IMovie 11 to IDVD settings

The option does not effect standard definition video. It only effects HD video.

Tom,

Even captured at full size or even at half the size of 1440x1080, shouldn't there be enough resolution left to render a DVD video which is like 720x480 or 640x480? The poster was asking why his captured video is already looking very bad; almost pixelated before burn.

This mirrors my experience with iMovie 11 and normal DV capture. Capturing DV footage via tape degrades the resolution by almost half, still images look pixelated and opening text credits made by iMovie 6HD look very blocky. Import movie through the file browser of a DV footage made with Vidi resulted in exactly the same fate -- halved the resolution. Play both Vidi captured DV side by side with iMovie 11 captured DV footage resulted in an OBVIOUS resolution degradation on the iMovie 11 side. Exporting the clips to a DV stream resulted in the resolution being kept at the half state while file size remained identical to the original. I even exported it full size and still, resolution is halved -- pixelated. When you export full size and made available in the media browser, the same video file is now 93.7Mb (less than 1Gb). That's not good isn't it.

Whereas, if I treat the DV file through Quicktime and save it in a 480P H.264 file, import it to iMovie 11 -- guess what. The resolution was kept, everything is perfect. Even exporting back to DV stream kept the same full resolution but at less than 1Gb in size. This is simply not right. How can a movie file that is half the size of the original DV file look twice as good as the one spit out by iMovie 11?

So obviously, there is something wrong in the implementation of iMovie 11 that other Windows PC software do not suffer like the free Windows Movie Maker.

As the original poster had pointed out then Apple people told it is possible to make HD like on DVD. Well, I like to know how this is done because the way iMovie 11 is dealing with DV video by reducing its resolution by half from the original is not helping the final quality department in making the final DVD burn look good.

The only way I could make it look just as good as iMovie 6HD is by bypassing iMovie 11 and capturing with Vidi, re-encode to H.264 and then import it back to iMovie 11 and stay with this new format and then export to DV stream for burning in iDVD. It's not perfect, but I understand I'm dealing with a consumer level software. Why do I have to go through this hassle?

Look forward to your input.

Thanks,

Message was edited by: Coolmax

Large in iMovie is 960x540.

Once again, capturing the video at full size does not degrade it. At least not what I'm seeing on my computer. It does not degrade DV footage either. The captured file, not the edited file, but the captured file is identical to me whether it is captured in iMovie or in any other application.

Still images and text are process in the sequence. That is not the same as captured video. Yes, the material is reduced in quality inside the iMovie project.

Whereas, if I treat the DV file through Quicktime and save it in a 480P H.264 file, import it to iMovie 11 -- guess what. The resolution was kept, everything is perfect.

I can't reproduce that. The media looks considerably degraded compared to the original DV file. If that's acceptable to you then go for it. I don't think iMovie is capable of producing high quality DVDs from DV in its current formulation.

Coolmax, I noticed my Exports to MPEG-4, regardless of which Codec an resolution I selected in that option, were very pixelated. With Export to Quicktime, there is no pixelation but the quality isn't very crisp. Just thought I would mention to the original poster.

You kind of lost me on one thing. Did I understand you correct that when you Share a clip from iMovie, it reduces the resolution in half regardless of the resolution you select? In other words, if you select 640x480 for example, the saved file is 320x240? I didn't notice that on mine, based on "Get Info" on the file in Finder.

My captured files are 960x540 with Apple Intermediate Codec. I am going to try to export to the exact same and see what happens. Then, I'll burn to DVD with iDVD and let it transcode to 480. I'll let you know how it looks.

The option does not effect standard definition video. It only effects HD video.

Actually, it should say it does not effect DV and MPEG-2. HDV is "based" on an MPEG-2 codec, which means the HDV import function should not be effected by size. Unless Tom knows for sure that HDV is excluded?!?

Try it. HDV is not excluded.

Tom,

I like to know what Mac system are you running and that you have Final Cut Express installed?

I can not capture DV footage off tape using Firewire in full quality, but I love to know how. I do know that if Vidi can do it, then it's really not my Firewire port nor my drive. Do you think I'm missing a codec or something?!? Do you also think that Apple wrote iMovie 11 to work in full in certain faster systems and then dumb down the resolution on slower systems?

Thanks,

wrench75,

My issue with iMovie 11 is that, I am unable to capture DV footage off tape from my Firewire port in full resolution and fidelity. It's half the size, noisy and have combing artifacts. This should not happen. It's pretty obvious in the clip area. Power lines from hydro poles look extremely jagged, rather than smooth and texts are blocky etc.. Suffice to say, the footage may look good on DVD to someone who hasn't seen my video yet. But if they had seen my original video, they would be shocked to learn it was shot on a Canon GL-2. It looked like I shot it with a Kodak $100 pocket camera -- it's that bad.

Under clip inspector and when exported in DV stream format, the resolution is still saying 720x480, but it's not. It's at least half of that. So somehow, iMovie 11 destroyed the resolution and fidelity of my original captured footage just before displaying on the clip area. The only way I can keep true resolution is to capture with Vidi, convert it to HD 480p H.264 file and then import it into iMovie 11, edit and then export out through Quicktime and then burn to DVD.

If the quality of the export isn't crisp which is normal when gone through the iMovie process, you can add a little bit of sharpening to the final video to get some of that crispy look back.

With my process thus far, the authored DVD from iMovie is of high quality, at least the same as the backup tape made with iMovie 6HD. Which should mean, it is the same.

My system is in my profile. I have Final Cut installed, but that's not relevant to capturing in iMovie. Only QuickTime is relevant; QuickTime provides the codec. I don;t thing the computer effects it, unless the drive is not able to sustain the throughput, but that is very rarely the case in current systems.

It's pretty obvious in the clip area.

That means you haven't looked at the file in full resolution in the QT player set to high resolution playback. You're only looking at it in iMovie.

Tom,

How do you set QT player to high resolution playback?

Thanks.

You can't set it in the QT X player. In the QT 7 player you can do it in preferences or in movie properties in the pro player.

Tom,

I don't have paid version of QT 7 and pro. Does this mean that someone who has the free version is limited to half the resolution importing through iMovie 11?

In the QT7 prefs you don't have something like use high quality playback when available?

I've got QT 7.6.6 and it has the option to "Use high-quality video setting when available" in Preferences.