mixing 24 fps clips with 25 fps

[2ms]

I have a project made up of clips at different frame rates (for example 24 and 25 fps clips together in one project). Can anyone tell me what exactly applications like iMovie do to handle these, and what export settings I should use to get the best possible results?

Right now, when I export (for example mp4) the quality is very disappointing and I wonder if it is because of sub-optimal fps selection.

 

[AcesHigh87]

I don't know about consumer level programs like iMovie however in an Avid environment (and I believe FCP is the same) as long as you transcode the footage within the proper frame rate it will get blended into your timeline by adding or dropping frames as needed. The studio I work for regularly ships mixed frame rate timelines to broadcast and you can't tell the difference.

My guess is the quality loss you're experiencing is either that iMovie doesn't do this or your export settings aren't right.

When you notice the quality loss is it over the whole file or just the parts with a different frame rate from your project?

If it's the entire file, I would wager that your export settings aren't ideal. If it's just the mixed rate clips then iMove probably isn't handling them properly,

Assuming the first could you post a screenshot of your expert settings with as much detail as possible as well as the quality, codecs and file types of your original footage.