Q: iMovie Nightmare
Hi guys,
So, I’m having a total nightmare with iMovie!
And I really need your help.
I am using iMovie 11, version 9.0.4 .... (or trying to).
And I am on a late-2011 MacBook Pro, using El Capitan.
The basic problem is:
I need to import ‘still' photos into my video project, but since upgrading my OS to El Capitan, it’s proving impossible.
Here’s what happens:
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1. (a) I try to use ‘file -> import’, but there is no ‘image / photo’ option there.
(The only 4 options listed are:
‘Movies’
‘Camera Archive’
‘iMovie for IOS Project’
‘iMovie HD Project’
1.(b) If I click on the ‘photo’ icon in the bottom-right toolbar (next to Text, Music, Transitions)...
it only offers me the option of ‘Photo Booth’ pictures. ...Nothing else from my thousands of images on my Mac!
Totally useless.
2) So, I go for the only other option (as advised on Mac Help) :
‘Add picture to Desktop, and drag into iMovie from there’.
I make sure that my chosen images are under 4000px each (also advised), and I try various file types -
jpeg, png, pdf....
And drag these over into my iMovie project.
The pictures DO show up in the Timeline;
But they WON’T show up in the Preview!
Instead, when I hit ‘play’ there is just a black screen where the photo should be.
My video clips work fine, but not the still photos.
Not even Ken Burns can save me.
So I have no way of seeing how the picture will look in my finished film - or even knowing IF it will show up there!
2 (b) I search online for answers to this, and try everything people have suggested.
(It seems to be a very common problem, since El Capitan! )
- I save the photos into ‘Photo’, and then onto my Desktop....
- I change the size of them to make sure they are under 4000 pixels each.... (as advised on the Mac Help site)
- I try saving them as jpegs, pngs, pdfs.... opening them in Photoshop & re-saving.... everything I can think of.
But still, Nada!!!
The pics still don’t show up in my Movie Preview.
3) On the Mac Help site, it tells me to try upgrading my iMovie version.
(My current version is iMovie 11, v.9.0.4)
So, I open up the App store, and try to upgrade.
I log in (fine), start the download.... & then get the following message:
‘Update Unavailable with this Apple ID:
This update is not available for this Apple ID either because it was bought by a different user or the item was refunded or cancelled’.
Which is ridiculous, as this is the first time I have tried to upgrade this software since I downloaded the whole El Capitan OS.
4) I lose my mind.
I feel like I’m going round in circles...
And I can also see that thousands of other people online are having this same issue, with photos not showing up in iMovie.
So - Can anyone out there help me?
I’m really stumped, and I can’t believe that iMovie won’t let me add a simple picture to my Movie Project!
This is ridiculous.
Waiting hopefully.....
Thanks,
Anne-Marie.
MacBook Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.3)
Posted on Sep 27, 2016 12:32 PM