How do I convert old iMovie projects to iMovie 8.0.

Hmmm. They are iMovie 8 projects, as you said. There may be a problem project that is causing the interruption of the update. Take a look at this thread and see if the solution posed there helps you:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7827378

-- Rich

iMovie 10.1.9 is just a later iteration of iMovie 10. While there are some improvements by the later iteration, in the context of your issue they can be regarded as the same.

What happens when you do a File/Update Projects and Events from iMovie 10?

As I mentioned above, projects created in iMovie versions before iMovie 7 won't update.

I take it that you no longer have the earlier iMovie versions on your computer or on a backup. Correct? What form are the projects in and where are they located? Can you send a screen shot of what the icons look like? What do you see when you do a Control-click/Show Package Contents? And a Control-click/Get Info? Can you send screen shots of what you see?

-- Rich

Hi, moosbach4,

You didn't mention what version of iMovie that you used to create the projects. I assume iMovie 7 since iMovie 6 and earlier version projects would not load into iMovie 8.

If your projects were created on iMovie 7 or later you can update them into iMovie 10 by opening iMovie 10 and clicking on File/Update Projects and Events. If your projects were created in iMovie 6 or earlier, the update option is not available.

Updating to iMovie 10 would be the way to go. iMovie 8 is not fully functional on El Capitan. Black still images are one of the issues. That might be what you are seeing.

If you cannot update the projects the alternative would be to share them out (export them) as standalone movies. You could then drag them into iMovie 10 and do some limited editing, such as making splits, adding titles, add some effects. Previously embedded editing could not be changed unless you could cut them out by deleting part of the clip.

-- Rich

What version of iMovie did you use to create the projects initially? Is that version still on your computer or otherwise accessible to you?

Unfortunately iMovie 8.06 is not completely functional on El Capitan and later operating systems. Black frame stills are one of the reported malfunctions. There is no path to update iMovie 8.06 to iMovie 9 or iMovie 10. Therefore there is no cure other than to update your projects and events into iMovie 10 from within iMovie 10 (File/Update Projects and Events). Is that what you did when you tried to "convert" the projects using iMovie 10?

If iMovie 8.06 (or your earlier iMovie version) still works, you can share out your projects to standalone movies. That might work if the still pictures actually are in the project. You can then drag the movies into iMovie 10 as one large clip, but editing would be limited to such things as splitting the clip, deleting, adding effects, adding titles, adding transitions between the splits. Previous edits that are embedded into the movie, such as titles and effects could not be changed unless you can cut out that portion of the clip.

If you can find some way to play the project on your computer, you could make a screen recording of it (Command-Shift-5).

You appear to still have your original media for the older projects, so you always have the option to use the original media to recreate the project in iMovie 10.

-- Rich

Yes, it can be tedious. Hang in there.

-- Rich