iMovie keeps saying 'Missing file' when I import from photos. Sanity at risk here!

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SR555 Author

Level 1

16 points

iMovie keeps saying 'Missing file' when I import from photos. Sanity at risk here!

iMovie keeps saying 'Missing file' when I import from photos

Photo comes up as a black with a large question mark with either

'Missing File' 'Try reimporting the original source media'

or 'Missing Remote Media'.

The photos ARE there in 'Photos' when I drag them over,

and we (think we) have ensured the shared library is linked to the iMovie but sometimes it shows the photo in the iMovie project when they are dragged over but then disappear to the black screen with the question mark.

I am on iMovie 10.3.6

on MacOS Ventura 13.4.1 (c)

Thank you for any help and suggestions kind folk.

iMac 21.5″, macOS 13.4

Posted on Jul 14, 2023 10:50 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Rich839

Level 8

47,286 points

Jul 15, 2023 8:45 AM in response to SR555

Storage on the application drive refers to the amount of available free space on the drive on which your application (iMovie) is located. You would want about 20 GB of free space for iMovie to function efficiently. iMovie can operate on less than that, but nice to have a margin.

With optimized iCloud storage those photos and vids that have not been opened recently will be stored in the cloud. So what you see in the photos library is a small size reference thumbnail. When you open the file in the actual Photos app library, or export the thumbnail, the original will be downloaded.

I suggest that you not turn off optimized storage at this point, because that will result in the downloading of all of your 85,000 photos, and that will consume a large amount of space and could take a couple of days for the download to complete. Just download the files that you need for your project.

For an experiment, export one of the troublesome photos from the Photos app to your desktop, and from there drag it into iMovie. See if that cures the "Missing File" problem.

-- Rich

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Answer 2

Rich839

Level 8

47,286 points

Jul 15, 2023 7:53 AM in response to SR555

Hi,

Just guessing here, but possibly your photos are stored in the Cloud and have not been downloaded. That can happen, for example, if you are using iCloud Photos and have optimized storage selected. If that's the case, you would be importing a reference thumbnail instead of the full original and iMovie is not reading it.

In any case, try exporting your photos to your desktop and from there dragging them into iMovie. Or, you can open them in the PHotos app and I believe that would cause the photo to be downloaded and then recognized by iMovie. That would square with the iMovie message suggestion that you try importing your original source media.

-- Rich

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Answer 3

SR555 Author

Level 1

16 points

Jul 15, 2023 8:19 AM in response to Rich839

Thanks for coming back so quickly Rich, much appreciated.

My photos are in iCloud (I have 85,000) and they then appear automatically in Photos from where I drag them into my iMovie project.

I think I do have optimised storage activated (as I do on my iPhone as I thought that prevented my computer/phone from using too much space.) I thought using Photos meant it wasn’t ‘thumbnails’ being used. I’m now moving into a discussion area I’m not technically sure about now!

Your second point about application space is interesting. Not sure exactly what that means but I’ll check further, but I’m sure it said I was only using a quarter of available storage space, if that’s what it means?!

But I’ll do some more research on what that means and see if it does the trick.

Thanks again Rich, from a very grateful Scottish novice!

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Answer 4

SR555 Author

Level 1

16 points

Jul 15, 2023 11:14 PM in response to Rich839

Thanks again Rich

Good idea. I’ll give that a go later.

the only issue would then be, of course, if that works then I’d need to add that extra step of downloading every photo and video before adding to my iMovie project.

which is not ideal adding a fair bit of time - but would solve my problem so that would be better than what I’ve currently got, so what am I worrying / ‘complaining’ about haha.

Thanks Rich. Top man.

I’ll report back!

Meanwhile HAGD.

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Answer 5

SR555 Author

Level 1

16 points

Jul 17, 2023 12:57 PM in response to SR555

An update as promised Rich,

Well, I downloaded a few photos from iCloud, (not from the photos app) and then imported into my iMovie project. No problems with that.

It provides a solution for now.

But I will persist in trying to resolve why I’ve got problems importing from the Photos app.

Cheers

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Answer 6

Rich839

Level 8

47,286 points

Jul 15, 2023 8:05 AM in response to Rich839

Another thing that I just read in someone else's post: Perhaps you do not have sufficient free space on your application drive, and so the photos are not fully downloading.

-- Rich

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iMovie keeps saying 'Missing file' when I import from photos. Sanity at risk here!

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