Missing codecs in QT7 Pro on Lion

QuickTime 7.7 was for Leopard not for Snow Leopard. There is an equivalent available for Snow Leopard which does also work for Lion, you can download it from here http://support.apple.com/kb/dl923

You may also want to install Perian.

Can anyone advise me whether it is possible to enable these codecs, or even just PNG, on Lion?

QT 7 for Snow Leopard and Lion no longer has a "QuickTime Preferences" window which used to contain the "Legacy" MIME switching options. As to PNG, it is still QT supported Under Lion.

When you say 'supported' what do you mean exactly?

I mean that it is supported by QT and is the default system compression format for capturing screen images under Snow Leopard and Lion operating systems which can then be opened in the QT 7 Player app (but not the QT X Player app) or most other QT based applications.

I have installed Player Version 7.6.6 (1710) / QuickTime™ Version 7.7.1 (2306) and quit / restarted Quicktime... When I go to File>Export>Movie to Quicktime Movie>Options>Settings>Compression Type there is no option for PNG as there used to be in Snow Leopard.

PNG is an image compression format—not a movie format. If you wish to export a frame, use the "Movie to Picture" or "Command-C" option to capture a player frame or "Shift-Command-4" followd by a "Space" to capture the entire player image and then convert the image to PNG if necessary. If you wish to create a PNG movie, you will have to export the source movie using the "Movie to Image Sequence" option selecting PNG for the image target compression format, and then re-assemble the images as a movie using the "Open Image Sequence..." option.

Sorry, but I agree with Jon in regard to "image" versus "video" codecs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Network_Graphics

There was a time when cameras recorded using "image" formats (10 to 30 FPS) and used codecs like "Motion-JPEG" (A or B) and here is some more info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_JPEG

There has never been a camera that recorded video using PNG.

Why (except as an image sequence) would you wish to use the PNG codec in a video?

Obviously I agree that PNG is principally known as a still image format. But, I posted this in the QuickTime forum, QT being principally a video format (or more accurately, wrapper) I assumed anyone with a half decent knowledge of QuickTime would understand what I was talking about since the codecs in question have been a part of the standard QuickTime libraries for many years and were only very recently removed, if I understand correctly.

If you inist that PNG is is a video format rather than an image (independent intra-frame level) compression format, then please refer to the current list of standard "video" codecs supported under Lion. You will find the PNG is not listed. Further, as previously mentioned, QT X (under Lion) will no longer open/play MOV files which employ PNG compression. You will also note that other compression formats like Motion-JPEG A and Motion-JPEG B compression formats are also now missing as export options and other forum users report that some "Pro" codecs no longer play correctly in QT X even with the components installed.

Can we please get back to (or start) a discussion of how to restore this functionality to Quicktime under Lion, instead of trying to tell me that I don't need it.

You basically have three options:

1. Send QT feedback to Apple requesting they restore the "Movie to QuickTime Movie" PNG video compression export option for QT 7 Pro use under Lion OS.
2. Revert to Leopard OS with its QuickTime v7.7 which still supports the QT 7 Pro "Movie to QuickTime Movie" PNG compression export option.
3. Use MPEG Streamclip instead of QT 7 Pro to perform "Movie to QuickTime Movie" PNG compression exports under the Lion OS. As previously noted, PNG is still supported under Lion as an "image" compression format by the embedded QT structure. Since MPEG Streamclip accesses this same QT structure but has not opted to restrict user selection of this compression option (or the option to use Motion-JPEG A/B for that matter) when exporting using the "Export to QuickTime..." option, you still have a viable work flow should you choose to use it—but not in QT 7 Pro.

As to "how to restore this functionality to QuicktTime under Lion," your initial posting restricted discussion to the use of QT 7 Pro to which I already responded. This response addresses additional work flow possibilities which may or may not appeal to you. Further, none of my replies imply that you may not need to use the codec in question—only that its use is now restricted by QT 7 Pro to its original intended use as an image compression format/file type wrapper.

Steven, I'm sure you found the answer by now but I thought I'd post it since no one bothered answering a legitimate question instead of telling you what you need or don't (typical, when they don't know the answer) and there are tons of us out here trying to meet numerous client's legacy specs.

In Lion or Mountain Lion, you have to specify what codec you want to enable:

For PNG as an example, open Terminal and type:

qtdefaults write LegacyVideoCodecs ApplePNG enabled

if you are curious about other codecs use:

qtdefaults read InstalledLegacyVideoCodecs

This will give you a list of all the legacy codecs whether they are enabled or not. Find the name of what you want and replace the codec name part in the write formula above and you're set.

For the full help menu of qtdefaults just type:

qtdefaults

I hope this helps.

I hope this helps.

I don't know about the original poster here, but I found your use of the Terminal utility to enable the PNG image code for use in the "Movie to QuickTime Movie" export option tremendously interesting and of great potential use to a small but loud group of users. Your workflow makes the image codec essentially the equivalent of a video codec as far as exporting is concerned—allowing the simultaneous use of audio and probably and, I suspect, avoids the limit on the number of frames that can be opened using the image sequencing work flow.

My hat is off to you.

This is flash-forwarding by about 2.5 years but please bear with the urgent need to bring this topic up again.

Steven, has this worked perfectly fine for you?

I've tried the terminal codes a bunch of times and got no result.

I'm using Mavericks and am in the exact same boat since this affects the results of my work from After Effects.

Not being able to Quicklook is not half my concern - as is for most people who've posted about this on various threads - as is being able to export my video losslessly directly from AE for my master file. I hate migrating my video to an offline software to re-export and Pro-Res HQ seems to be the only answer which is probably the best of all evils but still shows visible loss in sharpness and colour.

I'd be grateful for any help on this!

Jon Walker wrote:

You basically have three options:

1. Send QT feedback to Apple requesting they restore the "Movie to QuickTime Movie" PNG video compression export option for QT 7 Pro use under Lion OS.
2. Revert to Leopard OS with its QuickTime v7.7 which still supports the QT 7 Pro "Movie to QuickTime Movie" PNG compression export option.
3. Use MPEG Streamclip instead of QT 7 Pro to perform "Movie to QuickTime Movie" PNG compression exports under the Lion OS. As previously noted, PNG is still supported under Lion as an "image" compression format by the embedded QT structure. Since MPEG Streamclip accesses this same QT structure but has not opted to restrict user selection of this compression option (or the option to use Motion-JPEG A/B for that matter) when exporting using the "Export to QuickTime..." option, you still have a viable work flow should you choose to use it—but not in QT 7 Pro.

As to "how to restore this functionality to QuicktTime under Lion," your initial posting restricted discussion to the use of QT 7 Pro to which I already responded. This response addresses additional work flow possibilities which may or may not appeal to you. Further, none of my replies imply that you may not need to use the codec in question—only that its use is now restricted by QT 7 Pro to its original intended use as an image compression format/file

Did I miss something about enabling codecs in later versions of Mac OS X (Mavericks or Yosemite)? I can confirm that legacy codecs, including PNG, can be enabled in Terminal under Yosemite OS X 10.10.3. I was able to use PNG as a video codec exporting from QuickTime Player 7.6.6. Reading your post (and I apologize if I misunderstood), seemed to suggest this restoration of legacy codecs was for Lion only.

Reading your post (and I apologize if I misunderstood), seemed to suggest this restoration of legacy codecs was for Lion only.

This topic was initially opened on 18 Nov 2011 when Lion was the latest Mac OS X release. My comments (to which you referred) were made the same day and therefore pre-date the release of Mountain Lion, Mavericks, and Yosemite under which, as you correctly indicated, the same legacy codec restorations are still possible.

Yeah, it would help if I looked at dates. Forgive the brain cramp!