importing avi and mp4 files into iPhoto

Question

importing avi and mp4 files into iPhoto

I just finished importing my PC photo library into iPhoto and I ran into a snag.

iPhoto does not import video files in *.avi or *mp4 format.

On my old PC photo library, I have video clips taken into mostly avi format with older digital cameras, and which are stored in the same photo directories by date. When I realized that I could not sync avi files to my iOS devices, I used a conversion program to convert the the avi files to mp4 format, and was able to sync these to my iOS devices.

Now apparently iPhoto does not recognize these mp4 files. I would like to have my video clips in iPhoto so that I can sync them as needed to my iOS devices through iTunes and also sometimes use them for video editing in iMovie. Within iMovie, I see where there is a link to the iPhoto video library... so somehow I have to get these into a format recognized by iPhoto.

Can anyone recommend a method that will accomplish this? I assume I will have to convert the avi/mp4 files to some other format. Is there a utility that will extract out the video files from my hundreds of photo directories and let me convert them to the accepted format by iPhoto, preferably keeping the time/date stamp intact?

iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012)

Posted on Dec 14, 2012 9:04 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Baby-Boomer-USofA

Level 9

58,098 points

Dec 14, 2012 9:11 AM in response to Julian Bashir

Check over on MacUpdate for file converters.

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Answer 2

Dec 14, 2012 9:17 AM in response to Julian Bashir

Any Video Converter & Free Video Converter are both available in the app store & would be worth a look.

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Answer 3

Dec 14, 2012 9:40 AM in response to Jeff Nitschke

So what file format would I need to convert them to? Also, if I want to preserve the file quality, which convertor would you recommend?

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Answer 4

Dec 14, 2012 12:18 PM in response to Julian Bashir

OK, quick update. It seems iPhoto did not import the *.mov files which were created by my iPhone. So, iPhoto does not work with any video clips? I guess my confusion stems from the fact that the equivalent program on PC (Windows Photo Gallery) does import and allow you to view movie clips. On my PC, the movie clips were stored in the same place as the photos, and they would sync over with my iPhone along with the photos, being in the same directory, as long as that directory was selected for syncing through iTunes.

So, how does this work on a mac? Where does one put the video clips one has created through one's iPhone so that they can be made to sync with iOS devices? And, what format do those video clips need to be in?

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Answer 5

Mr.Rajiv

Level 1

0 points

Jan 5, 2014 7:58 AM in response to Julian Bashir

Hi Julian,

I just purchased a Macbook Air (switch from PC) and am having almost the exact issue you describe. I have 10 years of well organized folders that I'm trying to get into iphoto, but after a long import realized that .avi files (from old canon cameras) were not imported. Major bummer! Not sure how to address or whether I should even use iphoto at this point? Ideally I won't have to find/convert the 1400+ videos iphoto didn't import. Any thoughts/suggestions appreciated. Realize this post of yours is a year old but hopefully you have figured things out by now?!

Thanks!

Rajiv

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Answer 6

Jan 5, 2014 8:06 AM in response to Mr.Rajiv

That was my exact problem - avi files from old canon cameras not importing. Bottom line is Apple did not design their software to handle any video format other than the Apple video format. So, hate to say this, but I did end up converting the avi files to the Apple format, then imported them into iPhoto, then changed their time/date stamps based on the files names (which were created according to their original time/date stamps). It was a pain, but I got it done. I don't remember which program I used, but there are several out there for free.

Good luck!

p.s. I also kept the old AVI files just in case....

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Answer 7

Mr.Rajiv

Level 1

0 points

Jan 5, 2014 8:20 AM in response to Julian Bashir

Argh. Thanks amigo. Over 1400 files not imported from the last 10 years. Not sure if I have the time/patience for this or whether there is another program/solution that is not iphoto. I had the opposite problem in my PC life - used Picasa but it didn't import movies from iphone! Yes, keeping all the files separately.

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Answer 8

Jan 5, 2014 8:36 AM in response to Mr.Rajiv

I had 300-400, I think. Assuming you want to organize your photos/videos chronologically, as I did, and that your avi files already have the correct time/date stamps on them, all you really need to do is find a program that can (a) batch convert them into mov files and (b) preserve the time/date stamp. In my experience, (b) is the problem, as converted files usually take on the time/date stamp of their creation. But then again, that was 1 year ago - there might be newer programs out there which will accomplish this.

Once you have the files fixed the way you want, you can just import them into iPhoto and tell it to organize by event and to separate different events by date.

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