imovie file format
what formats does iMovie support?
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Hi,
Current iMovie supports audio formats Mp4/AAC, .mov, DV, HDV, Mpeg-4, M4v, H.264, HEVC (High Sierra, Mojave, iMovie 10.1.8 through current 10.1.11. There might be others. A clip in one of the above formats should import into iMovie. There are no format settings for import -- it just automatically imports at the setting of the clip.
iMovie supported audio formats include mp3, WAV, AIFF, AAC, m4A.
iMovie exports everything in Mp4 except when you select to export in Best Quality (pro res), in which case the export will be in .mov format with a high bitrate and file size. iMovie will edit in the new HEVC H.265 format, but will convert to Mp4 on export.
The .mov format in general is a bucket that can contain varying types of formats, so it is not a guarantee of quality. Mp4 probably is the most universal format being used now, and is compatible with a wide range of devices. Not all Mp4 formats work with iMovie. It needs to be Mp4/AAC. AAC stands for Advanced Audio Coding.
-- Rich