How do I cut part of a .mov without using imovie?

[yamsham]

I am trying to cut part of a video (.mov) so that it is a smaller file. When I cut it in imovie it makes the file huge (from 26 MB to like 240 MB) just by virtue of being an imovie. why is this? is there any other way to cut my .mov without making the file huge?

Thanks in advance!

 

[tyr2]

Try MPEGStreamClip.

Only one caveat is that if your original stream in MPEG2 you'll need to buy the MPEG2 modules for quicktime to be able to use it with that stream.

 

[gauchogolfer]

You might be able to set 'in' and 'out' points in QTPro; I've never tried it but it's worth a shot. There are quite a few export options to play with there.

 

[ImNoSuperMan]

QTPro is what you need. I`ve used it and it works like a charm for mov files. It`s as simple as cut n paste. Since the original file is a Qt file it wont even need encoding/decoding at all. You just set the start and end points and simply copy the clip. Then open new window and paste that clip. Extremely simple.

EDIT: Just a lil slow. Hmmm.

 

[dalvin200]

quicktime pro will do it..

just cut out the parts you don't need..

 

[ImNoSuperMan]

I am trying to cut part of a video (.mov) so that it is a smaller file. When I cut it in imovie it makes the file huge (from 26 MB to like 240 MB) just by virtue of being an imovie. why is this? is there any other way to cut my .mov without making the file huge?

Thanks in advance!

BTW if you dont have QTPro then even iMovie will do the job. Just make sure you export it using some compression(H.264 will do) and not full quality DV.

 

[yamsham]

thanks

thanks for the quick response everyone! i don't appear to have quicktime pro...is it expensive? where can i get it?

and vikas, i'm not sure what you mean by: "just make sure you export it using some compression(H.264 will do) and not full quality DV." if its incredibly obvious then sorry...im just clueless

 

[mkrishnan]

thanks for the quick response everyone! i don't appear to have quicktime pro...is it expensive? where can i get it?

and vikas, i'm not sure what you mean by: "just make sure you export it using some compression(H.264 will do) and not full quality DV." if its incredibly obvious then sorry...im just clueless

When you make a movie in iMovie, the "iMovie Project" file is huge. But in the end, you have to export it back as a normal movie file. If you use a reasonable export setting (like the ones vikas suggested) then you will end up with a small file again in the end, like you started with. The 240MB file is just a working file. Sort of like if you save in Photoshop as a PSD instead of as a JPG.

With respect to Quicktime Pro, it's available directly from Apple.... go to their website.

 

[Josias]

thanks for the quick response everyone! i don't appear to have quicktime pro...is it expensive? where can i get it?

and vikas, i'm not sure what you mean by: "just make sure you export it using some compression(H.264 will do) and not full quality DV." if its incredibly obvious then sorry...im just clueless

get it at apple.com/store.

it's like 30 bucks. I have it, and it's definitely worth it. it can do so much other cool stuff

 

[yamsham]

When you make a movie in iMovie, the "iMovie Project" file is huge. But in the end, you have to export it back as a normal movie file. If you use a reasonable export setting (like the ones vikas suggested) then you will end up with a small file again in the end, like you started with. The 240MB file is just a working file. Sort of like if you save in Photoshop as a PSD instead of as a JPG.

With respect to Quicktime Pro, it's available directly from Apple.... go to their website.

where do you change export settings? i think this is what is tripping me up.

 

[MacBoobsPro]

Cutting out the bit where the guy keeps talking is easy. Just select the frames in QTPro and press Apple + X. Then save.

 

[ImNoSuperMan]

where do you change export settings? i think this is what is tripping me up.

OK. In iMovie first click SHARE from the top menu. Select Quick Time Now choose EXPERT SETTINGS from Compress Movie For:. Now click Share. Choose Movie to QuickTime Movie from the drop down menu in front of EXPORT:. Now click Options, then SETTINGS. Choose H.264 as the compression type. Click OK, again OK and finally SAVE the file.

Wow. It seems that i made one of the simplest thing sound like extremely confusing. Just give it a try and you`ll be fine.

 

[yamsham]

ok...i did all that...just as you said...and my imovie file was still huge. i'm not sure what i am doing wrong...but after all of that, should it still be an imovie file or a .mov? sigh...i'm probably overlooking something very obvious.

thanks for all the help so far.

 

[ero87]

after you do that, you've exported a .mov file. test out this file, see if you like the quality. if you do, you can delete the imovie file! Don't panic, you can always re-import the movie into iMovie for future editing.

in summation: iMovie files = very (surprisingly) large
Quicktime movies = reasonable!

 

[ImNoSuperMan]

ok...i did all that...just as you said...and my imovie file was still huge. i'm not sure what i am doing wrong...but after all of that, should it still be an imovie file or a .mov? sigh...i'm probably overlooking something very obvious.

thanks for all the help so far.

The iMovie file will always remain huge. The smaller exported file is a new different file other than the iMovie project file. It's a .mov file. Check that out. It'll definitely be much smaller than the iMovie one. If you still think that it's a bit bigger than what you wish, you can try reducing the quality to medium or lowering the resolution etc. You'll find all these options while exporting the file to QT using expert settings. Just play around and experiment a bit with the settings and you'll very soon learn everything bout iMovie by yourself without any help. Good luck.

 

[yamsham]

i got it!

it worked! thanks so much for walking me through it!