Pascal Lessard
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Cannot import iMovie 9 files into iMovie 10

Ok, so I installed Mavericks and iMovie 10. Everything looked great.

 

As I launch iMovie, I am informed that previous data needs to be imported into a new Library. I'm fine with that so I click OK. And then nothing happens. The software behaves as if it had finished importing, but not a single project from iMovie 9 gets imported.

 

I tried to import manually, and iMovie tells me that items such as "blah-blah/0000.data" are not recognized or cannot be imported and it only imports the completed film created for each project (the movies found in ProjectName.rcproject/Movies/") and nothing else. Not very useful since it makes them uneditable.

 

I tried trashing all the iMovie prefs I could find in the Preferences folder of my Library and the "UpdatedToiMovie10" files : it worked in getting iMovie 10 to behave as newly installed, but still no dice : nothing gets imported. As if my previous 41 projects didn't exist !

 

I was using iMovie 9.0.9 until yesterday.

 

Any ideas ?

MacBook Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9), (15 inches late 2008)

Posted on Oct 23, 2013 7:22 AM

by Pascal Lessard,Solvedanswer
Pascal Lessard Pascal Lessard
Level 1 (0 points)
A:

I've succeeded in importing my iMovie 9.0.9 files into iMovie 10.0 using ideas found in this thread :

  • On my external drives, I moved all my iMovie 9.0.9-related folders (iMovie Projects, iMovie Original Movies, iMovie Events) to the root level of each external drives (I had generally moved them to an iLife/iMovie/ folder to reduce clutter)
  • I searched for (and removed) the file "UpdatedToiMovie10" everywhere (in all the iMovie Projects, iMovie Original Movies and iMovie Events folders of every disk)
  • I trashed all iMovie 10.0-style iMovie Library and iMovie Theater files
  • I searched for all iMovie prefs I could find in my ~/Library folder and moved those to the trash
  • Launched iMovie 10.0 again, and it behaved as if it had never been lauched before, offering me to import all my previous projects
  • Clicked ok and waited... waited... waited. Importing was relatively quick, but recreating the movies in the Theater file was very long.

 

In the end I finally got all my projects imported in an iMovie Library file, one for each drive where each projects had been saved before, while all the completed movies where consolidated in a single ginourmous iMovie Theater file in my ~/User folder (drats).

Posted on Nov 3, 2013 8:32 AM

Close
Pascal Lessard

Q: Cannot import iMovie 9 files into iMovie 10

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

Page 1 Next

  • by Mike '77,Helpful

    Mike '77 Mike '77 Oct 23, 2013 8:56 AM in response to Pascal Lessard
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 8:56 AM in response to Pascal Lessard

    I have this exact problem.  Have you tried in addition to the above deleting the iMovie 10 download and downloading again?

  • by Mike '77,

    Mike '77 Mike '77 Oct 23, 2013 9:19 AM in response to Pascal Lessard
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 9:19 AM in response to Pascal Lessard

    Pascal, I see you do not have this question anymore.  Please let me know what you did to solve this issue.

  • by jvogler1,

    jvogler1 jvogler1 Oct 23, 2013 10:47 AM in response to Pascal Lessard
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 10:47 AM in response to Pascal Lessard

    I am having this same issue and I have projects to complete with a deadline of this Friday. Any help or solution to this issue is much appreciated. I had all my events and projects on a server, which in iMovie 9 it allowed access to the server of your choice to work from, freeing up your hard drive space. iMovie 10 does not seem to allow that functionality.. which is really not something I am very pleased with.  I tried copying the files from the server into the movies/ directory and the folders still say "imovie events" and "imovie projects". Yet when trying to import into imovie by clicking the import button at the top, they are greyed out, just as Pascal described, and cannot be selected. Please, someone tell me there is a way to convert the project files or some special button to click to allow additional functionality that will allow the import of these "archive" type files!

  • by venseng,

    venseng venseng Oct 23, 2013 10:55 AM in response to jvogler1
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 10:55 AM in response to jvogler1

    I have the same problem too. I'm wondering how could this possibly happen with this new version.

  • by Mike '77,Helpful

    Mike '77 Mike '77 Oct 23, 2013 11:02 AM in response to Pascal Lessard
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 11:02 AM in response to Pascal Lessard

    I have possibly found a solution. Go to your Movies folder and delete the update to iMovie 10 files in the event folder and project folder (if there is one there).  Then delete the newly created Library1 file and the Theatre file.  Trash them.  Then re-start iMovie.  If like mine it opened with no events or projects.  Under file there is a drop down menu toat says something like update projects and events.  I am in the middle of doing that and so far so good.  This allows the iMovie manager to locate the previous iMovie 9 database and upgrade.  Just importing to iMovie 10 will not do the same I do not believe.  Also, it stated that it will leave the iMovie Events and Project Database intact and allow you to run both.  Great for backup but bad for HD space.

  • by RicoMaverick,

    RicoMaverick RicoMaverick Oct 23, 2013 12:05 PM in response to Mike '77
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 12:05 PM in response to Mike '77

    Your solution works for me! Thanx

  • by Mike '77,

    Mike '77 Mike '77 Oct 23, 2013 12:08 PM in response to Pascal Lessard
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 12:08 PM in response to Pascal Lessard

    Great news.  Mine still has issues but I have traced it to a corrupted project file.  I watched to see when iMovie quit and then moved that project to another location it it seems to be working. 

  • by Ficchi,

    Ficchi Ficchi Oct 23, 2013 3:10 PM in response to Mike '77
    Level 2 (150 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 3:10 PM in response to Mike '77

    I tried this and nothing works. Everyfile i have wether its a project or a event will not load. it keeps saying all my files are not supported. Which doesnt make sense since they were all made by previous imovie.,

  • by Rickyrm,

    Rickyrm Rickyrm Oct 23, 2013 3:14 PM in response to Mike '77
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 3:14 PM in response to Mike '77

    i follow your advices e now imovie works perfectly!!! And no much more hd space take over: i've the same gb than before updating my library! THANKS

  • by estebanfromjal,

    estebanfromjal estebanfromjal Oct 23, 2013 6:05 PM in response to Mike '77
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 6:05 PM in response to Mike '77

    Tried this solution to no avail. Like *jvjogler1 I have my Projects and Events on an external HD; the new iMovie doesn't seem to have this option. This is very frustrating.

  • by cvermeulen,

    cvermeulen cvermeulen Oct 24, 2013 1:56 AM in response to Mike '77
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 24, 2013 1:56 AM in response to Mike '77

    By following your recommendation, I succeeded to import all my events; but beforehand I had to repatriate these to my internal HD (iMOvie 10 is unable to find something on th external HD).

     

    Remaining question: how do I repatriate my Projects?

  • by Michael59,

    Michael59 Michael59 Oct 24, 2013 2:02 AM in response to estebanfromjal
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 24, 2013 2:02 AM in response to estebanfromjal

    you have to move "iMovie Events" and "iMovie Projects" folder to the root (top level) of the hd to make it work. It's described in a kb article (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6012)…

  • by jvogler1,

    jvogler1 jvogler1 Oct 24, 2013 6:14 AM in response to Mike '77
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 24, 2013 6:14 AM in response to Mike '77

    Mike\'77,

    Thank you for helping provide a solution! I am going through the update right now and I think it is working!!!

     

    Yay!

     

    Still wish there was the ability to have these projects stored on a server like before or a back up drive. Apple, if you are watching.. please, please consider this in the next update or future update! These files (as I am sure you have to be able to comprehend) are huge and slow down computer processing. With so much memory consumed by event footage and final video clips, I want to keep my MacPro hard drive as free as possible so it runs with max efficiency and speed.

  • by Grini,

    Grini Grini Oct 25, 2013 6:36 PM in response to Pascal Lessard
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 25, 2013 6:36 PM in response to Pascal Lessard

    Mike \ '77 work around worked for me.  Message came up that some files could not be updated, which I said OK.  All remaining projects and events came across and now appear in iMovie 10

Page 1 Next