iMovie '08 does not import Flip Video AVI files - iMovie HD does

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Level 3

889 points

iMovie '08 does not import Flip Video AVI files - iMovie HD does

I have both iMovie '08 and iMovie HD on my G5 running 10.4

After installing the Flip Video 3ivx AAC codec supplied by Flip Video (from 3ivx.com) I can view using QuickTime. I can also edit in iMovie HD. I cannot import or edit from the newer iMovie '08. I presume I could export if I had QuickTime Pro.

From what I read on this topic it sounds like 10.5 doesn't help.

I have requested support for AVI when the 3ivx codec is installed, I hope many of us will add their voices to the request:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/imovie.html

Questions:

1. Does QuickTime Pro allow translation?
2. Has anyone come up with a clever hack or AppleScript tool that will allow automatic import of these files into iMovie '08? I'm thinking of something that would do the translation and and the import smoothly.

Message was edited by: jfaughnan

G5 iMac 20, Mac OS X (10.4.11), MacBook Core-2 Duo, G3 iBook, Mac mini

Posted on Mar 23, 2008 7:44 PM

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Answer 1

Jon Walker

Level 6

19,489 points

Mar 23, 2008 8:08 PM in response to jfaughnan

I presume I could export if I had QuickTime Pro.

Yes, or you could export it in either GarageBand or MPEG Streamclip.

1. Does QuickTime Pro allow translation?

If by this you are asking if QT Pro will "convert" the files, then "Yes, it will." If you mean will QT Pro give iMovie '08 the ability to use proprietary codecs within iMovie '08, then the answer is, "No."

2. Has anyone come up with a clever hack or AppleScript tool that will allow automatic import of these files into iMovie '08? I'm thinking of something that would do the translation and and the import smoothly.

While you can batch process your files, I don't know of any current method of "automating" the import of the converted file.

I have requested support for AVI when the 3ivx codec is installed, I hope many of us will add their voices to the request:

You seem to be skipping the fact that AVI is only an outdated file container which has not been supported by its originator (Microsoft) for the last decade and that it is whether or not the compression format contained in the file container can be edited that determines if the file can be imported. Why would you want to import a file that you cannot edit?

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Answer 2

jfaughnan Author

Level 3

889 points

Mar 23, 2008 8:33 PM in response to Jon Walker

Thanks for your quick and kind response.

I used Mike Ash's freeware QTAmateur [1] to translate from the 3ivx codec to DV and imported that into iMovie '08. QTAmateur does a batch import. I'll try looking for other solutions. Thanks for the GarageBand and MPEG Streamclip tips.

Wikipedia has a good essay on the AVI format. It sounds pretty antique, but vendors use it because of tool support and compatibility with Windows software. So I agree that AVI is moldy, but it would make life easier for users of the popular FLIP Video platform if iMovie '08 could do the import. Since QuickTime can do the import and export once the 3ivx codec is installed, we're not asking much of the iMovie engineering team -- just to:

1. Import
2. Save in iMovie '08 format within the iMovie '08 video library.

So I still suggest interested persons do provide feedback to Apple.

[1] for more discussion see
http://tech.kateva.org/2008/03/flip-video-ultra-camcorder-initial.html
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AudioVideoInterleave

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Answer 3

jfaughnan Author

Level 3

889 points

Mar 30, 2008 5:29 PM in response to jfaughnan

I've been looking into how to convert Flip Video AVI files for use in iMovie '08.

In theory an AppleScript like this one once worked:

http://bbs.macscripter.net/viewtopic.php?id=15111

I can't get it to work though, and I don't know enough AppleScript to try. The old QuickTime conversion scripts that Apple used to host have all been removed.

In the old days you could convert using QuickTime Player without a Pro upgrade, I don't know if that's still true.

If we could get the AppleScript working, there'd be a simple drag and drop way to convert to DV files. Unfortunately iMovie '08 does not appear to be scriptable, which is pretty sad. Even so, an AppleScript would go a long way to fixing things.

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Answer 4

jfaughnan Author

Level 3

889 points

Apr 24, 2008 9:06 PM in response to jfaughnan

I've since discovered that QuickTime Player lost its AppleScript export capacity sometime in the past 1-3 years. The API is shown in the dictionary view, but it does nothing.

If you upgrade to QuickTime Player Pro the old AppleScript works.

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Answer 5

jfaughnan Author

Level 3

889 points

Apr 24, 2008 9:08 PM in response to jfaughnan

The various options I've explored are described here:

http://tech.kateva.org/2008/03/flip-video-ultra-camcorder-initial.html

and in f/u blog posts.

There are no great answers,there are workarounds. We need Apple to fix this.

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Answer 6

trip1ex

Level 1

9 points

Apr 25, 2008 1:19 PM in response to jfaughnan

I settled on batch converting the FLip files into Quicktime movies with default H.264 compression settings using MPEG Streamclip and it seems to maintain most of the quality. The file sizes grow a bit (2x maybe,) but still are manageable on a 250gb hard drive. I then import into IM08. Skimming seems fairly responsive.

The skimming in IM08 didn't seem as responsive in a few other formats I converted to which bugged me when using IM08.

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