sure whether the HMX10 records AVCHD video or another variantof MPEG-4, but chances are it's not supported by iMovieHD.

Have you tried importing a clip into iMovie '08 to see if that avoids the framerate issue you appear to be having? (Versions of iMovie '08 from 7.1.2 [from memory] and above tend to support MPEG-4 / AVCHD so you might need to run an update if you haven't doneso since before June.) If you don't like iMovie '08 you could just use it to import your clips and then open them up in iMovie HD to edit.

Alternatively you could download the free trial version of VoltaicHD (google it) and see if importing using Voltaic gets around the framerate snag. I have a sneaking suspicion this problem is down to using iMovie HD to do the "transcoding" from MPEG-4 to an editable format.

Incidentally, you don't mention what kind of Mac you're using, though I assume it's powered by a relatively recent Intel Core 2 Duo?

Andrew.
 
I may be wrong, but I don't think it does record in AVCHD. I think it records in H.264.

'Get Info' shows that it's a H.264 file and the extension is MP4.

So what your saying is, use VoltaicHD to import/convert my footage then use iMove to edit it?
 
Voltaic won't let me open my files! So is it safe to assume they're not AVCHD files??

I forgot to add that I'm using an iMac 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo.

Thanks for the tips so far.
 
KettyKrueger said:
Voltaic won't let me open my files! So is it safe to assume they're not AVCHD files??
Click to expand...

It's looking that way. AVCHD is a flavour of H.264 MPEG-4, but looks like the Samsung is a different flavour.

So: iMovieHD won't convert properly; Voltaic won't have a bar of it; but have you tried iMovie '08 to see whether s/he wants to play with Mr/s Samsung? All you need is SOMETHING that will convert your clips to .mov Quicktime files that any version of iMovie will accept.

Otherwise it might have to be MPEG Streamclip, but as I've never used it I'm not the person to ask. It might be worth opening another thread with "MPEG Streamclip" in the title, if a search doesn't reveal anything adequately helpful first.

Andrew.
 
Is this your camcorder... http://www.samsung.com/hk_en/consum...ers&subtype=hdcamcorder&model_cd=VP-HMX10/XSH ?
From what I have read, it records in H264 and MP4. Your camcorder is not supported according to apple... http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1014 . Mpeg streamclip only works on SD video. Your probably going to either do a boot camp install of windows or buy a pc to burn your video. I see they have a patch file for cyberlink software to burn your clips. Samsung has been known to do there own thing when it comes to standards. Not sure what else to tell you.
 
bearcatrp said:
Is this your camcorder... http://www.samsung.com/hk_en/consum...ers&subtype=hdcamcorder&model_cd=VP-HMX10/XSH ?
From what I have read, it records in H264 and MP4. Your camcorder is not supported according to apple... http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1014 . Mpeg streamclip only works on SD video. Your probably going to either do a boot camp install of windows or buy a pc to burn your video. I see they have a patch file for cyberlink software to burn your clips. Samsung has been known to do there own thing when it comes to standards. Not sure what else to tell you.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's the one. MPEG Streamclip only works with SD video?? Are you sure? I'm pretty sure you can export at any res.

Does it matter that the camcorder is not supported by Apple? I don't even connect it to my Mac. I take out the SD card and use a card reader to trasnfer the files to my hard drive.
 
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