iMovie can't read my projects

I'm not entirely sure, but I think that the edit codes are contained in the project that is located in the iMovie app. It looks like CurrentVersion.imovieevent is just data and properties. But it appears that you are still poking around in the project data files. Instead of that, have you tried working through some of the procedures that I suggested earlier in this thread?

-- Rich

Hi,

Unlike iMovie 9, iMovie 10 projects are not files. Rather they are folders in the iMovie library that contain the project data that gets assembled into a project when you click on the project's icon from within iMovie. iMovie links to the iMovie Library folder to access the project data. It looks like you have moved the project data folders from the library package contents folder that displays when you control click on the iMovie Library folder contained in the Movies folder. If that's correct, you have broken the link between the project data folders and the iMovie app. If you can copy the project data folders back into the original library perhaps you can restore the link. I don't know. You must never move or change anything in the iMovie Library package contents. If you do that you run the risk of corrupting the library.

Another thing you can try is to go to your iMovie Backups folder that contains periodic backups of the iMovie library on different dates. The file path is: Go/Home/Library/Containers/com.apple.iMovieApp/Data/Library/Caches/iMovie Backups. When you get there, you will see a list of previously backed up libraries by date. Click on the library dated immediately before you moved your project data folders. iMovie will open in that library and hopefully your projects will still be intact. Not sure that it will work since you have removed the project data. But it's worth a try.

If you have a Time Machine or other backup, you could restore your iMovie library from there and you projects would be intact.

Projects must always be contained within an iMovie library. If you want to move the project you either move the whole library or you copy the project to a new library from within iMovie (NOT from the package contents), and then move the new library that contains the project. iMovie libraries must be contained on drives that are formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Do a control-click on the external drive's icon to see its format. If it is FAT 32, a PC format, you can reformat to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) with the Disk Utilities app located in the Utilities folder in your apps folder. However, reformatting the drive will erase all data on it, so you first have to remove or back up elsewhere any data that you want to save.

Hope this helps.

-- Rich

I do have the backup files in the folder of each project, but I didn't understand what you suggested to do with them?

I am not sure what you mean by "backup files". What is it that you have backed up and by what method and where are they located? Your goal is to get back the same iMovie Library with the projects folders that you removed from Package Contents. You possibly can do that by restoring the library from Time Machine, or opening that library if you have it stored on some external drive, or opening an earlier backed up version of the library from the iMovie backups folder. Once you have restored the same functioning library from which you removed the project data folders you can then access those projects from within the iMovie app by clicking on the project's icon in the project browser screen.

You said that you dragged the project folders into a new library, iMovie Library 2. What does the Package Contents of Library 2 show? When you click on iMovie Library 2, what happens? Is Library 2 on a drive formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled)? If you drag it back to your Movies folder on your computer's drive, can you open it with the projects intact?

Yes, it can be a little scary if you have changed the Package Contents and don't have backups. However, one of the above methods may work, and no harm done.

-- Rich