iMovie HD

[g5_11]

I have been a fan of imovie since it started a few years ago but have always had one problem with it. I recently started working on a slideshow video of our family holiday and I selected the dv format. When I export it to quicktime in full quality it is quite distorted and a lot of quality is lost. My goal is to make a dvd with it. Will the quality be as bad or should I use a different format?

Thanks

 

[lopresmb]

if you are going to use iDVD, you might exporting directly to that. I know thats not exactly what you asked, but it might help..

 

[rock6079]

hey.. i havent been using imovie for quite a while now (since i ahve moved to FCP). but nonetheless i remember having a problem like that when i was using imovie..first make sure that you are using the right quality pictures.. .72dpi and then if you want them cropped full to the actual screen size on the computers at a size of 720x536 (i beliebe)... anywase it seems you are just talking about the actual quality of the images once you export. so assuming your not using horrible quality images when i had this problem i remember a guy at the apple store saying it was just quicktime rendering the images at a poorer quality while playing them on your computer. however once burned on idvd thye come out fine.. and they did.. if you are still however experienceing this problem after going through idvd.. consider building our slideshow inside of idvd.. you wont get all the same features as in imovie but the basics are there and it should work.. if you still ahve a problem it could be the quality of your images.. if you dont want to put this slideshow on a dvd and would rather like to view it at high quality on your computer.. consider creating the slideshow in iPhoto (there you can get some good options such as ken burns etc..) and then just export the slideshow to a quicktime format from iPhoto(in iphoto 5 click the share menu item, there you will get your export options)

good luck, i hope this helps.

 

[DeSnousa]

What format are you using, when exporting as Quicktime file? You should be using the uncompressed dv format. This is a huge disk space loss, but there is no loss in quality. If not try a really high h.264 format (must have pretty powerful computer to playback)

Apart from that try using iDvd like the above poster mentioned.

 

[g5_11]

I am using pictures off a 5MP digital camera and I havnt tried exporting right to idvd so that might be it. I was exporting at uncompressed dv.

 

[DeSnousa]

I am using pictures off a 5MP digital camera and I havnt tried exporting right to idvd so that might be it. I was exporting at uncompressed dv.

Yep give iDvd a try, if the quality is not good still post here again

Edit, just realised you can create a quicktime slideshow with iPhoto. I haven't used this feature yet but worth a try

Go iPhoto--> File--> Export and then go into the quicktime tab. From there you have a selection of music, transition and etc.

 

[rjphoto]

How are you viewing it

In your post you say, "quite distorted and a lot of quality is lost".

Were you looking at the file in the full screen mode of QuickTime?

If so, what screen resolution were you using? Anything above the "Normal" resolution of a QT video will look bad in the full screen view of a hi-resolution monitor.

A normal TV is 640x480. The laptop I'm using is running 1024x768. The DV file should be somewhere around 720x536.


Try burning the DVD to see how it plays on your TV. A little time and a blank DVD is all it will cost.

 

[g5_11]

I am going to give the iphoto slideshow a try. By the way I was not looking at it in full screen. Just the normal size.

 

[rock6079]

I am going to give the iphoto slideshow a try. By the way I was not looking at it in full screen. Just the normal size.

as i said previously.. since you plan on authoring it to a dvd just burn it in idvd you will see that it looks just fine on your actual tv opposed to quicktime

 

[g5_11]

Yup i made the slideshow in iPhoto and touched it up and added things in iDvd and that works way better. Thanks for the help!

 

[rebhaf]

Is iMovie as easy as they say?

I never used iMove before, but I've had horrible experiences with some of the PC video-editing software for DV (granted, I'm a beginner and have no idea what the heck I'm doing, but they don't make it easy to learn). I don't even need fancy editing capabilities. All I want to do is transfer DV cassettes directly to a DVD and send it off to my family. I read that this is very simple to do with iMovie (direct to DVD from the camera/DV tape). Is this true?

 

[rjphoto]

I never used iMove before, but I've had horrible experiences with some of the PC video-editing software for DV (granted, I'm a beginner and have no idea what the heck I'm doing, but they don't make it easy to learn). I don't even need fancy editing capabilities. All I want to do is transfer DV cassettes directly to a DVD and send it off to my family. I read that this is very simple to do with iMovie (direct to DVD from the camera/DV tape). Is this true?

With the new iLife 5 and a good CPU that is the case. I've read the directions but have not had a chance to try it for myself. Maybe this weekend.

Do you have a Mac? If so, which one?

 

[DeSnousa]

I never used iMove before, but I've had horrible experiences with some of the PC video-editing software for DV (granted, I'm a beginner and have no idea what the heck I'm doing, but they don't make it easy to learn). I don't even need fancy editing capabilities. All I want to do is transfer DV cassettes directly to a DVD and send it off to my family. I read that this is very simple to do with iMovie (direct to DVD from the camera/DV tape). Is this true?

Piece of cake after you learn the basic features, you will be editing like a pro. Learning the basics took about an hour for me to learn. That is stuff like clipping, importing and adding transitions, titles and etc.

 

[rebhaf]

With the new iLife 5 and a good CPU that is the case. I've read the directions but have not had a chance to try it for myself. Maybe this weekend.

Do you have a Mac? If so, which one?

I just ordered one -- the iBook 14." iMovie, built-in FireWire and the DVD drive were the final things I used to convince myself to move from PC to Mac (actually, it's not a complete "move," because I'm keeping the PC desktop too). I always used a Mac at work but never bought one because of the price. And I never really needed all the functionality it offers. Actually, Tiger/Spotlight was another key factor. And so were the monthly eNews from Apple Store Europe. Between the eCoupons, promotions and hassle-free ordering, they've made it easier than ever to move to Mac. I've run out of excuses. Well, the price is still an excuse, but what are you gonna do?