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iMovie import file format

post #1 of 9
2/20/07 at 10:53am
Thread Starter 
Hello, everyone
I've been editing .avi and .mpg files with iMovie, but they all take extremely long to import. I tried converting them to dv streams with ffmpegx, but they still took just as long to import to iMovie. Are there any file formats that iMovie can recognize directly without all the importing hassle?
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post #2 of 9
2/20/07 at 11:28am
I noticed iMovie always takes ages to import stuff too. If you just want to cut the stuff, you should use MPEG Streamclip.

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post #3 of 9
2/20/07 at 3:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by piatigorsky View Post

Hello, everyone
I've been editing .avi and .mpg files with iMovie, but they all take extremely long to import. ...

What are the runtimes of your .avi and .mpg files?
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post #4 of 9
2/20/07 at 5:34pm
Rather than import via the menu reference, I do it this way and it seems to be quicker.

Create a new project, then quit IMovie.
Go to the folder where you have the new project saved, highlight the new project, right click and go to show package contents.
A new folder will open with a few other folders inside it, one of these is called media.
Open this media folder and drop the avi/mpeg files into this folder.
Close all your folders and reopen Imovie, open the new project you created, when the project is opening you get a dialogue tell you that there are new files in the trash, choose to view the trash and your files will be there, you can then drag them from the trash into you clips pane in Imovie.
This works well for me, although the size of the files which you have added can still slow down the initial startup process while it moves them from trash to clips pane but it is way faster than using the import command. Sometimes if I am working with very large files I will do each one separately, or break the original file into smaller segaments.

Hope it works for you.

Scott
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post #5 of 9
2/21/07 at 10:12am
Thread Starter 
Thanks everyone for your suggestions...
My video files are all music performances; video recordings of live concerts range from 60~90 minutes, but I've been doing work on a recording of Bach's St. Matthew Passion, which is a 3 hour long mpeg. Basically all I want to do is to manually create chapter marks to burn to DVD video, so I don't really need to do any other cutting or editing (except in the case of that 3 hour long mpeg)
I'll try your suggestion bikerdude, will report back here if it works for me.
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post #6 of 9
2/21/07 at 8:13pm
You can do chapter marking inside of Quicktime Pro, can't remember how but I think you will find it in the help menu of QT.
I read it once but it was very involved, so I went back to IMovie.

Cheers and Good luck
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post #7 of 9
2/25/07 at 8:16am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bikerdude View Post

You can do chapter marking inside of Quicktime Pro, can't remember how but I think you will find it in the help menu of QT.
I read it once but it was very involved, so I went back to IMovie.

Cheers and Good luck

I tried directly dragging the video file into the iMovie contents folder, and it worked! Thank you very much for the tip!

Apple's Quicktime tutorial pages does include one on creating chapters with Quicktime, but as you said the method is extremely involved. (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/tutorials/chaptertracks.html) There is an Automator script that marks chapters with a click, but it didn't seem to work on my computer. iMovie's chapter editing is far more straightforward.
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post #8 of 9
2/25/10 at 11:02pm
When using a DV or HDV camera, be sure to double-check the documentation for your camera as many DV camcorders have both a USB and FireWire connection. The additional USB connection on DV cameras is often used to import still images captured by the video camera. You can most likely use this connection with iPhoto or Image Capture to download these still images. However, iMovie supports only the FireWire connection for importing video directly from a video camera. The FireWire connection may also be labeled iLink on some camera models.
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post #9 of 9
7/6/10 at 7:37am
I am using a March 13, 2010 version of iMovie, since it is importing, it will not allow me to check the version number.

It is the "new" iMovie not the timeline based iMovie HD. I have that too, and Final Cut Express. Can't afford Final Cut Pro.

Following your instructions, I get a folder that is labeled QuickLook, but not Media.
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You wrote: A new folder will open with a few other folders inside it, one of these is called media.

I am about to go bald with the import times, 11 hours for a 1 hour HD video. Crazy.

What is the normal time for import with iMovie? What is the time for your shortcut?

I am trying MPEG StreamClip now, for exporting a Selection of about 20 minutes from an over 1 hour HD video. It has been running for about 35 minutes and is 23 per cent complete.

Importing the one hour HD video from a Samsung SC-HMX10C NTSC into iMovie has been going all night long and still says 5 hours for optimizing video.

I like my old tape video camera, firewire and old iMovie program FAR Better, because I can connect, import in an hour or less and start editing. These delays kill any desire to work with this monster.

Any ideas...???

Thanks.

James "StatesManship"

Quote:
Originally Posted by bikerdude View Post

Rather than import via the menu reference, I do it this way and it seems to be quicker.

Create a new project, then quit IMovie.
Go to the folder where you have the new project saved, highlight the new project, right click and go to show package contents.
A new folder will open with a few other folders inside it, one of these is called media.
Open this media folder and drop the avi/mpeg files into this folder.
Close all your folders and reopen Imovie, open the new project you created, when the project is opening you get a dialogue tell you that there are new files in the trash, choose to view the trash and your files will be there, you can then drag them from the trash into you clips pane in Imovie.
This works well for me, although the size of the files which you have added can still slow down the initial startup process while it moves them from trash to clips pane but it is way faster than using the import command. Sometimes if I am working with very large files I will do each one separately, or break the original file into smaller segaments.

Hope it works for you.

Scott
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