exporting an iMovie to Windows MPEG format?

**themacko** · January 9th, 2002, 03:02 PM

Well now I've upgraded to X (and don't have Classic installed, oops!) I can't convert my iMovies to Real Video for friends with PCs. So, I suppose my only choice is to go with the Windows Media format. What would be the best way to export either straight from iMovie or converting from *.mov, to an MPEG or WMP format that Windows users could view without any codecs or what have you?

**Fahrvergnuugen** · January 9th, 2002, 06:37 PM

MPG is not a windows format. Nor is the platform even an issue when making movies. All that matters is that the person trying to open your movie has the codec that you used to compress it in the first place.

For quality, I have found that the best codec is Sorenson Video 3 [you need quicktime pro to have this codec]. The image quality vs file size with this codec is amazing [smaller than .mpg and looks better].

It can be played using the free quicktime player which is also available for windows.

You could also use mpg, but the quality isn't nearly as good and you need an ap other than quicktime to compress it [which means it can't be done straight from iMovie].

**themacko** · January 9th, 2002, 06:53 PM

Yeah I've got QuickTime Pro, and I think I use the Sorenson codec to export the *.mov, but I also would like to make a file that my friends who have Windows could view w/o having to download anything else like QuickTime. They have Real Player, which I used to use when I was in OS 9, but that's not an option now. So I was hoping to just punch out an *.mpg that Windows Media Player could open w/o any extra codecs or what-have-you.

**The Madhatter** · January 9th, 2002, 07:38 PM

If you have Toast Titanium you can make your .mov's into .mpg's. Jjust drop the movie on the Toast window and it will convert it. In Quicktime Pro just go to export and choose standard .avi and it will work fine in WMP. I think your friends should get Quicktime Player anyway.

I haven't the slightest clue as to how you could do all this without paid for software. But go to versiontracker.com or download.com and look for .mov to .avi converters or something.

How big is the movie? If it is small, I could do it for you.

**themacko** · January 9th, 2002, 11:57 PM

Thanks for offer, but that's fine. I've got QT Pro so I'll just convert it to an avi. I'm just not too hip with the web video thing, but you guys answered my question. Thanks!

**themacko** · January 10th, 2002, 11:08 AM

Okay this didn't exactly work out the way I was hoping. I used QuickTime Pro to convert the original *.mov to an *.avi. The problem is, the avi is over 52 mb .. the original *.mov is only about 28. Also, I tried to view the avi in Windows Media Player and it won't work!

So .. is there another way to go about this?