Digital Commons at Penn State

Capturing footage from an iSight into iMovie

Capturing from an iSight works the same as capturing from any other source. First you need to switch to capture mode and then select Built-in iSight from the drop down menu.

Next click the Record with iSight button

You will now see your footage added to the clip window.

Sequences of still images can be imported by QuickTime Player and turned into movies. This can be used for assembling stop-motion animation projects.

1. In the File Menue of QuickTime Player, Select Open Image Sequence.

2.Select the first image in you image sequence.

3.Choose a framerate. 10 Frames Per Second will play an image 3 times and move to the next one in the sequence. A one minute movie at this rate will require 600 still images.

4. Once the movie has been imported, it will have to be resized to 640 X 480. Select Show Movie Properties from the QuickTime Player Window Menu Items.

5. Select the Video Track and Visual Settings. Change the scaled size to 640 X 480. You may need to uncheck "Preserve Aspect Ratio" if your images are not in a 4:3 aspect ratio. You also need to click the checkbox for High Quality.

Capturing video from the JVC deck into iMovie06'

* Follow all directions EXACTLY as stated, because if any steps are not done correctly, it's very likely that things will not operate as intended.
* If iMovie reports "No Camera Attached", quit out of iMovie HD, then turn the JVC VCR off and then back on. Then relaunch iMovie HD. If the JVC VCR gets powered off and back on when iMovie HD is running, iMovie HD will not be able to detect it until you quit and relaunch iMovie HD. The JVC needs to be powered on BEFORE launching iMovie HD. Quit of out iMovie HD, turn the JVC VCR power off and then back on. Then launch iMovie HD again.

Initial Setup : Do these steps before exporting or importing video!

* Quit out of iMovie HD if it's running.
* Turn the JVC VCR OFF by pressing the POWER button on the front side, upper left corner of the JVC. The word "Auto" will be displayed on the front of the JVC when it is powered off.
* On the front lower panel of the Sony monitor, press the POWER button to turn it on.

This tutorial will cover exporting using our recommended YouTube settings using iMovie and Final Cut Pro.

Exporting using iMovie

When you are finished with editing your project, first save your project and then choose File and click Export.

In the window that appears locate the drop down menu beside the text that says "Compress Movie For". Choose "Expert Settings from the list.

Choose a place to save your movie and then click on the "Options" button.

At this point the steps are the same for both iMovie and Final Cut Pro. Skip down in this tutorial to the section labeled Export Settings.

Exporting using Final Cut Pro

When you are finished with editing your project, first save your project and then choose File, choose Export, and then click on Using Quicktime Conversion.

iMovie includes a variety of effects that allow you to add all types of audio to your iMovie project. To record a voiceover attach a microphone to your Macintosh or check System Preferences > Sound to see if you have a built in microphone. If you opt to use external microphones go to System Preferences > Sound and highlight the microphone you wish to use.

In iMovie navigate to the “Media” screen and then click on the “Audio” option at the top of the iMovie window.

Exporting your movie as a DVD ROM or CD via iMovie

If you wish to create an Archive of your project files in iMovie, you may do so by creating
a DVD ROM or CD of your Movie. This archive will allow you to open the project on
another computer at a later time. It is important to remember that this will not create a
DVD that may be played in a conventional DVD player. The disk created will be a copy
of your work in iMovie. From the menu bar, select “File” and click on “Burn Project to
Disk”.

You will be warned that this task only creates an archive of your iMovie project. Click on
“OK” to continue burning.

The Burn Screen will appear on your computer prompting you to insert either a CD or
DVD. Once you have done so, select burn and your disk will be completed.

iMovie automatically applies pan and zoom (the Ken Burns Effect) to still images when importing. Therefore, pan and zoom needs to be disabled before importing a still clip.
1. Select the Photos pane from the Media Effects Menu.
2. Click on Show Photo Settings
3. Deselect the Ken Burns Effect checkbox.

4. Choose File > Import…
5. Select the still clip to import.
6. Click the Open button to import the file, which will import into the Clips Pane

Changing Duration of imported still images

It is possible to change the duration of a still image clip. The duration of a clip is shown in the Time field, in the upper left corner of the clip border (shown as minutes:seconds:frames).
The default duration of an imported still image clip is five seconds.

1. Double click on the still clip to edit the time.
2. Enter a new time in the Duration: field.
3. Click Set, to add new time, and close the
window.

Locate your camera’s DV Out port and plug in the provided cable. Your camera should have a DV to Firewire cable. Plug the Firewire end of the cable into your computer and start iMovie.

Turn your Video Camera on and set the dial to Play.

iMovie will recognize your camera and will display this screen to you. Selecting “Import” will cause iMovie to play your Mini DV tape and have your Mac record the movie to your Hard Drive.

The Movie will be recorded in a clip screen in the right hand
side of the program.

If you want to control the camera from your computer, use the options given to you by iMovie.

Extracting and Exporting audio from iMovie to use as a Podcast:
Once you have imported movie content into your iMovie project, you can extract the
audio from your movie to create a podcast. To begin extracting audio, choose “Extract
Audio” from the Advanced option in the Menu Bar (top of your screen).

The extracted audio will show up below your movie as a purple audio-wave.

Right click (Control+Click) on the purple audio wave and select “Copy”. Right click
(Control+Click) on your desktop and select “Paste”. Your audio will appear as a file on
your screen with the title of “Extracted Audio”. You can then drop it into Garageband
or iTunes and proceed with your creation of a podcast.