Digital Commons at Penn State

Capturing from a file based camera:

1. Hook the camera into a USB slot on the back of the iMac (if using the Canon HF10 make sure the camera is plugged into the wall and turned on in player mode)
2. Launch iMovie 09 – The capture window will open automatically (if it does not open press the CAMERA button in the left center of the iMovie interface)
3. By default iMovie 09 will import all of the video clips off of your camera. If you want to only import certain clips, change the import mode from automatic to manual at the bottom of the import window. You can then select only the clips you want to import.
4. Press the import button
5. On the next screen you can choose to add your footage to an existing event or create a new event. An event is a folder for easily organizing your clips.
6. Select “LARGE” for the size of your video
7. Press IMPORT to begin the process of copying your footage into iMovie. This process will take approximately the same amount of time as the length of your footage.

Capturing from a tape based camera.:

1. Hook up your camera with a firewire cable before launching iMovie 09
2. Turn your camera on in VCR or PLAYER mode
3. Launch iMovie 09 – The capture window will automatically open
4. Press Capture – this will rewind your tape and copy all media from the tape into iMovie.
5. On the next screen you can choose to add your footage to an existing event or create a new event. An event is a folder for easily organizing your clips.
6. Select “LARGE” for the size of your video
7. Press IMPORT to begin the process of copying your footage into iMovie. This process will take approximately the same amount of time as the length of your footage.