Video editing software for HD movies in OS X Snow Leopard

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Video editing software for HD movies in OS X Snow Leopard

Hi, all

What video editing software can be used with Mac OS 10.6.8 to process movies in AVCHD format?

I'm currently using an old version of iMovie (6.0.3), and it can't import the AVCHD format files from a new HD camcorder with it. An alternative is to convert files into MP4 format, but the degradation in this process is considerable.

Final Cut Pro X exceeds the capacity limitations of my iMac unit, so it's ruled out as an option. iMovie 11 can't be run from this PC for the same reasons. On top of this, iMovie 11 can't handle AVCHD files.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8), Intel Core 2 Duo, 1.5 GB RAM

Posted on May 9, 2013 6:49 PM

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Answer 1

MichelPM

Level 10

81,535 points

May 9, 2013 8:17 PM in response to elferd

If you are still running OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard, the older version Final Cut Express 4 can import and edit these files.

I use this on my newer Intel iMac with OS X 10.6.8 running Rosetta.

Amazon still has these versions for sale here.

http://www.amazon.com/Final-Cut-Express-Old-Version/dp/B000Z3DXT2/ref=sr_1_1?ie= UTF8&qid=1368155623&sr=8-1&keywords=Final+Cut+Express

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Answer 2

MichelPM

Level 10

81,535 points

May 9, 2013 8:22 PM in response to elferd

What year, screen size, CPU speed of your iMac?

To run even this version of Final Cut, you may need to increase your amount of RAM.

You, probably, can install more than 1.5 GBs of RAM.

If you are running OS X 10.6.8. 1.5 GBs of RAM is not even enough to run OS X Snow Leopard well, much less video editing software.

Correct and reliable Mac RAM can be purchased from online Mac RAM sources Crucial memory or OWC (macsales.com).

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Answer 3

elferd Author

Level 1

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May 10, 2013 3:14 PM in response to MichelPM

Thanks a lot for your quick reply!

These are some key machine specs:

Purchased in 2007

iMac5,1

Intel Core 2 Duo

1.5 GB RAM

4 MB L2 Cache

667 MHz bus speed

17-inch monitor

1440x900 resolution

128 MB VRAM

32-Bit Color

I'll look up Final Cut Express at Amazon, and check out the specs. Thanks a lot for the pointers! This really helpful.

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