iMovie Trash question

[iAussie]

I can't really find the answer to my question anywhere (on here or in iMovie help), though its pretty simple...

I know that iMovie puts files in its own Trash when you add them to a project but then quit without saving, but mine is filled with files that I dont think got there that way.

The clips in my iMovie Trash are DV clips that are in use in my project (they play fine and everything there), so are these clips in my Trash likely to just be duplicates that it created when I was editing/spliitng etc? As in, temporary files? I quite often split a clip using +T and deleted the piece I didnt need. Does iMovie create a duplicate file when I split it, so then when I delete the part I dont need, its this duplicate version going to the Trash?

When I play the preview for them in the iMovie Trash, some are only a couple of seconds long yet the file size is in the GBs (the same size as the full DV file). Can I safely delete them? It wouldnt delete any DV files that are actually in use in my project, would it? Nor clips that are in the Clips pane but I havent actually used in the timeline yet?

Thanks

 

[iAussie]

Ok, let me refine my question slightly...

From iMovie help:
"You can remove unwanted audio or video clips from your movie by deleting them or dragging them to the iMovie Trash. The iMovie Trash holds the deleted clips until you empty it."

So I now know that they're definitely just the bits that I didnt want and had deleted from the timeline, but why are the files in the iMovie Trash so damn big? They're as big as the original DV files, even though the bit I deleted from the timeline is only a few seconds. The only explanation I can think of is like I said above, about it possibly duplicating clips when I split them (which is kinda stupid).

Having come from Premiere Elements (before my Mac switch), if you used a DV file more than once or split it, I believe it just kept track of the in/out points and referred back to the one original DV file. Is the only way to get this functionality to upgrade to FCE? Or is there something I'm missing??

Thanks in advance for the help

 

[Super8Guy]

iMovie TRash

Hello:

As I understand it each iMovie clip
is storeed somewhere.

Let's say the clip is 5 minutes long.
In iMovie you can keep that clip in the clips window.

You may edit that clip in iMovie
and part of that clip will go in the trash.

Let's say you kept just :30 seconds of that
clip in your edited movie.

The rest is in the trash.

If you EMPTY the trash most of the clip
is gone. It may free up some space.

But, you have :30 seconds of that original
clip in your movie.

Well, even after you TRASH the rest of the
5 minute clip, you can select the :30 seconds
and get the ENTIRE clip restored.

That means that iMovie has stored
has kept the entire clip somewhere
and it can be restored from :30 seconds
or less of the original length. If you kept
ONE FRAME of the original clip in your
edited movie - iMoive could restore
the entire 5 minute clip.

So, learn to EMPTY your trash
and remember if you keep just one frame
of a clip, the entire clip can be restored.

iMovie Tip
I often hold down the OPTION key
when I drag an iMovie clip from the
Clip Pane to the Timeline.

With the Option Key held down,
the Original Clip stays in the Clip Pane
and a COPY goes onto the Timeline.

It is tough to get completely rid of
an entire clip if you keep all this info in mind.

Was any of this helpful to you?

JOHN LONGENECKER .com
Super 8 Guy
800 470-4602

 

[iAussie]

Thanks, that did clear things up a bit. I guess it'd just been nervous about it because it was a bit different to the way I had previously been used to things.