Need help transfering from DVD to iMovie

[HarL]

First off I would like to admitt my computer skills and spelling are not very good.

 

I have a home movie collection dating back before VHS. I converted them all to DVD with a DVD player/recorder. Trying to edit them with a DVD player is difficult and not much you can do besides remove unwanted scenes.

 

I bought an iMac with Imovie. And found out, you can't import from a DVD (home movie). Talked to an Apple tech and was sold Popcorn 3. Had some troubles after installed but, it seems to be running ok now.

 

I have read a lot of threads here. Not able to find any for IMovie, but some of the convert topic seemed simular.

 

Anyway, were I'm at now is, I have a file in iTunes I believe is in the M-Peg4 version but can't import to iMovie. when I drag the file from iTunes TV show folder to the iMovie window the window turns green (until I drop it) and all I get is a small music note in the window

 

I also some how got a TOAST file on my desktop with the video in it

 

If anyone can tell me how to get these videos into iMovie, Please help

 

THANKS

[HarL]

the last time I did do the MPEG-4 and the files have a .mp4 extension.

 

I even tried to export it to iMovie. and I can find it in the pulldown window, but have the same problem as far as importing it to iMovie.

 

Do you think the problem might be in iMovie?

[tsantee]

If all you want to do is trim out pieces of the video from the DVDs then you don't need to use iMovie. Instead get MPEG Streamclip (freeware) and Apple's Quicktime MPEG 2 Playback Component ($20). You'll be able to open the VTS title sets from inside the DVD with Streamclip, cut out the parts you don't want and "Convert to MPEG." The resulting MPEG file can be used in Toast or Popcorn 3 to make a new video DVD.

 

If you really want to use iMovie let me know. It's a lot more work but I'll give you the instructions.

[HarL]

tsantee, Thanks for all the help. I was about driving myself nuts with this. I am frustrated because before I purchased the iMac I was told it had everything I needed. And I did explain that my home Movies were transfered onto DVDs. And how I transfered them. After I had purchased the iMac, I found out there was a new store about half the distance from my house. When I couldn't download directly to iMovie, I went to the new store. They were real quick to tell me it wouldn't do what I wanted and explained about Popcorn. When that wouldn't work. after checking here I finally called Applecare, they seemed suprised it wouldn't work. Next I took the iMac to the Apple store and I could tell they all thought it should have worked.

 

I will most likely take your advice about the DV camcorder. But I have what I need to get started for now.

 

Any advice on what not to buy as in what wont do what I want it to do? Someone said that some camcorders have Hard drives and there might be a problem trying to download with them. The main things I can think of is, USB or Firewire to connect to the Mac and RCA connectors the connect to the DVD player

 

Thank again

HarL

[tsantee]

tsantee, Thanks for all the help. I was about driving myself nuts with this. I am frustrated because before I purchased the iMac I was told it had everything I needed. And I did explain that my home Movies were transfered onto DVDs. And how I transfered them. After I had purchased the iMac, I found out there was a new store about half the distance from my house. When I couldn't download directly to iMovie, I went to the new store. They were real quick to tell me it wouldn't do what I wanted and explained about Popcorn. When that wouldn't work. after checking here I finally called Applecare, they seemed suprised it wouldn't work. Next I took the iMac to the Apple store and I could tell they all thought it should have worked.

 

I will most likely take your advice about the DV camcorder. But I have what I need to get started for now.

 

Any advice on what not to buy as in what wont do what I want it to do? Someone said that some camcorders have Hard drives and there might be a problem trying to download with them. The main things I can think of is, USB or Firewire to connect to the Mac and RCA connectors the connect to the DVD player

 

Thank again

HarL

You need a DV camcorder with Firewire and the capability to do analog-to-digital passthrough. Most can do that. I have an older low-end Canon camcorder that does it, but I think the bottom of their model line at the time did not have the passthrough. These are the camcorders that use the mini-DV tapes.

 

You don't want a DVD camcorder or one that writes MPEG video files to a hard drive.

 

I wish I knew what the problem was with the MPEG-4 imports to the new iMovie. I found some articles in the iMovie forum at discussions.apple.com but their suggestions still didn't work for me. I don't know whether this is something that needs to be fixed in Popcorn or in iMovie.

[HarL]

Went to the Apple store today (with my iMac) Nobody there could import anything converted by Popcorn.

 

I ended up getting Quicktime Pro. Which I'm thinking was the wrong thing to do, because of how long it is taking for it to export the movie. not sure what the formate is, but it has a ".mov" extension. The problem is its taking hours to export a hour and a half movie.

[HarL]

I would like to do more than just trim out pieces. the main reason I bought the iMac was for the iMovie.

[tsantee]

Went to the Apple store today (with my iMac) Nobody there could import anything converted by Popcorn.

 

I ended up getting Quicktime Pro. Which I'm thinking was the wrong thing to do, because of how long it is taking for it to export the movie. not sure what the formate is, but it has a ".mov" extension. The problem is its taking hours to export a hour and a half movie.

I'm sorry you're having so much difficulty with this. I don't think you got the best advice at the Apple Store (but I haven't done too well, either). If you install iMovie HD you can import the Popcorn-exported MPEG-4 files. Alternatively, rather than using QuickTime Pro I recommend using MPEG Streamclip along with Apple's QuickTime MPEG 2 Playback Component. Then export directly from the DVD using Streamclip to a DV file for import to iMovie. There's also an application called Cinematize and another called DVDXDV that are specifically designed for what you're wanting to do.

 

Or you could find a friend who will lend you a DV camcorder so you can play the video directly from a DVD player into iMovie using the camcorder's video passthrough. That's what I'd do. It's a huge time-saver and gets you the best quality.

[tsantee]

If all you want to do is trim out pieces of the video from the DVDs then you don't need to use iMovie. Instead get MPEG Streamclip (freeware) and Apple's Quicktime MPEG 2 Playback Component ($20). You'll be able to open the VTS title sets from inside the DVD with Streamclip, cut out the parts you don't want and "Convert to MPEG." The resulting MPEG file can be used in Toast or Popcorn 3 to make a new video DVD.

 

If you really want to use iMovie let me know. It's a lot more work but I'll give you the instructions.

In that case here are the steps:

1. Insert the Disc, open Popcorn and choose DVD under the Player list.

2. Click Options if you don't want to extract every title on the disc. In the options window choose Custom to select specific titles.

3. Click the Red button. In the window that appears click MPEG-4 Player. Then click Export. The conversion will take some time.

4. When the conversion is completed you can import the MPEG-4 videos into iMovie. The importing will take some time.

 

If you have a DV camcorder or can borrow one from a friend there is a faster way. Connect the line video and audio cables from your DVD player to the camcorder and a Firewire cable from the camcorder to your Mac. Set the camcorder to its AV passthrough mode. Open iMovie. Play the DVD while iMovie records the video passed through by the camera. I know this works with iMovieHD but haven't tried it with the new iMovie in iLife 08.

[HarL]

OK that is what I did after reading a topic here, that had something to do with Tivo.

 

After the red button on the pulldown window, under device I believe it was Apple TV and exported to the movies folder. I have found it in the movies folder but can't (don't know how to) import it into iMovie. I just checked and it is MPEG-4 format.

 

for some reason I found it in iTunes and I can drag and drop it in iMovie but only the sound.

 

Thanks for the help

 

Harold

[tsantee]

the last time I did do the MPEG-4 and the files have a .mp4 extension.

 

I even tried to export it to iMovie. and I can find it in the pulldown window, but have the same problem as far as importing it to iMovie.

 

Do you think the problem might be in iMovie?

I just did some tests and am having the same problem. The new iMovie won't recognize my mpeg-4 files exported via Popcorn regardless of which setting I've tried. Oddly, the old iMovie HD does import them. I've tried some other experiments and don't have anything to recommend at the moment except to use something other than Popcorn that can export to DV instead of MPEG-4. For example you can do this with MPEG Streamclip (freeware) in combination with Apple's $20 Quicktime MPEG2 Playback Component.

 

Alternatively I believe you can download and use iMovie HD by going to this page: iMovie HD download.

[tsantee]

OK that is what I did after reading a topic here, that had something to do with Tivo.

 

After the red button on the pulldown window, under device I believe it was Apple TV and exported to the movies folder. I have found it in the movies folder but can't (don't know how to) import it into iMovie. I just checked and it is MPEG-4 format.

 

for some reason I found it in iTunes and I can drag and drop it in iMovie but only the sound.

 

Thanks for the help

 

Harold

Don't drag and drop to import movies into iMovie. I don't know which version of iMovie you're using, but with the newest iMovie choose Import Movies... from the File menu to start the process.

[HarL]

I have tryed import. I can find the file in the pulldown menue but can't figure how to import. I am missing a step or something or maybe saveing it to the wrong file?

[tsantee]

It depends on the version of iMovie and the codec used in the source video. For instance, iMovie HD won't import an H.264 video which is what you get if you exported from Popcorn using the AppleTV setting. That's why I suggested exporting as MPEG-4. If you read iMovie Help you'll see what formats are acceptable for import.

 

The newer iMovie that's part of iLIfe '08 (I sure wish they'd given it a different name so this wasn't so confusing) can import more kinds of video than can iMovie HD.

[HarL]

Thanks I'll try it again.

 

This iMac is only a few days old and I am fairly sure I have the iLife08, at least thaat is what they told me.

 

in the iMovie HELP it says it will accept MPEG-4,DV and some.DV

[HarL]

Ok; I redone everything step by step. Under the option button, were you said, custom would allow me to pick certain titles, there were two other options one for ALL and one for MAIN from what I read the Main just takes the longest title. I choose the ALL.

 

Then I choose Standard for quality

 

And saved it to: MOVIEs folder

 

In iMovie, I click on import movie and on the pulldown I select Movies under places and the what I think is the file is a nonselectable, in other words I can't click on it to bring the import button to the darker color. Nothing I have done has brought the Import button to a available choice

 

Thanks again

[tsantee]

Ok; I redone everything step by step. Under the option button, were you said, custom would allow me to pick certain titles, there were two other options one for ALL and one for MAIN from what I read the Main just takes the longest title. I choose the ALL.

 

Then I choose Standard for quality

 

And saved it to: MOVIEs folder

 

In iMovie, I click on import movie and on the pulldown I select Movies under places and the what I think is the file is a nonselectable, in other words I can't click on it to bring the import button to the darker color. Nothing I have done has brought the Import button to a available choice

 

Thanks again

You say you chose Standard for Quality but didn't mention which format preset you used. Was it AppleTV or did you press that button and scroll down to MPEG-4 Player?