How to import a DVD to imovie?

I am new to OS X and this was a suprise to me as well. I bought a MacBook assuming it was better than Windows in handling video. I am finding the opposite is true.

For example, iMovie which is a paid add-on should be able to support the simple task of importing a DVD. I don't want to go around scrambling looking for a list of steps and non-Apple converters, or the right ripper to buy on a bunch of cheesy websites, just to import a DVD I created years ago. I had to return to Windows and Pinnacle Studio - which imported my DVD directly, created clips, and dumped into a timeline in 1 step. So simple and the output quality is outstanding.

The other suprise was the inability to recognize AVCHD. These camcorders have been around for several years. Even if iMovie doesn't edit AVCHD natively (which it should by now), I would have been satisfied if it could at least convert it to Quicktime format. Doesn't do that either. The only solution I found was using Windows to convert AVCHD to MP4. But if I didn't have my PC, I would have been stuck.

iMovie looks slick in the ads. In reality, I still need Windows to get the job done because it supports the media I created.

Y'know, it is refreshing to hear a perspective from someone who does not worship at the alter of Apple. I favor neither Apple nor Windows, but I can tell you that my endless frustration with Apple in trying to get my iMac to do the simplest things, or at least to my mind what should be one-click, without having to buy another app, has turned me back to Windows.

Apple promises to be intuitive, but I find it anything but. Perhaps thats why they offer classes, so you have to learn how to use their intuitive product. I find my iMac is like a stripped down basic model car--every time I want to do something, it's extra, and costly.

I downloaded DVDx-whatever. It worked. It was clunky and took some getting used to, which I forgive since I am new to the program. Maybe if I use it more, it will be more intuitive.

Oh, btw, you can't edit sound on Garage Band either. You can play and enter sound, but if you have a separate voice recording, like a simple one I made on the microphone (which I had to buy), you can't edit it. I had to download Audacity to do that--and even then, you can't save it directly to Apple iTunes as an mp3, you have to export it to the desktop and then drag-and-drop into iTunes.

Apple has great marketing. They sell a product that you have to take classes to learn and buy more apps to use effectivley, but people love it. As one guy I know said, "I love my iPhone. Everything about it is great except the phone doesn't work!"

Personally, I don't get it.

See this guide about how to import dvd to imovie on Mac step by step.

My goodness! There's a lot of bickering for something that's so simple.

Use MPEG Streamclip. It's fast, easy and free. For standard 4:3 DVDs rip to DV format. For widescreen DVDs rip to DV Widescreen. Import to iMovie. Done.

And if you like a Windows workflow better, boot camp your Mac and boot into Windows, or install Parallels and run Windows from right within OSX.

Mark Petereit wrote:

My goodness! There's a lot of bickering for something that's so simple.

Use MPEG Streamclip. It's fast, easy and free. .. .

wrong.

to allow Mpeg Streamcliup to convert videoDVD, you have to purchase the Apple-mp2-playback component.

if you prefer 'free', follow advice in this thread for the right settings in Handbrake

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3968261?answerId=18444812022#18444812022

... and converting a muxed.vob into something fully editable is no trivial ... 😉

Karsten Schlüter wrote:

to allow Mpeg Streamcliup to convert videoDVD, you have to purchase the Apple-mp2-playback component.

To allow MPEG Streamclip to convert video from a DVD, you may have to purchase the Apple-mp2-playback component. I've been using MPEG Streamclip for years and I have never had to purchase anything additional to get it to work.

If you install MPEG Streamclip and it does not have the MPEG2 component it needs, then download and intall the free Perian Quicktime extensions.

I think I covered that way back in February! 😀

LOL! I should know better than to post technical information before I've had my first cup of coffee. ;-)

It's been a long time since I first started working with video on a Mac. It's been so easy for so long that it's good that Windows users come along now and again to remind me how hard it's supposed to be.

Thanks for all these wonderful replies about MPEG Clipstream, Apple-mp2-playback, Handbrake and Perian Quicktime Extensions. I don't know if any of these work, nor do I care to figure out which one of you actually knows what the h*ll you are talking about.

All of these answers just proves to me--again--how sorely lacking Apple is in what should be a simple editing function for a DVD, how Apple users can't agree on what to use or how it might work and how Apple is basically no better than Windows other than marketing prowess.

And glad to hear how 'easy' Mr. Petereit finds working with video on his Mac. For the record, I am (or was) trying to do this on a Mac, not Windows, so your shot about how he is remined about how "hard" it is for Windows users falls flat. It's hard on the Mac, hence this ongoing series of posts with about 5 different and sometimes conflicting answers.

I bought my Mac precisely because I thought I was getting a computer that was easy to use, particularly for editing video. I have found that Mac really doesn't offer easy editing for video. It doesn't offer anything, really, just a dumb-box operating system that needs you to buy software. Hmm, kinda like, I dunno, Windows based computers.

Finally, I don't know what software Petereit bought or downloaded to do all that 'easy' video work, but with the right software, it doesn't matter if it's a Mac or Windows. Mercifully, FINAL CUT PRO works on both, so it doesn't much matter what the operating system is.

Reminds me of why I purchased the ultimate app to fix all of my Apple proplems:

Toshiba

This discussion is closed. You boys have fun playing in your Apple sandbox and quibbling over which toy works or not with what.

The adults are going to work with Windows.

Banktank wrote:

… Mac or Windows. Mercifully, FINAL CUT PRO works on both, so it doesn't much matter what the operating system is. ....

The adults are going to work with Windows.

no version of Final Cut ever was nor is avail for Windows.

proofed, YOU have no clue what you're talking about.

conclusion? DFTT! 😁

case closed.

Banktank wrote:

I don't do this with Windows.

Well, of course you don't because you can't, at least to the best of my knowledge.

Since I have Windows, too, on my Mac I am willing to reconsider if you can tell me exactly how I would edit a DVD on Windows without buying any software.

Banktank wrote:

Like Windows, you need to buy software for anything beyond the basic.

Why on earth would you think otherwise? 😮

Well, genius, if you knew anything you'd know Final Cut DOESN'T run on Windows. And if you actually HAD a Mac, which I now seriously doubt, you would know that you didn't have to buy a Toshiba because Macs run Windows better than Toshibas do. (And that's PC WORLD's opinion, not mine.)

To answer the question on how to do this in Windows without buying extra software...

You can download Windows Movie Maker for free, import a DVD, and edit clips. Really simple, and in Windows 8 it will likely be part of the OS installation, I am guessing.

Without feeding the troll discussion, a few things are clear.

Apple is moving away from support for optical media in their software and hardware offerings. One consequence of this decision is the inability to easily import DVD video on a Mac without going through the hoops described in this thread. But from Apple's viewpoint, everything should be managed without optical media. For users like myself, I am not quite ready to make that leap. But with 2TB drives coming down in price, it's becoming easier to manage video backups. But I still backup my video to AVCHD video discs (gold) because that media still outlasts magnetic and flash media by a large margin. So Apple is correct, but it's just a little too soon for myself. So I have to go back to Windows to a simple DVD and Blu-ray workflow.

Apple is also understandably firmly in bed with Quicktime. So AVCHD support is absent in OS X but supported natively in Windows. Again, this just makes the workflow harder if you have a Panasonic, Sony, Canon, JVC, etc camcorder who have all adopted AVCHD.

I love my Macbook for other reasons, but found the out of box video editing experience lacking, considering my Macbook shipped with a DVD drive. iMovie is otherwise quite solid and enjoyable to use.

I've done this a few times a couple of different ways. Typically, I rip the DVD to hard drive using Mac DVD Ripper, then convert select VOBs to DV using it, then import to iMovie. Or the other way when I want the whole movie rather than select portions from select VOBs: Rip with MTR, then use DVD2OneX to output to a single VOB, then ffmpegX to DV, then import to iMovie.

There is no need to buy anything if you are on Lion or newer, just open the .vob in QickTime Player and in File menu select Export to iMovie, done.

MPEG2 decoder is included now since Lion in QT, no need to buy the old version unlees you want to work with QT 7.