Q: iMovie 10.0 and Network Drives

The disk image can be resized later on so no worries. Just tested it and it works out fine (if you don't forget to resize the partitions as I did at first). Resizing doesn't affect your files.

I guess I am doing something wrong, but in disk utility I cannot see my NAS Drive

I'm looking for a solution to this since months... I tried this smart solution, but in my case did not work.

I created a disk image on my LaCie NAS and a second disk image on a LaCie disk, formatted itself as Mac OS Extended Journaled and connected via esata to the NAS.

I still see on iMovie also the disk images with the yelow triangle.

Any new suggestion?

thanks in advance for any help

(Maveriks, iMovie'11 9.0.9)

correct, but follow instructions, just go to menu "file/new... /new image disk" and than indicate as location the NAS

Does anyone know how to reverse the Terminal command, so that NAS drive doesn't show in iMovie ?

I want to reverse the effects of this command:

defaults write -app iMovie allowNV -bool true

Let me know.

Thanks.

Did you try the same command replacing true with false?

Yes I did and it reversed it.

Some excellent lateral thinking here.

I finally got it to work once I realised the NAS Drive appears as a drive "apparently" attached directly to the MAC - look at the top level drive listing for your Mac -  rather than as a drive via the network!  It then becomes easy to "transfer" (ie copy) iMovie files to the new location. 

Next problem is can this new NAS Drive be shared with other Mac's on the network?  I can see that 2 Mac's trying for access simultaneously might cause a problem but is it possible to "mount" the NAS Drive created on Mac A on Mac B once Mac A has finished with it?

Thanks for any help here.

MacSJon1 solution ALMOST worked for me. I don't know if things changed since when he posted to April14 when I did mine. So what worked for me is , like I said off his ideas

Open disk utility

File -> New -> Blank Image Disk

Save as: imovie-nas-disk

Where: DESKTOP **MacSJon1 had network share, that didn't work for me, said couldn't save it there.

Name: imovie-nas-disk

Size: Custom

Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)

Encryption: none

Partitions: Single partition - Apple partition map

Image Format: sparse disk image

Click OK

Once it is done, there will be a New disk on your finder name imovie-nas-disk.... Click on the eject button next to it

then go to your desktop there will be a file called imovie-nas-disk.sparse

copy that file to your NAS , then delete the file from desktop

once on your NAS double click on imovie-nas-disk.sparse (taht will mount the image on finder)

then open imovie

File -> Open Library -> New -> then create a new library on the disk that was just mounted

how to import from old library to new library, sorry that I dont know how to do. My guess is you can copy all the contents of the project and event folder to the new project and event folders, BUT at your risk. google how to migrate over

Just add the image disk to the list of the "Login Items" on your user profile ("User & Groups" in System Preferences), this way it will automatically mount when opening your session.

Hi.. followed your instructions to the letter, and all seems to be working.. but got to "then open imove, and file, open library..."

I am using 9.0.4 and it does not have file, open library, new...

AHHH any ideas? I want to get my content on my synology nas so I can use my brand new imac to edit it etc

Can someone please clarify what they did AFTER creating the sparse disk image?  Did you first create a new iMovie Library?  What specific files did you copy (or did you move) to the new image?

wandm94: I just located the default imovie library for my MBP and MP and copied them to the "mounted" sparse disk image - the mounted image appears under the list of "DEVICES" in Finder.  I had to make sure I renamed each library so I could distinguish them when I went to iMovie / File / Open Library / Other.  Once you've opened the library(ies) they appear as a list under File / Open Library /.

The remaining issues are "performance" - is the network mounted Library going to be fast enough (I don't know yet) and "updating" Libraries - if the network isn't fast enough and you decide to work on a "local" copy of your Library how do you keep this in sync with the NAS version(s) without having to recopy the entire

library after an update?

I'm still working out how to implement this idea...

Unbelievable MacSJon1!!  I have wasted hours/days. Your solution is indeed brilliant. Worked for me with a Buffalo Link Station Pro Quad. Just yesterday Buffalo Tech support informed me that I can not change the format of my Buffalo NAS that is XFS formatted and that I would need to buy yet another $ item called a DAS where I can change the format to HFS+ which I understand to be the same as Mac OSX Extended Journaled.  Your solution fixed my problem without buying anything else! 

Why doesn't Time Capsule (an Apple Product) allow an iMovie Library to be created on their own product?  I read in another post that iMovie will not create a library on a time capsule where Time Machine has been backed up. Apple needs a seamless solution for a user to import video files, store them on either a XFS formatted NAS (Network Access Storage) so I can allow other family members with Windows to use the same NAS.  For those with only a Time Capsule, Apple should also allow iMovie to create a library on a Time capsule since few people will be able to store all of their videos and projects on their iMac hard drive forever.

Ironically, I had an old time capsule 1 TB that had been hit by lightning and wasn't working.  I busted it apart and removed the Western Digital hard drive inside. So now I just have a plain old hard drive. I reformatted it to Mac OSX Extended Journaled and it works! It allows me to create an iMovie library on it. Rather strange since I could not do it when it was a Time Capsule.

Thanks for this brilliant solution...

I did exactly the same but with two exceptions - 1) I chose GUID partition, and 2) I chose to make a 'Sparsebundle' instead of a 'sparse disk image'.(Yes it works. absolutely)I did this since i knew the basic difference between the two and since you asked it, here is a short answer-

To a user there is no difference what so ever, they are one and the same but they just work differently underneath. Sparse disk image is a single file a-z where as a sparse bundle is divided into blocks, called bands. I read some where that sparse bundle was created for time machine so it can work more efficiently. Right now my Crash Plan is backing up the sparse bundle containing my iMovie library from my NAS and its backing up its individual bands- with different suffixes (db1,bd3,db6 etc).

So i think this means backing up a sparse bundle will take considerably less time as only individual bands are needed to be replaced?!? any way thank for letting everyone know this great solution and for others i just want to restate that the solution also works with a sparse bundle having a GUID partition and i think they should work better...