Merging two video sources in iMovie

[bizcoach]

I've searched and can't find whether iMovie 08 or 09 will handle two video channels. I'm conducting interviews shooting with two cameras at once. Only one has an external mic input so that's the one I'm using with a remote mic.

I want to drag the footage from both sources into a Project, overlapping them. Then choose the footage to be used from each but keeping the soundtrack from the footage that used the external mic. Otherwise, I'm dragging individual clips and have to overlay audio for each clip instead of the whole shoot and then deleting from whichever video source I don't need.

Do I need to go to Final Cut to accomplish this or can it be done in iMovie? If I need to use Final Cut, is it fairly easy to transition to from iMovie?

 

[xStep]

iMovie does not do multi camera editing like you have described. Final Cut Pro has this feature well defined. Final Cut Express can do it by laying down your two tracks and cutting from the top one as needed. There is a discussion of that method over at the LAFCUG forum.

Since you only have one audio track, your challenge maybe getting a good alignment to match the video the audio.

 

[bizcoach]

Thanks!

I'll review the thread and then decide on FCE or FCP.

 

[Dave Braine]

iMovie9 has a feature called "cutaway" where you can import a second clip and place it on top of the first. When played backed it will "cutaway" to this second clip, but the audio of the first will keep playing.

 

[matteusclement]

Final Cut for sure

I am surprised that iMovie can't do such a simple task since much of the pinnacle or adobe software can... even at it's entry level.

if choosing the FCP or FCE... I always recommend the FCP since once you get into those nice features such as multi track and multi audio that the compresor and color features seem a very nice bonus... never mind the fx, keying and huge options you have....
just my $0.02