Moving iMovie 09's library to an external hard drive...

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Level 1

4 points

Moving iMovie 09's library to an external hard drive...

Hi.

I have iMovie 09, but have followed this procedure: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1026 to move my events to and external hard drive. Couldn't find a similar article specific to iMovie 09... I assume they work the same way...

Well, this COPIED the events folder but left a copy still taking up space on my Mac hard drive. Can I just delete the events folder from my Mac safely? If the whole purpose is to save room on my Mac, why does this procedure "copy" instead of "transfer" the files?

I remember a similar procedure for iPhoto libraries, where you'd transfer the library file to an external hard drive then restart iPhoto (now with an empty library) holding Option or CTRL (can't remember) and a hidden menu asking you to point iPhoto to a library file would appear... Is there a way to do this for iMovie 09? even want my Projects to be on the external hard drive... and every time I import clips I want them to default to the external; hard drive iMovie "library"...

Mac OS X (10.5.4)

Posted on May 7, 2009 6:19 AM

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Answer 1

May 7, 2009 10:26 AM in response to enzofsilva

Hold down the command key as you drag, and this will move rather than copy. Unfortunately, it you copy, it does not update the links in your projects. Be sure to Command drag.

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Answer 2

May 7, 2009 10:49 AM in response to enzofsilva

Appleman is very correct. I just want to add one more thing:

I recently moved a project using command and drag/drop to the external hard drive, since the project had multiple events tied to it...it actually asked me if i wanted to move the project or projects and events....voila...all events moved right along with it!

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Answer 3

enzofsilva Author

Level 1

4 points

May 7, 2009 11:02 AM in response to Sheryl Kingstone

So, basically the iMovie team wrote a wrong tip (the link I pasted here)...

Thanks for the hint... will erase the copy iMovie folder from the external hard drive and perform the operation again, holding "Command" this time.

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Answer 4

May 7, 2009 11:05 AM in response to enzofsilva

no its not wrong, just not updated:) They added more functionality for moving projects and events in imovie9.

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Answer 5

enzofsilva Author

Level 1

4 points

May 7, 2009 8:00 PM in response to Sheryl Kingstone

and apparently no way to move ALL events in the library at once... I have to "command + drag" one by one...

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Answer 6

bobbyco57

Level 4

1,768 points

May 7, 2009 8:47 PM in response to enzofsilva

No. You can command click to select multiple events.

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Answer 7

enzofsilva Author

Level 1

4 points

May 8, 2009 3:53 AM in response to bobbyco57

Yeah, from Finder, not from within iMovie as the article I posted here says.
If you're in iMovie and command+click you select/deselect individual events...

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Answer 8

May 8, 2009 4:03 AM in response to enzofsilva

If you make a mini project taking one clip from each event, then move that project to the external drive, it will take all the events with the project if you move using the command key. Please make sure whatever you do...is WITHIN imovie! or imovie will get VERY confused!

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Answer 9

enzofsilva Author

Level 1

4 points

May 8, 2009 4:20 AM in response to Sheryl Kingstone

Like I said, there is no way to command+drag events from within iMovie. Only to command drag inividual events... A total waste of time if you have many events with a log of footage...

Command dragging from Finder won't work?

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Answer 10

May 8, 2009 4:34 AM in response to enzofsilva

I wouldn't try. I would just move the individual events then or make a project--which could take time also. I am more of the slow and careful type though. I find the mac gets confused, and then all **** could break loose. Not worth the risk. Imovie isn't the most stable app! It can easily crash! Just do it at night watching TV or something!

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Answer 11

bobbyco57

Level 4

1,768 points

May 8, 2009 6:28 AM in response to enzofsilva

From within iMovie.
Command click Event 1, command click event 2. They're both blue highlighted now.
Drag to the external disk. Job done.
DO NOT command drag, just click drag after selecting the events.

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Answer 12

enzofsilva Author

Level 1

4 points

May 8, 2009 7:07 AM in response to bobbyco57

I tried that.

When you select multiple events using command, let go of command and drag, the events are COpIED to the external drive and not MOVED. Leaving you with 2 copies of the events (local + external hard drive).

I think the only way to do this is command + drag from within iMovie only individual events!

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Answer 13

May 8, 2009 7:20 AM in response to enzofsilva

right. However, you can move the projects (command drag) -- which will then ask to move associated events also! Any events left in imovie after projects are moved are unassociated events. At this point, you could just copy since you wouldn't be effecting any projects. Then delete the one on the hard drive. Just a thought.

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Answer 14

enzofsilva Author

Level 1

4 points

May 9, 2009 7:16 AM in response to Sheryl Kingstone

Thank you all for the tips.

Workflow that worked for me (might help others):

1. Make sure the little "hard drive" icon is active within iMovie (listing all hard drives where your events and projects are, on the left hand side). If you never had any events on the external hard drive you will see in the "tree" there but it will be empty.

2. COMMAND+Drag projects one by one from the upper left panel (where you see their thumbnails and information such as "Broadcasted to Youtube", etc... onto the external hard drive.

2.1 iMovie will ask you if you want to move related EVENTS to the external hard drive too so that the projects don't have missing data. DO THIS or the projects will be broken and you will need to redo them from scratch...

2.2 The step above will move both the projects AND the events they have clips from to the external hard drive to the newly created iMovie Projects and iMovie Events (these are created automatically by iMovie when you drag your events/projects to the external hard drive. You don't need to create those folders in advance. Try it with a small event/project and you will see what I am talking about.

3. Now that you moved all your projects+related events to the external hard drive you can:

a. move the remaining events that have no projects related to them to the external hard drive via Command+drag INDIVIDUALLY from the iMovie library itself OR
b. move all the events at once from Finder > Movies > iMovie Events >>> to the iMovie Events folder on your external hard drive's iMovie Events folder...

I did 3a. just to be safe... but as Sheryl or Appleman said here, it is probable safe to do 3b since there are no projects related to the remaining events that could be broken....

HTH...

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Answer 15

May 9, 2009 7:22 AM in response to enzofsilva

Absolutely, that is the exact workflow i was recommending. Just to clarify, i was saying to move the individual events that were remaining once all the projects move with the attached events. BUT Always still do this within imovie! Thanks for writing this out. I also want to point out...please go back and check all projects!! Last night i moved a project with events, and the project file got messed up. I have no idea. It has never happened before. I restored from time machine, but i don't know what happened.

Sheryl

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