iMovie Massive File Export Guide (Even 24+ Hours)

Method 1

This method is very useful if you have combined multiple smaller clips into one file in iMovie. It has the benefit of not splitting any of your individual clips into more parts. In this case, there will already be breaks in your video between each clip you imported. Take the total time of your video and divide it into equal parts. Again, if you are over 24 hours, I recommend at least 8 equal parts. The key is to keep each part under 4 hours. You will need the time stamp of the beginning of each equal part. For example, you have a 21 hour long video. You split the video into parts, keeping in mind each one needs to be under 4 hours. Start from the beginning and check each end of clips in your videos until you get close, but still under, 3 hours. Say, for example, you find that a clip ends at the 3 hour and 23 minutes. That is close enough to 4 hours. Make that second one. Then, you need to add 4 hours to your previews section, so the new end goal is 7 hours and 23 minutes. You find a clip ending at 7 hours and 5 minutes. Perfect. The second clip is now from the end of the first section, 3 hours and 23 minutes in this example, to the end of the second clip, 7 hours and 5 minutes in this example. Keep doing this strategy until you get all the way to the end of your video.

From here, you need to copy each section into a new project by itself. This will not take up more space on your computer's memory. To copy a clip, highlight all of the clips in the section to be copied. (Click and hold in the grey area around your clips, then while holding drag the mouse over the clips.) They should show up with a yellow outline as shown below.

From here, right click any of the highlighted clips and press "copy". 

With the project now copied, you need a new project. Click the "Projects" button in the top left corner. When you get back to the menu, there should be a bunch of projects you made there, or just 1 if this is your first time making an iMovie project. (If this is your first project, kudos for the ambition.) Now you need to hit the huge button that says "Create New" below it. Hit the "Movie" button on the small menu that pops up.

Once a new project has been opened, you need to click anywhere in the timeline. See the image below.

After clicking there, hit the "Command" and "V" button in your keyboard at the same time. This should paste all the clips you copied into your new project. MAKE SURE TO SAVE THIS PROJECT. You can save easily by hitting the "Projects" button in the top left corner and entering a name for the file. I recommend you number the files chronologically so that it is easy to keep them in order later. For example, the first section might be named "Big Project 1", the second section "Big Project 2", and so on.

Repeat these same copy, new project, and paste steps for every section you got the times for earlier.

Once all sections are now in their own project, you need to begin the export of them. There are a few things you must do to make this go smoothly. For this, see the bold and underlined section below titled "Exporting Your Section Projects"

Method 2

This method is useful if you have a large number of long videos put together instead of many short ones. It has to be used if your video includes an individual clip that is more than 4 hours long. 

To start, get the total time of your video. Divide this time in half. If the halved time is still more than 4 hours long, halve it again. Keep doing this until you are under 4 hours. When you get under 4 hours, write that time down. You need to split your entire video into equal sections of that length of time you wrote down. Say your whole video is 21 hours long. To get each part under 4 hours, you need to divide by 7. This gives you seven 3-hour long sections. Start with zero. So the start times to know in this example are 0 hours (the start of the video), 3 hours, 6 hours, 9 hours, 12 hours, 15 hours, and 18 hours.

Now go to the timeline and locate the exact 3 hour mark of your video. Click it right at this time. A grey line should show up and the time on the clock should meet what you want. Now, right click on any of the clips and select "Split Clip" from the menu. This will make your one clip into two.

Repeat this split process for each of the start times you have decided on. Make sure you know where you put each split.

Now you need to put each section between your splits into its own project. This will not take up more space on your computer's memory. To copy a clip, highlight all of the clips in the section to be copied. (Click and hold in the grey area around your clips, then while holding drag the mouse over the clips.) They should show up with a yellow outline as shown below.

From here, right click any of the highlighted clips and press "copy". 

With the project now copied, you need a new project. Click the "Projects" button in the top left corner. When you get back to the menu, there should be a bunch of projects you made there, or just 1 if this is your first time making an iMovie project. (If this is your first project, kudos for the ambition.) Now you need to hit the huge button that says "Create New" below it. Hit the "Movie" button on the small menu that pops up.

Once a new project has been opened, you need to click anywhere in the timeline. See the image below.

After clicking there, hit the "Command" and "V" button in your keyboard at the same time. This should paste all the clips you copied into your new project. MAKE SURE TO SAVE THIS PROJECT. You can save easily by hitting the "Projects" button in the top left corner and entering a name for the file. I recommend you number the files chronologically so that it is easy to keep them in order later. For example, the first section might be named "Big Project 1", the second section "Big Project 2", and so on.

Repeat these same copy, new project, and paste steps for every section you got the times for earlier.

Once all sections are now in their own project, you need to begin the export of them. There are a few things you must do to make this go smoothly. For this, see the bold and underlined section below titled "Exporting Your Section Projects"

If your original video was at or over 24 hours:

Open QuickTime Player, an app with comes preinstalled on MacOS.

Locate the first of your sectioned exports. You have to do this chronologically or your video will be all out of order. Open the first video with QuickTime Player. Make the window small, so that you can see your desktop. Open the location that you saved your sectioned exports to. Drag the second video onto the frame of QuickTime and drop it. Repeat with the third, then the fourth, and so on for all the clips. Once all clips have been dragged and dropped into QuickTime, save the total video. (This can be done by closing QuickTime with the red dot in the corner oddly enough.) Be sure to enter a good name and place to save it to. Give QuickTime a long time to crank out the whole saved video. 

I have not had any issues with QuickTime freezing in the process despite insane file sizes. I am talking 160 GB of stuff here. QuickTime seems to be a tank.

Once QuickTime gets that file done, which may take multiple hours, you can check your combined file by playing it with QuickTime. Check for sound. Quicktime will almost certainly delete your audio from the video. Do not fear. This can be fixed. If you somehow got the rare case that it didn't delete your audio, you are golden. Congratulations! You have your video exported. Simply delete everything but your final product and be happy. If you are like me, you weren't that lucky. This problem is a serious and hard to solve issue for video longer than 24 hours. However, I have an idea for you. I am not sure if it actually works yet as it is still in the process of completing this step. The next reply will explain what I am trying now.

I have found another solution that have been verified as correct on the internet and even by YouTube's policies (although indirectly and only by implication), but I am not sure my particular computer can actually handle it.

YouTube has the ability to live stream. This is a thing where somebody goes "live" by streaming a camera directly from their studio, or wherever they may be, to the viewers instead of them watching a pre-recorded video.

YouTube live streams also have the capability of encoding, which allows YouTube to record your screen. This allows it to record gameplay or sporting events with voice overs (commentary). In my case, just watching an entire 30 hour long video on my screen with no voice inputs or face cameras.

Once a live stream has ended, YouTube can save the entirety of the live stream to your channel as a video for others to watch later.

And most importantly, live streams do not have a length limit.

Combine all of these things and I can get my entire video onto YouTube, possibly at 1080p to boot.

But this all boils down to one question. Can my computer handle that? I have no idea. I will simply have to test it and see for myself.

Nevermind, there is one final post. I have succeeded in getting this video on YouTube, but I had to break it into 3 parts. I did not want to do that, but I did it as a last resort. After dealing with two or three different copywrite claims for songs within the game, I have managed to get the videos up on YouTube. There are now three videos at 720p that you can watch. I will link them here for you all to see the final product of this very difficult and lengthy task.

Please note that this is an M rated game. Viewer discretion is advised. You must be 18+ years of age to watch.

Part 1: https://youtu.be/UHgTefhRj9Q

Part 2: https://youtu.be/tFQd-FW4Jn4

Part 3: https://youtu.be/CYMp16jl6jA

Again, I post these to show you it was in fact possible to get this entire nearly 30 hour long video off of iMovie. Getting it onto YouTube, however, proved to be more difficult. But, as far as this thread is concerned, the YouTube part is besides the point. We have done it! The 30 hour video is done.

I would like to add that I was only able to export and upload the video at 720p. I have since discovered that I could export them at 1080p. I didn't do it as I assumed the 1080p would be unrealistic to achieve. Spoiler: It is, but it is not impossible. At least other than storage space for this size of file and time, there is no obvious reason why I couldn't have exported them at 1080p (given iMovie would let me) in the methods described along this thread. If somebody out there wants to make a huge video like this, but needs 1080p, just know that I think it is currently possible to do that. Just know that it is likely going to take you quite a substantial chunk of time.

With that, I think now the thread is officially over. I have got what I wanted to achieve completed. Again, I want to thank everyone here for their help. Those videos would not exist without you. I hope this thread comes in handy for all of those wanting to make a massive video.

Again, stay frosty.

~Turtledud3