HD Quality of video output in iMovie '11

My quest still continues....

Having spent more time importing some DV footage and creating a short test sequence, the finished movie is still well below par. And I refer to comparing the original footage played through to a 42" plasma against a .mov file played through the same TV using a WD Media Player. Do you know if importing the files, either DV or MTS (from a Canon HD camera), into Toast 11 to decompress the data will have any better results? Or, does it mean that to get HD results from ANY Apple product, you have to buy Final Cut Pro X? If this is the case, then surely Apple are misleading consumers by stating that iMovie is capable of HD when it clearly isn't? Any Lawyers willing to comment??

I tested importing 4 HD files from an HD film transfer company's site--Motion JPEG A, Component, Animation and RAW uncompressed. Apple's iMovie DOWN-converted all of them, adding video noise. A sane person may not expect much from a free program, but they would expect it to not proactively damage your files' quality to make them look worse. This is a glimpse into the decline of Apple from making products for professionals to an increasingly stockholder- and consumer-products-fixated one. It's a sales strategy to get people who really notice HD quality to buy Final Cut Pro, while most consumers won't notice iMovie has, by design, muddied their video files. Aiming for this narrow balance is yet another Apple decision that shows the control-freakish, vampiric arrogance of management. Forcing people off the online Apple Store to instead sign up and download OS updates from the iTunes Store is another example of how Apple now considers people their consumer herd.

The only thing that makes sense is that Apple was not supporting 1080p when they made iMovie11 (at least as far as I can tell). And it seems most people here are importing 1080p files. So maybe that has something to do with it. I might try recording at 720p and see if iMovie still degrades the quality. I'm curious to see if anyone has tried that already. Based on the number of views to threads similar to this one, I'm sure Apple has noticed a problem by now. Will iMovie12 be the solution? If so, those of us with 11 deserve a free upgrade.

You can try all input resolutions in the world

Try even a still picture, the quality will degrade.

I hope with the coming of the new apple tv in full HD, Apple will upgrade imovie...

Eureka! I have FINALLY managed to get HD edited footage on my TV (no thanks to Apple!).

This is how I did it:

1. Using Boot Camp, create a Windows 7 install

2. Install Cyberlink PowerDirector 10 Ultra (in Windows)

3. Import AVCHD footage either direct from HD camera or from an archive stored on an external drive

4. Edit, create titles, transitions, etc

5. Output (from a range of various options) using H.264 which will save the edited project as a .M2TS file which now plays seemlessly HD on a WD HD Media Player including Dolby Surround Sound.

It has taken a HUGE amount of research to finally end up with footage as good as the native MTS file the HD camera records in.

Good luck..... Spread the word!!!

Note that this is an Apple community...

I used Powerdirecter too in the past

It produces very good quality indeed

BUT it crashes a lot... So I switched to Mac

I have trialled Corel VideoStudio Pro X5 and it is fantastic. And yes, this is an Apple forum!? I think Apple need to keep up with the requirements of the consumer or lose it. Thank goodness for Boot Camp!

Thanks. What's the best way to convert to AIC?

I'm going to take the same 4 HD files to an Apple Store and see if I can import them into Final Cut Pro and see if any noise is added like iMovie does.

I finally gave up on iMovie and purchased FCPX. It was a bit expensive but I do enough video to justify it and it seems most of the other solutions (PC software running on Mac) would end up costing just as much in the long run. I did try Adobe Premier and didn't like it. It's not ready for Mac; too many bugs. Having said that, I really am happy with FCPX. The files don't degrade at all and it's very easy to use. It seems Apple has listened to the criticism and the updates have been significant.

Thanks, themightygoose, good to hear something else positive about FCP, and here's another. I tested importing into Final Cut Pro three of the HD (QuickTime) sample video files that iMovie degraded and exported them to H264. These files were Motion JPEG A QuickTime, Component QuickTime & uncompressed 24-bit RAW QuickTime. I then did blow-up screenshots of areas where iMovie's imports showed the most obvious degradation. FCP did NOT degrade any of the files like iMovie did. My opinion is iMovie should be changed to properly import Apple's own QuickTime HD files, or it should have this function removedl--basically, "do it right or not at all" should apply to free apps too. The folks at the Apple Store were very helpful--as always--in letting me do this. If FCP had failed, a non-Apple editing app would have been on my list.

I have to say trying to drag and drop files with a Magic Trackpad for the 1st time hurt my hand; it was innacurate and like typing Morse code, but maybe I just wasn't used to it--I do love my Magic Mouse.

My Trackpad experience, the iMovie disappointment, others' complaints about Final Cut Pro, and the workflow-jolting change in all Mac apps from "Save As" to "Duplicate/Save" with Lion makes me I wonder if Apple needs to upgrade its user testing program for hardware, software and even the OS. Maybe they have too many "yes-people" testing for them?

In looking over Adobe Premiere Elements 10, the smaller version of Premiere, they have kind of decided on AVCHD as its HD output format, but they don't detail which settings are available within that format. Apple's iMovie page says it exports "HD video at full 1920-by-1080p resolution," and I think they should remove that as long as it degrades your video even when "optimizing" it upon import. Both of them have all these great features, but I'd trade half those features to keep my video's original resolution intact.

Tko54321

This is why I feel I have been mis-sold by Apple, I too thought that it would produce full HD when in reality it is worse than VHS! The only way I have found is to create a partition and install Corel VideoStudio Pro X5 on a windows 7 platform. It ideal really, but it has everything I need in terms of user interface, editing facilities and various output options, including full HD.

I have written to Apple saying that I feel I have been mis-sold due to this. Waiting for a reply!

Hello everyone, I hope you don't mind an ignorant newbie jumping in.

I created a 30-minute HD video (imported, and did every step along the way at the highest settings), was thrilled with the beautiful picture on my big iMac, burned it to DVD, and couldn't believe the poor quality (as has been mentioned here).

I have read every word of this thread...is the simple conclusion that if I had done this in Final Cut Express (and done correctly, of course) that the quality loss would have been either greatly reduced, or even eliminated?

(I am a little ignorant of the acronym FCP-X, which to me reads like Final Cut Pro-Express, but I think means Final Cut Express?)

If this solution is true, might it work to import the high-quality .mov file I have created into Final Cut Express, and create a high-quality DVD through that program?

Thanks!

Hi All,

So it sounds like we can't expect much from iMovie '11. It really is too bad because I really do love using the program. It is very easy to put together a lot of clips in a very short time, and result in a pretty good video. I just wish the export quality was better. The video looks absolutely amazing on the camera, but when I export it using iMovie it looks like I recorded it on my iPhone!

I recently got a copy of Final Cut Express HD (3.5) and found it doesn't work with AVCHD. I couldn't import the video to it from the camera. I ended up importing the video to the Mac using iMovie, then imported the video to FCE. When I export that same video though, it looks like crap.

Not sure if this version is going to work for my quality needs. Anyone know if FCE4 is what I need to work with AVCHD and export high-quality vid?

Thanks!