Having reviewed a number of old posts on this topic, I’m wondering if anyone has worked out an effective way of setting a poster frame when creating .mp4 or .mov files in iMovie? I understand iMovie doesn’t have that functionality, but is there an app or some other way of doing so? Looking at blank icons in VLC for tvOS is not pretty.
Apple TV 4K, tvOS 12
Hi,
In iMovie parlance "sharing" includes creating an Mp4 file from your iMovie project. It's called "sharing to File", an option in the share menu.
When I share a project to file on my desktop, the video's icon displays a random thumbnail. The thumbnail may not transfer to other apps, however. It won't transfer to the Photos app, for example, or to iPad, unless the first clip in the video is a still image with no title on it. I tested this by importing back into iMovie the originally shared out video, and then adding a still image to the beginning of the video, and sharing out again. I was then able to transfer the newly shared out video to iPad and to the Photos on Mac app, and it would display as a thumbnail the still image that I had added. Perhaps something along those lines would work in your case.
I am not familiar with TVOS operating system. I have read that it is based on iOS core. Is there an option there to control-click on the icon and add artwork (thumbnail display)? You can do this with a home movie in iTunes, I know. I tried that with iTunes, but even then the artwork I had added did not transfer when I dragged the video back to my desktop. So probably any poster thumbnail that you add in TVOS would need to be done within that apps operating system.
Possibly there are some apps out there that do this type of thing. I just am not aware of any that may exist. You could try Googling it and see if anything turns up.
At this point, I have no additional ideas on this. I hope that you will be able to find an answer and, if you do, would you please post your findings here, to help others who might have your same issue?
Best,
Rich
Hi,
In iMovie parlance "sharing" includes creating an Mp4 file from your iMovie project. It's called "sharing to File", an option in the share menu.
When I share a project to file on my desktop, the video's icon displays a random thumbnail. The thumbnail may not transfer to other apps, however. It won't transfer to the Photos app, for example, or to iPad, unless the first clip in the video is a still image with no title on it. I tested this by importing back into iMovie the originally shared out video, and then adding a still image to the beginning of the video, and sharing out again. I was then able to transfer the newly shared out video to iPad and to the Photos on Mac app, and it would display as a thumbnail the still image that I had added. Perhaps something along those lines would work in your case.
I am not familiar with TVOS operating system. I have read that it is based on iOS core. Is there an option there to control-click on the icon and add artwork (thumbnail display)? You can do this with a home movie in iTunes, I know. I tried that with iTunes, but even then the artwork I had added did not transfer when I dragged the video back to my desktop. So probably any poster thumbnail that you add in TVOS would need to be done within that apps operating system.
Possibly there are some apps out there that do this type of thing. I just am not aware of any that may exist. You could try Googling it and see if anything turns up.
At this point, I have no additional ideas on this. I hope that you will be able to find an answer and, if you do, would you please post your findings here, to help others who might have your same issue?
Best,
Rich
If I can share my insights the only Apple software that was and still is able to generate a poster frame for a movie is named QuickTime 7 Pro player that Apple used to sell. It's a 32-bit app but is very capable of basic editing that later version of QuickTime Player (v.10) lack. I have it in every of several macOS versions I run and it works in Lion, Mavericks and High Sierra. There's a good chance it will stop working in Mojave, let alone Catalina.
I use iMovie to produce my mp4 videos and I view them using the tvOS VLC app on an Apple TV.
As to what icons I see depends on how I’m accessing the files.
VLC app on tvOS displays most icons as blank, except for a few whose file names are the same as or similar to the name of a publicly released movie in which case the poster frame is a graphic from themoviedb database.
VLC app on iOS iPad displays all icons as blank, no artwork.
VLC app on iOS iPhone displays all icons as blank, no artwork.
VLC app on macOS as for Finder view.
Finder view on macOS displays the frame 10 secs into the video by default, unless overridden by pasting a shot into the icon at the top left after selecting Get info in Finder view.
I’ve concluded because of this that my “problem” is a VLC issue. It’s a great product, especially as they have a tvOS app that runs on Apple TV 4K (so therefore there is no need to Airplay to the ATV4), except for trying to get them to respond to issues like this!
Its not the biggest problem in the world, and the important functionality of playing files is there, it’s just ugly and annoying.
I haven't seen any solutions beyond the discussions in the previous posts. However, you should at least be getting a random frame set when you share out. When you say "blank icons", are they black?
-- Rich
Here’s a screenshot of the TVOS display of the icons I get. It seems that if the file name suggests a movie that it displays what I presume is publicly available artwork for that movie, otherwise it’s blank
Thanks Rich. I'll keep digging for the elusive answer, and will post here if successful.
In the interim I'll try the VideoLAN forum to see if there's a VLC workaround solution for tvOS for Apple TV 4K users.
Cheers
Thanks for the insight.
I’ve managed to download it and activate the Pro version. It runs on Mojave (10.14.5). But while set poster frame is an option (not greyed out), I haven’t yet been able to save a file (as .mov) with a poster frame viewable in Finder. I’ll keep experimenting.
Could you, please, help to let me get this right? Are you unable to get poster frames in macOS, iOS, tvOS or in VLC app on 1 of those systems?
I'm asking because when I produce a video-file then I'm able to successfully view the thumbnail visible. The software I use is iPhoto Sharing Streams (by sharing using AppleID to another Apple ID of mine, and I don't actively use Photos.app) and an app for wireless transfer of photos and videos. I have no clue what conversion processes are involved, though, but it works.
If you don't see thumbnails in VLC then it might be a VLC issue. Perhaps it fails to generate QuickLook Preview or icons in general. VLC is notorious for its bugs and glitches but since it's "open source" and free people use it across the board. Its developers clearly don't feel obliged to issue updates and patches on a regular basis and don't experience pressure of customers that pay.
Rich, I should add, if it helps, I haven't shared these files out (for example, to Youtube, Facebook or to iMovie theatre). I have simply created an mp4 file using the 'file' option. Thanks.
A very thoughtful and realistic approach. Sometimes we just have to take what the apps give us.
-- Rich
Poster frame for iMovie
