katiast

Q: Can't export iMovie??

I made a two and a half hour iMovie and i added transitions and titles and then I tried two times exporting it to my desktop. It did export successfully, but when I tried to open it, I got an error message; turns out that there was no content in these files. I found out the issue for this problem: it was because I didn't have enough space on my laptop. However, I tried again, this time exporting it to a hard disk, which had plenty of space. However, I had the same problem. When I tried to open the file on the hard disk, it showed again that the file had 0 bytes in it. Is there anyway to solve this problem or an easier way to export this video? My end goal is to get it on YouTube, but exporting directly to YouTube from iMovie takes forever. Really appreciate the help

MacBook Air, OS X El Capitan (10.11.1)

Posted on Apr 17, 2016 10:27 PM

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Q: Can't export iMovie??

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  • by judysings,

    judysings judysings Apr 19, 2016 8:30 AM in response to katiast
    Community Specialists
    Apr 19, 2016 8:30 AM in response to katiast

    Hi katiast,

    I understand you have a very large project in iMovie and you are having trouble exporting the file to your Desktop or to an external drive.    You mentioned that you have no space left on your internal hard drive (Macintosh HD), but you have plenty of space on an external hard drive.   So, it sounds like even though you were trying to export the project to the external drive, your internal drive didn't have enough free space to actually process the files.  Although your end goal is to upload the file to Youtube, I would always recommend you create a "master file" on your computer first, and then upload to Youtube from the master file.

    At this point, katiast, I'd like to ask you to first confirm exactly how much available space you have on your internal hard drive and on the external hard drive.  Next, I would make sure OS X El Capitan and iMovie are updated to the latest versions:

    How to update OS X and Mac apps

    Finally, check to make sure the external drive is formatted for Mac OS Extended Journaled.

    Without confirming these numbers, just based on the information you've provided, I would suggest copying the iMovie library and project  to the external drive and creating the master file on the external drive.   If you are successful with this on the external drive, then you can delete the files from the internal hard drive to free up space.  Depending on what type of account you have with Youtube, you may be limited to the size of file you can upload.  You may need to separate your  2.5 hour movie into two parts if that is the case.

     

    Upload videos longer than 15 minutes​ - YouTube Help

     

    I've highlighted a few sections from the iMovie User Guide to help you get started:

    iMovie 10 User Guide - Work With Multiple Libraries

    You can think of a library as the place to store all your stuff: a collection of one or more events. An event is a grouping of footage based on the date and time the clips were recorded, as well as the projects you create with them. Most of the time, you have only one iMovie library, but there are situations in which you might want to have more than one.

    For example, you might want to create additional libraries so that you can:

    • Back up your current project

    • Create an archive of your events and projects on a separate (external) storage device

    • Free up storage space on your Mac by moving iMovie events to another storage device

    • Edit a project on another Mac

    iMovie allows you to create additional library files in different locations on your Mac or on different storage devices. You can access and work on any library at any time from within iMovie. And you can move and copy clips and events between libraries.

     

    Copy or move projects, events, or clips between libraries or storage devices

    1. Connect a storage device that contains the target library to your Mac, or copy the target library to your Mac.

    2. Choose File > Open Library, and choose an option from the submenu.

       

      You can choose from recently opened libraries, locate an existing library on your Mac, or create a new library.

       

      The selected library is opened in the Libraries list, with the first event selected and its contents displayed in the browser.

    3. In the Libraries list, select the event that contains the item you want to move or copy.

    4. In the browser, select the item you want to move or copy.

       

      Tip:  To select multiple clips or projects in the same library, hold down the Command key as you click the items you want to select, or drag a selection rectangle around the items.

    5. Do one of the following:

       
         
      •  

        To move items between events or libraries: Drag the clip or project to another event or library.

         
      •  
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        To copy items between events or libraries: Option-drag the clip or project to another event or library by first starting to drag and then holding down the Option key as you drag.

         

     

    Export a QuickTime File

    Create a QuickTime file

    1. Select a movie, trailer, or clip in the browser.

    2. Click the Share button in the toolbar, and then click File.

       

      Figure. Share button in the toolbar.

    3. In the dialog that appears, do any of the following:

       
         
      •  

        To set the title of the shared movie: Click the name at the top, and type a new name.

         
      •  
      •  

        To set the description of the shared movie: Click in the Description field, and type new text.

         
      •  
      •  

        To set tags for the shared movie: Click in the Tags field, and type tag names separated by commas.

         
      •  
      •  

        To set the size of the shared movie: Choose an option from the Size pop-up menu.

         
      •  
      •  

        To find out which devices will play the movie: Move the pointer over the Compatibility icon.

         
      •  
      •  

        To add your movie to the Theater: Select the Add to Theater checkbox.

         
       

      Figure. File share dialog.

    4. Click Next.

    5. In the dialog that appears, type a name in the Save As field, or leave the default name, which is the name of the movie, trailer, or clip.

    6. Navigate to the location where you want to save the file, and click Save.

       

      An activity indicator appears on the right side of the toolbar. Click the activity indicator to see details. The indicator disappears when the operation has finished.

       

      Figure. Activity indicator in the toolbar.

       

      After the share process is complete, the movie opens in QuickTime Player. A “Share Successful” notificationalso appears.

     

     

    Take care,