Can I import MPEG movies into iMovie if I haave quicktime 7 pro?

I cannot import MPEG movies into iMovie. Will getting Quicktime 7 Pro solve that issue?

No. The QT 7 "Pro" key merely unlocks the editing features already built into the QT 7 player app but not available to users without a "key." It does not add any new codec capabilities to the QT 7 player app. Purchasing and installing the QT MPEG-2 Playback component will allow the QT 7 player (or QT 7 "Pro" keyed player) to open, load, and play compatible file containers that contain muxed or elementary stream MPEG-2 data. However, this is a video only codec only which means that if the audio is not already compatible with QT, it will remain incompatible with the QT 7 player.

The easiest and cheapest way to make your files compatible with iMovie is to use the free HandBrake app to convert your files to H.264/AAC MP4 files that are compatible with all QT-based apps. The disadvantage of this approach is the potential for loss in video quality in creating the intermediate file for editing.

Thanks much....but I went to buy the MPEG-2 Component and found it was only for earlier OS verions (mine is Yosemite 10.10.3)...and I was also told that this component was *already* in my OS. (But I could still not import the MPEG to iMovie.)

Not sure how much detail you want here. Basically, there are three MPEG-2 codecs. The one you are referring to still works under Yosemite but only with apps based on the QT 7 (32-bit) structure embedded in the Mac OS. As to the installer package, the codec can be installed manually (if you know how to access the package contents), be extracted/installed by a third-party utility like Pacifist, be installed using the free MPEG Streamclip "helper" utility found in the Streamclip "Beta" download, or be installed on an older operating system and then be copied to your Yosemite system.

The second MPEG-2 codec is the one that supports MPEG-2 playback of QT X (64-bit) based apps. This is a QT X playback codec since MPEG-2 compressed GOP content is not edit compatible with iMovie at the "frame" level. The third codec is the import codec used by iMovie to import MPEG-2 content from MPEG-2 camcorders and convert it into all i-frame video content (essentially the MPEG compression equivalent of Motion JPEG data) that can then be edited at the frame level. Unfortunately, iMovie does not allow you to access this codec for use as a conversion utility for the "general" import of MPEG-2 content at the file level.

As previously mentioned, The QT MPEG-2 Playback Codec component will allow QT 7/Pro to play muxed or elementary MPEG-2 video program stream (PS) content but only supports audio that is compatible with your system's current codec configuration. This means that common files containing MPEG-2 video that is multiplexed with AC3 audio will only play or convert the video content found in the source file. Luckily, if you purchased the QT 7 compatible MPEG-2 component and have installed it on your Yosemite system, you can also install the free MPEG Streamclip app to handle such content. Further, you can use this app and codec combination to convert your MPEG-2 content to any AV compression format combination supported by your operating system—including those that are compatible with the latest version of iMovie. (The free HandBrake workflow previously cited limits you to editing MPEG-4 AV content.)

As to the importation of MPEG-2 content to iMovie, I repeat that MPEG-2 compression is a Group of Pictures (GOP) format while iMovie (QT) edits content at the frame level. If you want to edit your MPEG-2 content in iMovie you will have to import it directly from your camcorder into iMovie or convert MPEG-2 files already store on HDD to an intermediate format like DV, AIC, ProRes, MPEG-4, H.264, or similar video editor supported formats.

For instance, have you tried using the convert structure that is already built into the Yosemite OS?

1) Simply open or go to the window containing the mpeg-2 file you want to import into iMovie.

2) Find the MPEG-2 file and "Control-Click" on it to open the "Context" menu.

3) Select the "Encode Selected Video Files" option to open the "Encode Media" window.

4) Select the options you want and press the "Continue" button.

I would recommend this setting for the highest quality intermediate file for editing. But be advised that such a file will likely be many times larger and your original MPEG-2 file and may take some time to create. This intermediate file can then be imported into iMovie, edited, and exported as a final distribution file that is smaller than your original file but with essentially equal "visual" quality. You can then keep the original and or intermediate file(s) for further use if needed or delete them if not.

I thought that with QT 7 Pro, I could convert the MPEG to an MOV file (the promotion makes it seem like you can do that...), and thus be able to import it...but I guess that's not the case, huh? Thanks again for the info, though I prefer not to lose video quality, so I'm not sure if I'll bother with that.

QT 7 Pro can turn any file it can open into an "MOV" (i.e., QT file) using the "Save As..." File menu option. However, this only means that it can create an MOV file container and then copy the file contents from the current file to the new MOV file container. The data in the new MOV file container will still be MPEG-2 video with whatever form of compressed audio you originally had. What you want to do here is convert the MPEG-2 content to a different compression format that is edit compatible with iMovie and put it in any file container that is acceptable to iMovie. In the case of the ProRess422 compressed video with uncompressed audio as described above, that would be an MOV file container. But for H.264/AAC compressed AV dated, it could be an MOV, MP4, or M4V file container. Putting data into an MOV file container does not make it compatible with iMovie any more than putting water (or sand) into a gas can turn it into fuel for your car. Yes, QT 7 Pro and the MPEG-2 codec could turn a muxed MPEG-2/MP2, muxed MPEG-2/PCM, or demuxed M2V/AIF paired elementary data streams into an iMovie edit compatible file but they could not turn a muxed MPEG-2/AC3 or a muxed MPEG-2/DTS file into a "useable" iMovie edit compatible file retaining both audio and video content. That is why I recommended using the free HandBrake utility initially since it handles all of possible muxed MPEG-2 formats mentioned. QT 7 Pro is simply not the best "generic" solution for handling MPEG-2 GOP content nor does it handle Transport Streams (TS) files at all.

Not knowing your level of expertise here, the best advice I can give you would be to try the Yosemite built-in conversion option. It is simple even it a bit slow. And, if you do lose audio, you can try HandBrake to keep the audio but expect the possibility of some loss in video quality by the time you export the final version of your edited file. Other workflows like MPEG streamclip may offer more options for the demuxing and/or creation of intermediate editing files but may require you to modify your system's codec configuration/turn back on some of the codecs that were disabled under previous versions of Mac OS X. QT 7 Pro is an excellent app for certain track level and compositing but can be very restricting when it comes to what it can and can't do with MPEG-2 content.

One thing: I couldn't do this as you suggested:

2) Find the MPEG-2 file and "Control-Click" on it to open the "Context" menu.

Not sure if this would be a "workflow" or "system configuration" issue. Am busy at the moment but if I get the chance later today, will see if I can put together a "quickie" video tutorial since the MPEG-2 conversion topic has come up before with Mavericks/Yosemite users..

Ah, I got it! After "Control-Click", there's a "Services" link hiding at the very bottom of the menu---and then I can select "Encode Selected Video File" and choose "Apple ProRes", which converts the file to a usable .mov file for iMovie.

That's it, all right! I suppose I should have mentioned that the "Encode" option location depends on your system configuration. If it is the only active "Service" on your system, it normally shows up directly in the Context menu. On the other hand, if you have multiple services available, it shows up in the sub-menu list. Will probably make a video clip anyway since the VOB conversion for iMovie topic is also still active.

In any case, glad you were able to find and use it. However, be advised that if you have DTS audio muxed with MPEG-2 video, this approach will either return a modal message saying it can't convert the file or, if Perian is installed, will complete the conversion but return an zero data size/data rate for the PCM audio track. However, the HandBrake approach will still handle the DTS audio correctly. Best of luck...