iMovie & .mts File Extension Compatibility

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BMBell1919 Author

Level 1

37 points

iMovie & .mts File Extension Compatibility

Years ago I would import my Sony Handycam footage as .mov files using iPhoto. Cut and dry easy-peasy. Can't do that anymore with Photos. Unless you took still images with your camcorder. Now I'm finding that your best bet to mass import HD videos, is to select the clips and batch save them as .mts files. I see a lot of sites (sorta current at that) saying you cannot directly import .mts files into iMovie for editing. But I tried it via drag and drop and it appeared to work just fine. Am I missing something? Is it too good to be true? In other words, did this seemingly simple solution cause me to lose quality at all? At the surface, there doesn't seem to be much, if any, difference in quality between a raw .mov and raw .mts file. Thanks!

Mac mini, macOS 10.15

Posted on Jun 13, 2021 7:17 PM

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Answer 1

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BMBell1919 Author

Level 1

37 points

Jun 14, 2021 7:38 PM in response to Rich839

Thank you for the insights. It appears that Catalina running iMovie 10.2.3 can successfully import both .mov and .mts files. I imported the same clip two different ways from the sd card, so one would save as a .mov file and the other a .mts file. I dragged both types into iMovie and everything seemed okay. I agree perhaps the third party software caters towards those experiencing codec issues for one reason or another. I do miss the simplicity of the iPhoto approach but it's good to know there are working (albeit a bit more cumbersome) ways to import and edit video clips directly via the OS. Thanks again.

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Answer 2

Rich839

Level 8

47,706 points

Jun 13, 2021 10:00 PM in response to BMBell1919

As far as I know, iMovie 10 always was able to import .mts files. I am running iMovie 10.1.12 on Mojavi and can confirm that .mts files import fine. You have confirmed that .mts also imports into iMovie under the Catalina operating system.

However, importing .mts files into iMovie 10 failed when the Mac contained the Perian app or the obsolete A52 Codec. When those items were deleted off, the .mts files imported. That might have been what you have been reading on some websites.

The .mov format contains a bucket of codecs. Not all .mov files are the same, and some .mov containers may contain codecs that are not compatible with iMovie. That might be why you are having trouble importing .mov files when you have been able successfully to do so in the past.

When an .mts file is imported into iMovie, iMovie will decompress it for editing and export it as an Mp4 file or a pro res .mov file. There shouldn't be any loss in quality. If anything, there probably is a gain in quality, since less compressed.

-- Rich

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Answer 3

Rich839

Level 8

47,706 points

Jun 14, 2021 7:53 PM in response to BMBell1919

You are welcome.

— Rich

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iMovie & .mts File Extension Compatibility

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