Why can't I drag MP4 Files into Imovie?

Just a quick point. Rather than dragging the video, import it from within iMovie - click on File > Import > Movies and navigate to your mp4 file.

John

There is an alternative method, similar to AppleMan's suggestion to create an Event then drag the file to that Event in the Event Library.

In your Home folder <your user name>/Movies/iMovie Events you will see a folder named iMovie Drop Box. With iMovie closed, drag your video file into the Drop Box folder. When you next open iMovie, you will see this message:

When you click on Import Now, any video files in the Drop Box will be imported to an Event. You will be able to choose an Event name and an option to optimize the video if it is in HD format (as normal when creating an Event).

You can temporarily store as many videos as you like in the Drop Box, pending a decision as to when to import them to iMovie.

Here's a link to the Apple iMovie Help article on this:

http://help.apple.com/imovie/#move01721f7

John

Hi

And in what Codec are the video files ?

.mp4 - is no Codec - it is a Container and can hold Codecs iMovie can use or can not.

Open them with QuickTime-players - then

open Inspector and read

Video Format (Codec) :

Frames per second :

What does they read ?

Yours Bengt W

OK

We here are not Apple or employed by them - the thoughts and wisdom of Apple is very occult to many of us !

We are as You - Users and trying to be of help for other users !

The thing is - I don't know about Codecs, and please take this the right way when I say - I'm not interested in Codecs.

I just want to drag my movie files taken in whatever format I take them in and drag them into Imovie to work on them.

mp4 is a fairly common format?

then I have very little possibility to be of help - as I only can guide You a bit of the way to understand and work around this Problem - I never denied it to be.

But it seems that every Camera company makes there own solutions and to make Video editing programs or DVD authoring ones that can use every strange Video Codec availably - is impossibly - Not even FinalCut or Avid or Adobe Premiere can do this.

.mp4 - is no more Video Codec as any folder or hard disk - and tell that my material is on a hard disk, doesn't help us in understanding where it goes wrong.

So if You want to get this to work - then You need to set of a minimum of interest in howto get it right.

To find out the Codec

• Open the file with QuickTime-Player (as it can open many many more Codecs than iMovie can use)

• here open Inspector [cmd+I] and read

Video Format (Codec) : nnnnnnnnnnnnn

Frames per second : YY.yy fps

What does they say ?

If You feel offended and don't want - There is no solution as I know of.

AND - I have no intention to offend at any cost - but need info (and so does the others here too) to be able to reach out a hand 😉

Yours wanting to be of more help - Bengt W

59.94fps = 60 frames per second

I don't think any iMovie version can handle that - I would

• try FinalCut Pro X (free test-version to download - works for a month)

or

• try to open the file in a program that can convert it into 30fps (29.97fps)

Never done this so I would have to try and fail - may be

• MPEG Streamclip

• JES_Deinterlacer

• Flip4Mac

can do this

But most certainly others will come in and help - as this is a frequent question - even if it's not in my experience.

IF no-one fill in - then make a specific question in Howto convert 60fps to 30fps

or

try to search the forum - as it's been asked several times

Yours Bengt W

Bengt Wärleby wrote:

Is it so that iMovie'11 after version 9.0.4 can use 60fps ?

even

• p60fps and

• p50fps ?

I didn't know that !

Hi Bengt,

I was about to post a comment about the frame rate last night before being called away, so had to leave it.

My understanding is that iMovie has problems importing 60p and 50p (that's progresive video) shot as 1920 x 1080. From a recent post (discussions with Karsten and AppleMan1958) it appears that iMovie will import 720p 60 fps and 50 fps. So 720p is OK but not 1080p (60 fps or 50 fps progressive).

So, I'm assuming that SeanMD1 (the OP) is shooting as 59.94 interlaced (that's 60i) - not 59.94 progressive. This is particularly so, given that the aspect ratio he quoted is 1920 x 1080. Of course, 60i translates to 30 fps interlaced, which is fine for iMovie.

The interesting thing is why the QuickTime Inspector showed the frame rate as 59.94 - if it is interlaced, I would expect it to show 29.97 frames per second (with 2 fields per frame).

John

SeanMD1 wrote:

Thanks John 🙂 - This worked for me - I really appreciate your help!

(I still don't understand why I couldn't just drag the files, but that's not important now 😕)

Good to hear it worked for you, and glad to help!

I've never tried dragging clips into iMovie. I've always followed the File > Import method. I don't think iMovie allows dragging movie clips into an Event (certainly not to a Project, which simply references clips in an Event). But you can drag photos and music into a Project, say from the Desktop (separately from the inbuilt browsers).

Just for the benefit of others here (including Bengt and me), was your movie file interlaced or progressive? See my comments to Bengt above.

John

Drag means something different in iMovie. Dragging is how you get clips from your event to your project.

If you really want to drag to import, rather than using FILE/IMPORT MOVIE, then try this: Create an Event in your Event Library. Then drag your file and drop it on the Event Name in the Event Library list on the left.

SeanMD1 wrote:

I'm not sure is the answer - I'm happy to give any details from the file. It was shot wiat a XSanyo Xacti Full HD Flip Camera on the Full HD 1920 x 1080 60field/s setting

Thanks Sean. There are several models of the Sanyo Exacti. One model I checked shoots in both progressive and interlaced formats. There is a setting for "Full HD 1920 x 1080 60 fields per second 16Mbps". You mentioned your setting as "60fields/s", so it would be interlaced (this translates to 1080i 30 frames per second). This explains why you were able to import your video to iMovie (it was interlaced 60i, not progressive 60p).

Apparently, iMovie won't import 1080p 60 frames per second (progressive frames), but of course has no problems with 1080i 60 fields/sec (30 frames/sec interlaced) or 1080p 30 frames/sec (progressive).

SeanMD1 wrote:

I assumed that Drag meant Highlight Right Click hold and Drag - That's the most common description I know for dragging files. I was a windows user before Mac and assumed that the terminology was the same.

Dragging is much the same for both Mac and Windows. AppleMan1958 was simply referring to the way dragging works with iMovie (not Macs in general). He said: "Drag means something different in iMovie. Dragging is how you get clips from your event to your project". The intent there was to indicate that you don't normally drag clips into iMovie (as we've discussed). You drag clips from Events in the Event Library to your Project. You also drag photos from the Photo Browser and music from the Music Browser, and so forth.

Just a small point on dragging - you mentioned "Right click hold and drag". I haven't used Windows for a while (just when friends need help), but with a Mac you simply left-click (on a double button mouse) then hold and drag. Perhaps you meant left-click?

John

Further to my last post (just got back from a family event) - here's the Apple iMovie Help article on importing video from movie files: http://help.apple.com/imovie/#mov39f85ef6

John

Hi John

Is it so that iMovie'11 after version 9.0.4 can use 60fps ?

even

• p60fps and

• p50fps ?

I didn't know that !

Yours Bengt W