iMovie HD PAL/NTSC

Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
Right! I am used to iMovie 3 and 4 which I somehow managed (a long story) to change to PAL. Any-who irrelevant to this story as I'm using iMovie HD on a brand new computer. I want to create a PAL project but there's no option and it chooses NTSC by default. Is there any way to change this? I want to start the movie using a quicktime clip from motion so want to make sure I start in the correct format. I know in the past there was a file that you could change (inside the package).



Can anyone help?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 4
    mr. hmr. h Posts: 4,870member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by MacCrazy

    Right! I am used to iMovie 3 and 4 which I somehow managed (a long story) to change to PAL. Any-who irrelevant to this story as I'm using iMovie HD on a brand new computer. I want to create a PAL project but there's no option and it chooses NTSC by default. Is there any way to change this? I want to start the movie using a quicktime clip from motion so want to make sure I start in the correct format. I know in the past there was a file that you could change (inside the package).



    Can anyone help?




    Sorry, do you mean that in iMovie 3/4 you ended up editing a file inside the package in order to get projects to be PAL??



    In my copy of iMovie 4, there's a a preference which says: "new projects are:" with radio buttons for PAL and NTSC. The default is NTSC, which means that the first time you launch the program and you are forced to create a new project (without being able to edit the prefs first) that project will be NTSC. You can then edit the prefs (to PAL), create a new project (which will be PAL) and delete the first project you were forced to create on first luanch of the program. From then on, as long as the prefs aren't edited, all new projects will be PAL.



    I don't have a copy of iMovie 5, but since your post implies that you never found the option in iMovie 4, I can only assume that the option is also in iMovie 5 but that you haven't found it.





    And indeed, the option is there and you haven't found it... Apple's web site is your friend: knowledge base article
  • Reply 2 of 4
    maccrazymaccrazy Posts: 2,658member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Mr. H

    Sorry, do you mean that in iMovie 3/4 you ended up editing a file inside the package in order to get projects to be PAL??



    In my copy of iMovie 4, there's a a preference which says: "new projects are:" with radio buttons for PAL and NTSC. The default is NTSC, which means that the first time you launch the program and you are forced to create a new project (without being able to edit the prefs first) that project will be NTSC. You can then edit the prefs (to PAL), create a new project (which will be PAL) and delete the first project you were forced to create on first luanch of the program. From then on, as long as the prefs aren't edited, all new projects will be PAL.



    I don't have a copy of iMovie 5, but since your post implies that you never found the option in iMovie 4, I can only assume that the option is also in iMovie 5 but that you haven't found it.





    And indeed, the option is there and you haven't found it... Apple's web site is your friend: knowledge base article




    well it isn't there:



    http://homepage.mac.com/oliverbothwe...icture%201.jpg



    or in preferences
  • Reply 3 of 4
    mr. hmr. h Posts: 4,870member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by MacCrazy

    well it isn't there:



    http://homepage.mac.com/oliverbothwe...icture%201.jpg



    or in preferences




    bugger!



    What format is the file in at the moment? What happens if you choose DV in the video format drop-down? I don't have Motion either, but assume that you can export video from there in DV format. Try exporting from Motion in PAL DV and choosing DV in iMovie, hopefully it won't convert the PAL DV into NTSC DV.



    Otherwise, I would say it is an unbelievably craptacular bug/feature-oversight and you only course of action in that case is to send feedback to Apple.



    A work-around may be possible: the knowledge base article I linked to said that iMovie HD automatically chooses a project format when you import from a digital camera. Presumably you can therefore create a new project, import anything from a PAL camera, and your project will then be PAL. Of course, that's not much good if you don't have a camera...
  • Reply 4 of 4
    maccrazymaccrazy Posts: 2,658member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Mr. H

    bugger!



    What format is the file in at the moment? What happens if you choose DV in the video format drop-down? I don't have Motion either, but assume that you can export video from there in DV format. Try exporting from Motion in PAL DV and choosing DV in iMovie, hopefully it won't convert the PAL DV into NTSC DV.



    Otherwise, I would say it is an unbelievably craptacular bug/feature-oversight and you only course of action in that case is to send feedback to Apple.



    A work-around may be possible: the knowledge base article I linked to said that iMovie HD automatically chooses a project format when you import from a digital camera. Presumably you can therefore create a new project, import anything from a PAL camera, and your project will then be PAL. Of course, that's not much good if you don't have a camera...




    Umm well I remember in iMovie 2 going into a file and changing something, maybe I'll have to find the info!! iMovie isn't compatible with Motion but I'll try exporting a DV file.



    EDIT: iMovie converted the file to NTSC!!
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