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How do I use .avi, .wmv, etc in iMovie'09?

S

sKiZZiT

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 13, 2010
12
0
Hello!

How do I use .avi, .wmv, etc in iMovie'09? Do I need a converter? If yes, which is the best? Do I need codecs for iMovie? If yes, which is the best?

As background, I'm a PC turned Mac user for almost two months now, so there're a few things that I'm not familiar with.

Let me know!

Thank you!
 
Hmmm doesn't seem to be working

I wasn't the OP, but I found this thread while trying to fix this problem for my wife. I have Perian and Flip4Mac already installed. I verified they were both updated, but iMovie will not recognize the .avi when I go to "import movies."

V 10.6.3, Latest white MacBook, iMovie 09

Any ideas?
 
w/ perian and flip4mac MPEG Strmclp Won't do .wmv

Hey guys - sorry to post on this again - but I have all the above and MPEG Streamclip and QuickTime won't open .wmv files at all.

What am I missing here?
 
simsaladimbamba said:
Flip4Mac
Click to expand...

Umm - sorry I have to be rude - but dude - you don't read well do you.

Anyway - I discovered a corrupted program so I reinstalled it and was able to open the .wmv no problem.

The problem now is I can't convert the '.wmv' files at all. I really don't want to buy flip4mac pro or any other program to convert one or two .wmv's. For those that don't know - MPEG Streamclip/Flip4Mac/Perian/QT don't allow you to do the conversion without paying for a F4M upgrade.

Can anyone help?
 
StofUnited said:
...

Can anyone help?
Click to expand...
Not if you won't listen, they can't. Stop insulting the people who are trying to help you.

Now get this: Flip4Mac is a codec that allows .wmv video to be handled in QuickTime-compatible applications.
 
re: misterme

I have an intel imac with flip4mac and perian installed. Quicktime canot play many of my avi files. Just black screen with audio. they will play on VLC. The unplayable files do not load into imovie9. They are made on a toshiba camcorder. only after converting with handbrake will they behave(mpg4)So although this topic has been asked and answered before it seems to be a problem with many solutions as time goes on. apparently just installing perian and flip4mac is not the final solution.
 
Last edited:
macj3 said:
I have an intel imac with flip4mac and perian installed. Quicktime canot play many of my avi files. ....
Click to expand...
Your situation and that of StofUnited may be completely unrelated. You may contribute to this thread by telling us the codecs used for the audio and video tracks of your problematic .avi files.
 
use VLC

It may not be the best way, but I have used VLC to convert several different video file types into .mov files that I could import into iMovie. The general instructions can be found here:
Transcode to MOV
 
I have avi movies that have been imported into iPhoto from a camera.They just show up in iMovie9 in the iPhoto Movies option, and I can just drag them straight into a project.
 
Dave Braine said:
I have avi movies that have been imported into iPhoto from a camera.They just show up in iMovie9 in the iPhoto Movies option, and I can just drag them straight into a project.
Click to expand...
It is worth remembering that .avi is not a video format; it is a wrapper format. Files with the .avi extension may contain any number of different types of video and audio tracks. Therefore, any question or comment about .avi files is meaningless if you don't state the format of the video and audio tracks. This information is readily available in both the QuickTime Player and VLC.
 
THe OPs question wasn't as simple as people are making it out to be. Flip4Mac will allow Quicktime to play .wmv files, but even IF you can get it to import into iMovie it will be converted in .dv or .mp4 format.

Now, that being said, you should be able to use MPEGStreamClip to convert the files to .dv format for use in iMovie. They will be large files.

If that doesn't work, then try VideoMonkey (it's freeware) based on a great app called VisualHub that is no longer available, at least not that I'm aware.

It may be able to transcode your .wmv and .avi files to something more friendly for iMovie.

Best,
 
MisterMe said:
Not if you won't listen, they can't. Stop insulting the people who are trying to help you.

Now get this: Flip4Mac is a codec that allows .wmv video to be handled in QuickTime-compatible applications.
Click to expand...

Your right - my rudeness was not appropriate - my apologies to simsal'.

Mister' - your response is confusing to me. To clarify - I have all of the software in this discussion above - and I am able to 'open' them, but not convert them. Can you please elaborate on your answer? It seems you have it working while i don't or your saying something else.
 
Last edited:
bmcgonag said:
THe OPs question wasn't as simple as people are making it out to be. Flip4Mac will allow Quicktime to play .wmv files, but even IF you can get it to import into iMovie it will be converted in .dv or .mp4 format.

Now, that being said, you should be able to use MPEGStreamClip to convert the files to .dv format for use in iMovie. They will be large files.

If that doesn't work, then try VideoMonkey (it's freeware) based on a great app called VisualHub that is no longer available, at least not that I'm aware.

It may be able to transcode your .wmv and .avi files to something more friendly for iMovie.

Best,
Click to expand...

Thanks much, bmc. I will check those out.
 
StofUnited said:
Your right - my rudeness was not appropriate - my apologies to simsal'.

Mister' - your response is confusing to me. To clarify - I have all of the software in this discussion above - and I am able to 'open' them, but not convert them. Can you please elaborate on your answer? It seems you have it working while i don't or your saying something else.
Click to expand...
QuickTime Pro, the QuickTime Player after you pay for the serial number, will convert them. Other utilities will do so as well. My only concern is whether or not conversion is really necessary for your intended outcome. BTW, "using" a video in iMovie 09 is not the intended outcome. What you do with the video after you edit it in iMovie is the intended outcome.
 
MisterMe said:
QuickTime Pro, the QuickTime Player after you pay for the serial number, will convert them. Other utilities will do so as well. My only concern is whether or not conversion is really necessary for your intended outcome. BTW, "using" a video in iMovie 09 is not the intended outcome. What you do with the video after you edit it in iMovie is the intended outcome.
Click to expand...

yeah - I don't want to pay for something that I only have a couple of small clips to convert. Need to find another way for now. Anyone know of any free solutions to convert .wmv to iMovie / FCEx formats?
 
I just found AVC (any video converter) for Mac. I had used this on windows and it worked great, and it does quite well converting tons of formats on mac as well. It is also freeware.

Brian
 
I used Flip4Mac to get my .wmv and .avi files to work, they work flawlessly in Quick View, Quicktime Pro X, and I even made a collage in iMovie with .wmv files, and that turns out flawless as well!

Here's the video I made almost solely with .wmv and .avi files towards the end. All of the files were taken with a Flip MinoHD and Nikon Coolpix L11.

The L11 records in .avi, I am most positive about that, if not, then my PC saved them as .avi files, and I moved them to my iMac from my external hard drive as THAT format.
 
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