MPEG Streamclip :: Making Video Files Work in iMovie / Final Cut

Submitted by elias on Wed, 03/03/2010 - 14:40

iMovie and Final Cut Pro/Express usually deal with most video file formats in an acceptable way. iMovie converts files it can, and FCP renders files on the timeline. However certain files need to be converted first, and often its a good idea to convert files to natively compatible formats to improve the performance of the software.

The best free tool for converting file formats on the Mac is MPEG Streamclip. It will take files not in the Quicktime format that Mac editing softwares prefer, and convert them. Ideal for converting avi and mpeg files.

To convert you files, follow these instructions:

  1. Open MPEG Streamclip.
  2. Drag your video file into the window in the centre.
  3. Click on File -> Export to Quicktime
  4. Set your compression to something appropriate for your file, for instance Apple DV-PAL (for Australia) or DV-NTSC will work well with the software. See the settings below for an example, but adjust to what is appropriate for you.
  5. Click on Video Options if you need to change the aspect ratio.
  6. Click on Make Movie and select where you want the file to be saved!

But I've got lots of files I want to do at once!!

You can also do a batch conversion of lots of files. Just open MPEG Streamclip, click on List -> Batch List, then drag all your files into that list. You'll be prompted to select which format to convert the files to (Quicktime) and then follow similar steps to above.

Your files are now prepared for iMovie and FCP!

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Usually, iMovie does allow

Submitted by goodbabywell on Wed, 08/02/2012 - 18:53.

Usually, iMovie does allow the import of MPEG files. However, if MPEG (MPG) files are muxed (multiplexed) MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 video, iMovie will refuse to import the MPEG (MPG) files. Then you need to use some converter software to convert MPEG to iMovie compatible format for use in your iMovie project.

This article will show you how to convert MPEG to iMovie compatible format so as to successfully import MPEG into iMovie, import MPG to iMovie.

How to Import MPEG to iMovie

Thanks, goodbabywell! This

Submitted by elias on Thu, 09/02/2012 - 09:39.

Thanks, goodbabywell! This article is pretty out of date, so thanks for your link!

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