iMovie - AVI clips + still images

S

SourDieseL

Registered
Ok, so first off I'm new here, yup, this is my first post and before you flame, trust me, I've already SEARCHED! lol

Ok so my first issue was this, I couldn't play the AVI files that I recorded on my digicam on my macbook. I resolved that with VLC after I searched <^> hehe

Next - I got a macbook c2d with sufficient hds + external backup, gig of ram, etc etc, I think it's enough hardware for me to do what I want to do.

So as you can imagine, I want to author my own movie made from the clips and still jpegs from a recent trip I just took.

First things first, I'm in the process of organizing my files, labeling what is what, and laying out all my stills so I have an idea where I want to place them in relation to the plot of the movie.

I tried to port the AVI (that I was able to play with VLC) into iMovie such that I have all my cips in the right hand bar, however, the same issue I had with QT is that the clips don't display video just audio. So after reading somewhere on here about the format of the AVI, I went ahead and dl'd the divx codecs...still nothing. I don't have the file info about the formats handy, but I wanted to know what would I need to do to have these AVI files show up in iMovie such that I can start laying out the main parts of the whole movie?

I presume you will need to know the file info w/formats which I'll edit later on and add to this post, however, is there something I need to do that would allow the AVI's to be displayed across multiple applications on OSX?

I have a significant PC background as I've made a career using PCs and have learned the strengths of OSX in the design field which happens to be the direction my current career is moving towards. I would greatly appreciate everyones help here and if in any part of this post proves that I'm just another noobie, please feel free to let the flamethrower blast and put me in my place. All criticism welcomed as I am taking this as a learning experience. I hope to become an integral part to this forum and to continue learning as my career progresses.

Thanks in advance!
-SD
 
To change the file format, you need ffmpegX, a free software that will read most format and re-encode as you like (use either .mov or dv for QuickTime, but I would prefer iMovie to create movies)

http://ffmpegx.com/
 
Ok so its suggested to take the AVI's and convert them to a QT format (.mov), lay them out in iMovie, stitch and transition the areas that I want in iMovie (along with the still images), then export it as one whole .mov?

If I want it compatible for PC (non-QT) machines, simply convert the larger .mov into mp4, avi, etc?
 
I use Perian to play AVIs in Quicktime. I don't expect that the app will allow you to edit the files in iMovie, but its price, free, makes it worth a shot. Good luck!
 
As long as you get your avi's to mov's then you can use QuickTimePro ($35 upgrade from apple with an emailed upgrade code) to cut the clips the length you want them. Save them separately.

Then put them all together in iMovie. I don't think iMovie is a format as much as it is an app to aggregate .mov files. It then can export to different formats and compressions natively.
 
The iMovie file produced by iMovie is not a file at all, but a directory with all your media files inside of it.

Right-click on the iMovie file, then select "Show package contents". You can then browse all the media associated with the iMovie project.
 
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