Movies in iPhoto

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jayess

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I am using iPhoto 08 on an iMac, Snow Leopard. I have imported a movie shot from my camera (.avi file) which is supposed to open in QuickTime Player by double clicking - but it doesn't. The only way I can open it is to go to the file in Finder and select "open with QuickTime". Can anyone tell me why I cannot get the movie to run in iPhoto by double clicking?
Jayess
 
I have up to date versions of Perian and Flip4Mac installed already but still the .avi file will not open by double clicking.
Jayess
 
If you right-click on that .avi file, then choose Open with..., then click the item "Other"
Browse to iPhoto, and click the box "Always open with", and the system should ask if you want all .avi files to open in iPhoto, so click OK.

Or, you could just drag'n drop that .avi file on top of the iPhoto icon, and iPhoto will then import that .avi file. You could, by importing, add all your .avi files to the iPhoto library - so double-clicking would no longer be necessary - just open iPhoto.
 
Possibly my original posting did not make it clear enough that I have no problem opening the .avi file by any of the procedures outlined by DeltaMac. I have been relying on David Pogue's "Mac OS X: The Missing Manual" for guidance since I acquired my first Mac. In it he states that after importing an .avi file into iPhoto it can be played in QuickTime by simply double clicking the thumbnail in iPhoto. As I stated in my original posting this does not work, I am coming to the conclusion that the information given by David Pogue is incorrect and the only way to play the file is as outlined by DeltaMac.
Thank you all for your assistance.
Jayess
 
That book is simply outdated.
I don't have iPhoto vers 8, but I have Snow Leopard, with iPhoto vers 9.
I imported an .avi file, and double-clicked on that .avi in iPhoto. The video opened from within iPhoto - so, I assume, iPhoto simply plays the file directly without using QuickTime player.
Do you have both the normal Quicktime Player, and Quicktime Player 7 installed? The older version 7 player is a separate install in Snow Leopard, and provides some features that that newer Quicktime 10 dropped.

note - I also have iPhoto 8 on another Mac, running 10.5.8.
Imported the same .avi file, double-clicked on that file in iPhoto, and the Quicktime Player launched.
So, I conclude that the David Pogue info is correct, just out-dated for your Snow Leapard system. iPhoto, under Snow Leopard, does not need the QuickTime player app to view a video.
 
Thanks, DeltaMac, the penny dropped when you asked if I had both QuickTime 7 & 10 installed. I trashed QuickTime 10, opened iPhoto, double clicked on the .avi file and it opened in Quicktime 7 as it should. It is interesting to note (for me anyway) that whereas QuickTime 7 is installed as a plugin to iPhoto (it appears in "Utilities") QuickTime 10 was in "Applications". It appears that iPhoto was looking at 10 instead of 7. Mystery solved - I guess.
Thanks, Jayess
 
The QuickTime 7 app is an app, and not a 'plugin to iPhoto'
Did you not read my post? (all of it?)
To phrase differently - iPhoto is not the native app for your .avi files.
You import that file into iPhoto, at which point it will play by double-clicking the icon for that .avi.
At least on my Mac, it does not launch either the QT 7 or QT 10 player. It simply plays from within iPhoto. It's definitely using the Quicktime software (as many other apps do), but doesn't launch either QT Player app.
Why do you think it's important to launch the QT Player app? iPhoto doesn't appear need it, at least with Snow Leopard.

btw - I think that QT 7 is 32-bit, and QT 10 is a 64-bit app. If you boot to your OSX system to 64-bit, you will likely not have a working QuickTime software now.
 
Your statement that QT 7 is an application is borne out by the fact that, when I double click the .avi file in iPhoto 08, QT 7 launches, i.e. the file opens in the standard QT window and the QT menu bar replaces the iPhoto menu bar. In answer to your question, it is not important to me that it launches, I am simply recounting what happens on my computer.

Now consider this: if, on your computer, the .avi file plays in iPhoto, using QT software, without actually launching the player, then that exactly fits the definition of a plugin which I found on Wikipedia, which also quotes QuickTime as an example of a plugin. Hence my reference to QT 7 as a plugin to iPhoto. Perhaps your version of iPhoto works differently to mine.

I cannot comment on your remark regarding booting my OSX system to 64-bit: if I had that level of knowledge I would probably be answering queries on this forum rater than making them :)

Cheers, Jayess
 
There is a QuickTime Internet Plug-in. However, it is for web browsers. QuickTime itself is the MacOS X frameworks for time-based media. The QuickTime Player--be it Quicktime 7 or Quicktime X--is just a simple implementation of the Quicktime frameworks. The QuickTime frameworks are available to all developers. Otherwise, you would not be able to play video in Microsoft Word. Virtually every MacOS X application is QuickTime-compatible, no plug-in required.
 
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