Degraded image quality in iMovie

Apples and Oranges going on here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel
Your camera takes "images" and iMovie is a "video" editor. Specifically, iMovie is a DV Stream editor in that any import that is not in a DV format will be converted to one.
So. You've now shoved this huge dimension image into the very tiny (720X480) size of DV. Your images are probably 8 times larger in dimension and one would think "more data into a tinier space would make a more sharp image".
Nope. Only when printing.
Last is that your still image is converted to video at a frame rate that matches your Project settings. 30 fps is standard.
Hmmm.
30 frames per second times 5 megapixel image (high quality would be about a 25 MB file) equals about the total data found on a CD playing in one second. Somethings got to give.
Images added to iMovie Projects need only 640X480 dimensions because most TV's are also about that display resolution.
Your computer monitor is probably set at 1024X768. Nearly 3 times the resolution of a TV.
HD TV doesn't enter this equation yet.
Big isn't always better.
I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.
The check is in the mail.
Actually the "check" is done during playback on a "standard" TV. iMovie is forced to lie a bit just to get its job done.

I also notice this issue. When I view my pictures from iPhoto (the same
pictures I use in an iMovie project), the pictures look sharper than
the same ones on my DVD (burned via iMovie project).
I am also interested to find out if there is any setting I need to do.

Thanks.

I am experiencing the same thing. I have read other people have the same question: super clear picture in iphoto (because we use a great camera with more than enough mega pixels) and when I have (and others) transfered from the created slideshow in iphoto or created a movie slide show in imovie, some of the photos look out of focus. Its strange because it is not all of the photos. Don't patronize the two of us on this thread that it has anything to do with a comper screen vs. a tv screen, we are more than competent to know the difference and besides it doesn't answer the question of why only some photos appear out of focus. Also, the edges are not smooth on the subjects in the photos either when put onto imovie/idvd, but are smooth in iphoto. That would beg the question, "Why not all the photos then?" I thought maybe it was the difference between how the photo was filed (jpeg, jpg, tiff, etc.), maybe a preference setting in iphoto to imovie or idvd, or any preference setting in any of the afore mentioned programs. I am stumped and no one yet has even addressed this, all have skirted the issue. I think the real issue maybe in the poor programing of imovie/idvd. Has anyone tackled this successfully? And my head hurts, too, from banging it on the wall... game on...any takers...

ImacG5, IBookG4, IBookG5 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Don't patronize the two of us on this thread that it has anything to do with a comper screen vs. a tv screen, we are more than competent to know the difference and besides it doesn't answer the question of why only some photos appear out of focus.

OK.

Ok-I'll take a shot...

First, your high-resolution photos may be the problem. Try exporting at something around 1500x1000 pixels.

"Why not all the photos then?"

Most video cameras show noise when the light level is too low, resulting in a degraded image quality.

Sue

Tom, when the goal is to play your slideshow on a TV, here's some things to keep in mind:

1. Large, high-resolultion photos are of no advantage for iMovie slideshows. In fact, they tend to cause problems. Use iPhoto to export such photos to 640x480 (for NTSC) or 768x576 (for PAL). That's the natural resolution for DV, lots easier for iMovie to work with. Your TV image will look better than forcing iMovie to work with a high-resolution image.

When planning to zoom in or crop with the Ken Burns effect, export the photos larger from iPhoto. For a 2.00 zoom, double the export image size. For a 3.00 zoom, triple it.

2. There's a bug in iMovie that, unless avoided, adds lots of jaggies to photos as the project is exported to iDVD. Avoid this bug! If iMovie asks permission to render clips when you share the project to iDVD (or other destination), tell iMovie to proceed without rendering. If you grant permission, iMovie adds jaggies to those clips.

Photos imported with the Ken Burns checkbox turned on in the Photo Settings window are rendered by the Ken Burns effect as they are imported. The bug affects OTHER clips, those that have NOT been rendered into video.

So if iMovie asks permission to render clips, do NOT grant permission. Let iDVD render them.

I'm so glad I have Bootcamp and Windows XP on my iMac. I'll be going back
to Roxio Easy Media Creator, which can handle still images and video just
fine, with no loss of image quality even when viewed on a television screen

High resolution images show no loss of image quality when displayed on a TV? Really! I had no idea Windows XP was able to defy the laws of physics.

I'll assume that was a bit of hyperbole. 🙂

Done correctly, an iMovie slideshow should look fine on a TV. The photos won't be high-resolution, however, for there's nothing high resolution about standard definition TV.

It can look good, though.

Karl

Tom,

Take a look at: Preparing images for DVD slideshows at http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iDVD/6.0/en/17.html

Although it's written about iDVD, it also applies to iMovie unless you are doing Ken Burns zooming.

You might also want to look at a test I did: iDVD 6 still image size test at http://homepage.mac.com/profpixel/iDVD_6size.html

I have tried choosing "Best Quality" burn settings rather than "Best Performance" settings when burning to disk, but so far that hasn't done any good.

For DVD's under about 60 minutes, Best Performance will give better quality (I wish Apple had simply named BP - 'under 60 minutes on SL disc' and BQ - 'over 60 minutes on SL disc').

F Shippey

"I think the real issue maybe in the poor programing of imovie/idvd."

No it is called the I/O Kit. Poor programming? Not quite, more a "simple", however very serious error. The poor quality of your photos is the same reason hard drives don't mount and cameras are not seen and on and on-.. Every development team especially those that push the envelope are bound to make an error here or there. Especially on something as incredible and complex as OS X.4+. All of Apples SW development teams? I find that extremelty hard to believe.

Mac OS 10.4 and iMovie are both device and resolution independent. The only reason to adjusting the resolution/size of an image (as indicated in the doc posted above) prior to importing into iMovie is to have control over the automatic cropping or "morphing" that will (read as should) occur. There is an error at the kernel level of this I/O Kit. OS 10.4 is the first OS with the G5 in mind.

FWIW

wacked,

Mac OS 10.4 and iMovie are both device and resolution independent.

Yes - however...

The only reason to adjusting the resolution/size of an image (as indicated in the doc posted above) prior to importing into iMovie is to have control over the automatic cropping or "morphing" that will (read as should) occur.

Although Mac OS 10.4 and iMovie may both be device and resolution independent, once you have made the decision to conform to the DV video standard you are no longer resolution independent! DV is 720x480 NTSC / 720x576 PAL. Larger images must be reduced in size to fit that format specification. That's what the Preparing images for DVD slideshows article is all about.

There is an error at the kernel level of this I/O Kit. OS 10.4 is the first OS with the G5 in mind.

...and you know this how?

I have found a particial solution. When you open iMovie instead of selecting the default setting of DV for the Video Format, choose MPEG-4. It's still not perfect, but there is a clear improvement in image quality.

I tried changing the resolution as Apple recommends in its document about preparing images for DVD insertion but that had no effect.

Powerbook 1.67 G4, PowerMac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

I am having similar problems with quality images.

I use the "Overlap" and "Fade In" transitions in iMovie and have problems with the iDVD burned disk. The final frame at the end of the transitions is pixilated. Looks real bad.

Tried playing it on several PCs with DVD players and also on a DVD player in our media room. They all played the same and produced the pixilated transition on the iDVD burned disk. Even tried a different CD disk, same problem.

I like what iMovie has to offer, but it would be nice if I didn't have to seek all of these work arounds for image qaulity and rendering.

I simply want to add pictures, add tranistions, burn the disk and just have it come out looking nice, thats all....



iMac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Welcome to the forum, jkonecki,

I have found a particial solution. When you open
iMovie instead of selecting the default setting of DV
for the Video Format, choose MPEG-4. It's still not
perfect, but there is a clear improvement in image
quality.

Interesting observation. While MPEG-4 projects do sometimes look better than DV projects in iMovie, my experience is MPEG-4 actually loses far more quality when burned on a DVD. (Burned by iDVD to play on a TV.) I've tried MPEG-4 for making slideshows, for example, and the results were very disappointing. They looked fine until they left iMovie.

It's counterintuitive, but we have to avoid the temptation to trust what we see. iMovie never displays the actual quality of the video behind its display, so can't judge image quality based on what we see in iMovie. Rather, we have to judge the final result, the quality of the DVD we burn or the QuickTime movie we export to.

Karl