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Getting a DVD onto my iMac and splitting it into sections

I had my super 8 home movies transferred to a dvd. This dvd covers eight years.

  1. I would like to get this dvd onto my iMac.
  2. I would like to split the dvd into sections?? so that I can import these sections into iMovie.

(Some of these sections are very dark or were filmed way too fast. I would like to correct them in iMovie.


Can you please help me...

  1. How to get this dvd onto my iMac?
  2. How to select a section and get it into iMovie?


iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Jan 1, 2021 11:09 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Jan 1, 2021 11:40 AM

Hi, Maryann108,


Insert the DVD into an internal or external optical drive. Click on the DVD icon that appears on your desktop to open the DVD to access its contents architecture. You will see a folder labeled VIDEO-TS. (There will also be an AUDIO-TS folder, but ignore that one because it is irrelevant.) Open the VIDEO-TS folder. You will see several files in there, some with VOB extensions. Copy (not move) to your desktop the files with the VOB extensions. Ignore the others. The VOB files comprise the movie on the DVD in Mpeg-2 format. You need to convert these to MP4 format. You can do that with the free download, Handbrake.

You can get Handbrake here:


https://handbrake.fr/


A simple way to convert with Handbrake is to open Handbrake and do a File/Open Source. From the resulting screen navigate to your VOB file on your desktop and choose it as the source. Then do File/Start Encoding. Wait a couple of minutes for the conversion to complete. Then save and import the converted Mp4 clips into iMovie. Arrange and edit them as you wish and then share out the project as a movie file on your desktop. You might be able to do the above by directly opening the DVD in Handbrake to access and convert the VOB files. My solution is the old fashioned way. :)


Once you have the vids converted to Mp4, import them all in to iMovie and work with them there. There you can do a Modify/Split at the in points and out points and thereby create a segment. You can do whatever corrections that you want and either leave the segment in the project or copy and paste the segment into a newly created project.


-- Rich



8 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Jan 1, 2021 11:40 AM in response to Maryann108

Hi, Maryann108,


Insert the DVD into an internal or external optical drive. Click on the DVD icon that appears on your desktop to open the DVD to access its contents architecture. You will see a folder labeled VIDEO-TS. (There will also be an AUDIO-TS folder, but ignore that one because it is irrelevant.) Open the VIDEO-TS folder. You will see several files in there, some with VOB extensions. Copy (not move) to your desktop the files with the VOB extensions. Ignore the others. The VOB files comprise the movie on the DVD in Mpeg-2 format. You need to convert these to MP4 format. You can do that with the free download, Handbrake.

You can get Handbrake here:


https://handbrake.fr/


A simple way to convert with Handbrake is to open Handbrake and do a File/Open Source. From the resulting screen navigate to your VOB file on your desktop and choose it as the source. Then do File/Start Encoding. Wait a couple of minutes for the conversion to complete. Then save and import the converted Mp4 clips into iMovie. Arrange and edit them as you wish and then share out the project as a movie file on your desktop. You might be able to do the above by directly opening the DVD in Handbrake to access and convert the VOB files. My solution is the old fashioned way. :)


Once you have the vids converted to Mp4, import them all in to iMovie and work with them there. There you can do a Modify/Split at the in points and out points and thereby create a segment. You can do whatever corrections that you want and either leave the segment in the project or copy and paste the segment into a newly created project.


-- Rich



Jan 2, 2021 12:27 PM in response to Rich839

  1. Copied the three VOB files to my desktop.
  2. Opened Handbrake
  3. My three VOB files showed up
  4. I selected the first file and I got a columns of pastel colors; a column of pale pink, a column of pale green, etc.???
  5. I then selected the second VOB file. It went through and was encoded and is now an .mp4 file.
  6. I now must save it. ....apparently to maryann>Movies>BROWSE. Yes, there is a BROWSE box and apparently I must choose. Under BROWSE I have a number of selections. I am guessing that I should save it to IMOVIE EVENTS. The other possibilities that show up are: iMovie camera archives, iMovie original movies, iMovie projects and iMovie sharing.

Thank you for your patience.

Jan 2, 2021 10:32 AM in response to Maryann108

You are doing fine. Forget the Open Source button. We're not using it.


You need to copy the VOB files, not the others, to your desktop by holding down the Option key as you drag them. Then, open Handbrake, and when in Handbrake click on File/Open Source. In the screen that pops up select Desktop at the top of the screen. A window will show the files on your desktop, including the VOB files that you just copy-dragged there. Click on one to select it as the source. Then click Open in the lower right hand corner of your screen. Then go to File/Start Encoding. In a short time your VOB file will be converted to an Mp4 file and will appear on your desk top.


In your case, the movie will save to your Movies folder because at the start you selected the Movies folder as the location of your source clip.



-- Rich

Jan 3, 2021 10:23 AM in response to Maryann108

Hi,


Glad to have you back Unless you use Handbrake a lot the settings can be confusing to anyone. The Handbrake help menu is not very good.


You need to choose the destination with the Browse button before you start your encoding. Then when the encoding finishes it will automatically save to your chosen destination. Look in your Movies folder (Finder Menu/Go/Home/Movies) and your encoded movie probably will be there.


-- Rich

Jan 3, 2021 3:03 PM in response to Rich839

Rich,

You did it! Don't ask me how but I played around enough that it is finally in my movies. But I have a funny feeling that I may still be in the "old" version of movies, even though I was sure that I upgraded back then. Eventually when things open up again, I will get back to the Apple Store for a lesson.


Rich, Thank you! Thank you for all your help. I will copy this complete conversation so that I have it when I add the next video to iMovie. May you have a wonderful happy 2021. And please do stay safe.




Getting a DVD onto my iMac and splitting it into sections

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