Disappearing scroll bar

Question

Level 1

8 points

Disappearing scroll bar

I'm working with Imovie HD and today imported 50 or 60 video clips. I can see the first dozen or so in the clips area. To the right, where a scroll bar should be, is nothing. I can select a clip, but using the down arrow to move from one clip to the next doesn't work.

I tried exiting the application and restarting. No change.

I tried rebooting. No change.

I'm currently running "Preferential Treatment" (third-party utility that claims to examine and repair preferences.) As I recall, this usually takes 10 minutes or so. It's been at it for more than two hours ⚠ and appears to have at least 30 minutes to go. It also asks me for an admin password about every 6 minutes.

If that doesn't fix the problem, I presume that my next step should be to delete com.apple.iMovie.plist in my user's Library.

Have you encountered this "feature"? How would you go about finding and fixing the problem?

Note: This is about the scroll bar for the clips that have not yet been placed -- NOT the timeline or the scrubber.

Thanks!

Mac Powerbook G4, Mac OS X (10.4)

Posted on Jan 2, 2006 10:02 AM

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Answer 1

SDIllini

Level 6

16,675 points

Jan 2, 2006 10:10 AM in response to BBlinn

Hi BBlinn:

I suppose you could try import directly to the timeline instead of the preview pane to see if it works that way. Just change your preferences.

Sue

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Answer 2

BBlinn Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 2, 2006 10:18 AM in response to SDIllini

Thanks! I hate to do that because there are already a few dozen scenes on the timeline and I'd really like to solve the problem (the scroll bar was working last week) instead of just working around it.

I'll keep it in mind, though, if I can't fix the problem.

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Answer 3

Jan 2, 2006 11:20 AM in response to BBlinn

It's normal for the scrollbar of the Clips pane to "disappear" when all its clips can be viewed without scrolling. So if the scrollbar is not there, it may be there actually aren't as many clips as you think.

If you know there are more, here's some things to try:

1. Resize the iMovie project window, making it taller, then shorter. Maybe something will wake up iMovie so it redraws the scrollbar in the Clips pane.

2. Similarly, click on the green button in the upper-left corner of the window's titlebar. Click on it again to return the window to its original size.

3. Change the screen resolution. (First quit iMovie.)

4. Click on a clip in the Clips pane, then choose Edit > Select All.

5. Try 4 again, then drag all clips down one row.

6. Try 4 again, then drag all the clips to the timeline.

using the down arrow to move from one clip to the next doesn't work.

FYI, in iMovie the arrowkeys don't navigate from one clip to another, so I wouldn't expect that to work. You should be able to drag them, however.

Karl

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Answer 4

BBlinn Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 2, 2006 11:28 AM in response to BBlinn

The "solution" (and this is as strange as any solution I've ever encountered):

To continue from our last episode, I tried deleting com.apple.iMovie.plist in my user's Library. No change.

I tried re-installing iLife. No change.

I decided to use Snapz Pro X to create an image I could show to Apple. I did that (and I have the image that clearly shows the scroll bar is missing). I then copied this screen capture to a network drive so that I could use it on a Windows PC.

When I glanced back at the Mac, the scroll bar had returned.

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Answer 5

BBlinn Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 2, 2006 12:26 PM in response to Karl Petersen

Thanks! I'll keep that in mind if this happens again. For now, the scroll bar is back and I can scroll through all 60 or 70 clips.

Powebook G4 Mac OS X (10.4)

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Answer 6

Jeez33

Level 1

0 points

Jan 3, 2006 9:32 AM in response to BBlinn

I have a lot of clips in my clips area, and this happens every once in a while as I'm working. Karls #1 suggestion has worked for me every single time, without a restart. I just grab the corner of the iMovie window and change the size a little.

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