iMovie export file types?

What file types can imovie export to?

H.264/MPEG-4 (3G, iPhone, iPod, TV, SD, HD, etc.); Animation; AIC; Apple Pixlet Video; Apple VC H.263; BMP; CinePak; Component Video; DV PAL; DV/DVCPRO-NTSC; DVCPRO-PAL; DVCPRO HD (if codecs installed 1080i50, and 1080i60, 720p60); DVCPRO50-NTSC; DVCPRO50-PAL; H.261; H.263; H.264 SD/HD B-Frame; HDV (If codecs installed 1080i50, 1080i60, 720p30); JPEG 2000, Motion JPEG A; Motion JPEG B; None; Photo-JPEG; Planar RGB; PNG; Sorenson Video; Sorenson Video 3; TIFF; Uncompressed (if codecs installed 10-bit 4:2:2, 8-bit 4:2:2); and Video. Be advised that some codecs have restrictions and and some of those listed may no longer work properly. (I.e., I have not personally tested all of these since the last round of updates and previously had problems with some video codecs in combination with certain audio codecs.

in all of the export the extension is m4v which isn't very good for me because I am doing projects for my school and no one around me has iTunes (nor do I like watching my videos through it), how can I export the film as raw? or mp4 or what ever else BUT m4v? using the export using QT? and with it to export with whatever codec I have available there??? thanks

in all of the export the extension is m4v which isn't very good for me because I am doing projects for my school and no one around me has iTunes (nor do I like watching my videos through it), how can I export the film as raw?

It might be easier to suggest a work flow if you would state your goal. Use the "Export using QuickTime" to export to other compression formats. DV or AIC is commonly used if you need to do further editing or are trying to maintain maximum quality but both of these compression formats produce fairly large files. Many users also like Apple Animation but exporting to this codec would not be compatible with iMovie '08 if you wanted to bring it back in for any reason at a later time. Motion-JPEG or Photo-JPEG compressed files are usually about half as large as AIC/AIFF files, still produce reasonably good quality and remain iMovie '08 compatible. H.264/AAC (in either the M4V, MP4, or MOV file container) produce the smallest files with the best quality for a given video data rate which is why iMovie '08 is optimized for its use and why it is used for the compression of HD content. MPEG4/AAC files require about 2.0-2.5 times as much video data rate to produce the same level of quality as H.264 but encodes much faster. Basically when you just tells us what you don't want, you imply that everything else may be acceptable for you... For instance, do you watch movies in Front Row? If so, then maybe you would prefer MPEG-2/AC3 files. If you distribute files on the internet then maybe you want something like MPEG-1 which is fairly universal for all platforms if kept standardized. If you are sending files specifically to Windows users, then maybe DivX or WMV would better meet your needs.
Also it is unclear whether it is the H.264/AAC compression formats that you object to or just the file container which typically opens in iTunes rather than the QT Player but which you can reassign for opening in QT if you want. Since the MP4 file container can hold either MPEG4/AAC or H.264/AAC files you can either export using the "Movie to MPEG-4" export option which will place either combination in an MP4 file container or use MPEG Streamclip's "Save As..." option to remove the H.264/AAC content from the M4V file container and place it in an MP4 (or MOV) file container. For that matter, you can use the QT Pro's "Save As..." option to place the same content an MOV file container. As to "raw" video, do not know what you want. If by this you mean 8- or 10-bit uncompressed 4:2:2, the that is also an option from iMovie '08 if you have the proper codecs installed.

thanks for the great reply, to tell you the truth I didn't write about what I do want because I wasn't aware of the complexity of the matter. basically I don't like the m4v container not its inner settings (of which I know nothing about) and because it is new to me and I already have a hard time figuring out left from right in the digital video world. I prefer avi, wmv or mp4 (because I am used to them)
but I know nothing about how to fiddle with the settings. I think you gave me a lot to start with, thanks. and yes, I usually need a copy for the internet (my webpage) and one to send to friends that I don't know if have QT or not. I use visual hub to convert to wmv.
p.s
how exactly do I determine if I will get a mp4/mov container with H.264/AAC or MPEG4/AAC.
for my own use and friends I know have QT i would like to have best quality with smallest size.
what is the use of m4v.

Message was edited by: Gon Paran

First. Forget the ancient AVI container and you will not export to WMP (Windows Media Player formats) without paying extra money for the http://flip4mac.com components.
That leaves to the "what" decision?
All of the "containers" left on your list are nearly always interchangeable. Properly encoded any will play on an iPod or iPhone as well as work in nearly any Web page. The .m4v container may cause troubles with servers not properly configure for that file extension. Same may be true of the .mp4 file extension for the same reasons. But a .mov file (remember that is exactly the same codecs but in the .mov container) and proper html page code will play on nearly any server.
MPEG-4 could also use the older (still very efficient) MPEG-4 Video codec. It also works on all of the devices and Web pages mentioned above but is backward compatible to older QuickTime versions (5 and above).
Where do you want to go, today?

how exactly do I determine if I will get a mp4/mov container with H.264/AAC or MPEG4/AAC.

If you are referring to an initial export from iMovie '08 here, use the "Movie to Quicktime Movie " option to place whatever video compression option you use into an MOV file container. Use the "Movie to MPEG-4" option to select the "MP4" file type (i.e., container) and either MPEG-4 or H.264 video encoder. Either of these two export modes can be accessed using the iMovie '08 "Export Using QuickTime..." option under the "Share" menu.

what is the use of m4v.

Like the MP4 file container, M4V files can be associated with external image files (i.e., "artwork") for use as "poster frames" in applications like iTunes and iWeb. Using GarageBand (or a newer version of Compressor i believe) they can also be embedded with chapter markers for use with the QT Player, Front Row, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, TV, and QT web player plug-in (web sites). In its default, when double-clicked these files will open in iTunes and if the presets are so set, will copy themselves to iTunes for video management. Otherwise they are functionally equivalent to MP4 or MOV file containers but only contain H.264/AAC data.

Please help
How can I export a clip made in iMovie to be played in PC that dont have Quick Time ?