fcp to imovie formats

I need to know which QT formats can be read by imovie 11, if the person does not have QT Pro?

Pretty sure imovie will import almost anything - just open imovie and chose import -- it's opened xdcam hd files for us ...

QT Pro doesn't help. But some codecs are only available for production on machines that have pro apps. It likes Apple Intermediate Codec for HD.

All the best,

Tom

Ever tried Googling this stuff?

[www.google.com]

[support.apple.com]

I just had my first bout with iMovie (oh, pain) helping a photographer friend figure out her system. It was able to import AVCHD files (1440x1080 from a consumer Sony camcorder, I think, not 1920x1080) to Apple Intermediate Codec, which is what her version of iMovie was using. iMovie and iLife '11 supposedly come packaged with all new Macs, so I'm assuming AIC would be on even a system that doesn't have QuickTime Pro. Don't quote me on that, though, because my friend did, somehow, have a QuickTime Pro license.


www.derekmok.com

Googled it and got no meaningful results,
It is after hours here, and the client only has imovie and we have FCP 6. I was afraid if I ftp'd XDCAM or Prores, that imovie would not read it.

I googled for over 20 minutes for "imovie QT formats" and drew not much.


derekmok Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ever tried Googling this stuff?
>
> [www.google.com]
> vie+compatible+formats&aq=f&aqi=g1g-v1g-j2g-b3&aql
> =&oq=
>
> [support.apple.com]
>
> I just had my first bout with iMovie (oh, pain)
> helping a photographer friend figure out her
> system. It was able to import AVCHD files
> (1440x1080 from a consumer Sony camcorder, I
> think, not 1920x1080) to Apple Intermediate Codec,
> which is what her version of iMovie was using.
> iMovie and iLife '11 supposedly come packaged with
> all new Macs, so I'm assuming AIC would be on even
> a system that doesn't have QuickTime Pro. Don't
> quote me on that, though, because my friend did,
> somehow, have a QuickTime Pro license.

Why not just test multiple clip formats with your own iMovie? If you're running FCP6, chances are your copy of iMovie will be less updated than the clients. Which would mean that, most likely, whatever imports successfully on your iMovie will import successfully on the client's. The test may be imperfect, but it's better than groping in the dark.


www.derekmok.com

I considered that but we do have QT PRO.

I won't start FTPing till tomorrow, and we will prevail.

derekmok Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why not just test multiple clip formats with your
> own iMovie? If you're running FCP6, chances are
> your copy of iMovie will be less updated than the
> clients. Which would mean that, most likely,
> whatever imports successfully on your iMovie will
> import successfully on the client's. The test may
> be imperfect, but it's better than groping in the
> dark.

QT pro does not add any capabilities to any other application, no codecs, no formats. It is only a pro player with pro functionality like access to movie properties and export functions. The codecs are provided by the installation of the pro apps.

All the best,

Tom

Go to the iMovie help menu and click Supported Cameras for a list of some of the formats. It will eat pretty much anything, though. It's easy enough to just try dumping a shot in. It seems to like h264 best, although I haven't had time to test all the options yet. Mixed format timeline works too, even with ProRes, although with most formats it then does processing upon import. Watch out for that though, because it then saves out cache files to the disk you last imported from. There's no way to change this in preferences.

The help menu also says "movie files can be in a number of formats, including MPEG-4 and standard (DV) file formats and some .mov file formats." "iMovie imports AVCHD video files directly from the camera only."

Kinda scary. It would be simple enough to just include a list in the help menu. Hope that this kind of help info is not a portent of things to come....<<shiver>>

Export format is .m4v by default. No choices other than resolutions and devices. Make your selection according to what playback device the recipient has available.

We are ingesting into FCP but doing a batch export after a rough cut.
But I guess h264 will be the best bet.
Usually we export to persons with FCP and not imovie.




ClayC Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Go to the iMovie help menu and click Supported
> Cameras for a list of some of the formats. It
> will eat pretty much anything, though. It's easy
> enough to just try dumping a shot in. It seems to
> like h264 best, although I haven't had time to
> test all the options yet. Mixed format timeline
> works too, even with ProRes, although with most
> formats it then does processing upon import.
> Watch out for that though, because it then saves
> out cache files to the disk you last imported
> from. There's no way to change this in
> preferences.
>
> The help menu also says "movie files can be in a
> number of formats, including MPEG-4 and standard
> (DV) file formats and some .mov file formats."
> "iMovie imports AVCHD video files directly from
> the camera only."
>
> Kinda scary. It would be simple enough to just
> include a list in the help menu. Hope that this
> kind of help info is not a portent of things to
> come....<>
>
> Export format is .m4v by default. No choices
> other than resolutions and devices. Make your
> selection according to what playback device the
> recipient has available.

[discussions.apple.com]

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Ouch. Big bag of hurt over there. Major RTFM issues too. Coming this way soon? <<shudder>>

The client had no problem loading the FCP XDCAM 1080p converted via batch to h264.

h264 files are nice and small for the upload to ftp:

And I got introduced to CuteFTP for Mac, something I have been using for
10 years or so on the Windows platform.

Thanks for all the suggestions: