Why does iMovie not use the same codec as the iPhone

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Level 1

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Why does iMovie not use the same codec as the iPhone

As an example of my question, I recorded a 14 second video on my iPhone XS Max and it is saved as 16Mb HEVC, looks good at 1080p. I add the file to iMovie and do nothing to change it, and it saves as an MP4 using High, Better Quality 1080p H264 codec making the file size over twice as big - 34Mb. And this still is not as crisp and clear as the original HEVC video from the phone. Does anyone know a way to retain image quality and not bloat out file sizes when exporting? I am using iMovie 10.3.6 on MacOS Monterey on an Intel iMac. Should I be using alternative software?

iMac 27″, macOS 12.6

Posted on Jul 3, 2023 3:53 AM

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Answer 1

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Rich839

Level 8

48,168 points

Jul 3, 2023 12:23 PM in response to MalenySteve

Hi,

This is a consumer forum. We have no input or knowledge concerning Apple's software designs or the reasons behind ithem. So I cannot answer your "why" question.

You can import HEVC to the Finder. From there you can drag it into iMovie. However, everything exported from iMovie will be Mp4 unless you choose the Best Quality (pro res) setting in which case you will export a .mov file that is about 4x larger than the Mp4 file. In other words, there is no HEVC export option. That decision was Apple's and, as I said above, I have no idea of why it was done that way.

I'm not sure, but possibly Final Cut Pro X might have an HEVC export option.

-- Rich

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Answer 2

MalenySteve Author

Level 1

18 points

Jul 3, 2023 1:23 PM in response to Rich839

Thanks for the response. I did some further research and it seems the only solution for me to achieve better quality and smaller file sizes is to export Pro Res at 1080p and then use Handbrake free utility software to re-encode to MP4 using the newer H265 codec. I hope this solution is helpful for others.

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Answer 3

MalenySteve Author

Level 1

18 points

Jul 4, 2023 1:41 PM in response to Rich839

I had the phone set to 1080 as I was on a multi month trip and did not want to edit or upload during the trip in remote Tasmania. The file sizes are far smaller, but unfortunately Handbrake re-encoding has issues with fast movement or busy scenes like rapids or panning past trees and shrubs. So for some scenes it works, for others I resorted to custom output of a bitrate to achieve smaller files sizes with softening of the video. If I had unlimited bandwidth internet and massive hard drives it would not be an issue.

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Answer 4

Rich839

Level 8

48,168 points

Jul 4, 2023 7:38 AM in response to MalenySteve

Interesting solution. I had forgotten that H.265 is an encoding option in Handbrake. Did your solution actually produce better quality than Mp4 and smaller file size than pro res? Why did you choose 1080p rather than 4K?

-- Rich

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Answer 5

Rich839

Level 8

48,168 points

Jul 4, 2023 2:11 PM in response to MalenySteve

Perseverance won the day!

Sounds like a great trip.

-- Rich

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Why does iMovie not use the same codec as the iPhone

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