Getting a DVD onto my iMac and splitting it into sections

Hi, Maryann108,

Insert the DVD into an internal or external optical drive. Click on the DVD icon that appears on your desktop to open the DVD to access its contents architecture. You will see a folder labeled VIDEO-TS. (There will also be an AUDIO-TS folder, but ignore that one because it is irrelevant.) Open the VIDEO-TS folder. You will see several files in there, some with VOB extensions. Copy (not move) to your desktop the files with the VOB extensions. Ignore the others. The VOB files comprise the movie on the DVD in Mpeg-2 format. You need to convert these to MP4 format. You can do that with the free download, Handbrake.

You can get Handbrake here:

https://handbrake.fr/

A simple way to convert with Handbrake is to open Handbrake and do a File/Open Source. From the resulting screen navigate to your VOB file on your desktop and choose it as the source. Then do File/Start Encoding. Wait a couple of minutes for the conversion to complete. Then save and import the converted Mp4 clips into iMovie. Arrange and edit them as you wish and then share out the project as a movie file on your desktop. You might be able to do the above by directly opening the DVD in Handbrake to access and convert the VOB files. My solution is the old fashioned way. :)

Once you have the vids converted to Mp4, import them all in to iMovie and work with them there. There you can do a Modify/Split at the in points and out points and thereby create a segment. You can do whatever corrections that you want and either leave the segment in the project or copy and paste the segment into a newly created project.

-- Rich

You are doing fine. Forget the Open Source button. We're not using it.

You need to copy the VOB files, not the others, to your desktop by holding down the Option key as you drag them. Then, open Handbrake, and when in Handbrake click on File/Open Source. In the screen that pops up select Desktop at the top of the screen. A window will show the files on your desktop, including the VOB files that you just copy-dragged there. Click on one to select it as the source. Then click Open in the lower right hand corner of your screen. Then go to File/Start Encoding. In a short time your VOB file will be converted to an Mp4 file and will appear on your desk top.

In your case, the movie will save to your Movies folder because at the start you selected the Movies folder as the location of your source clip.

-- Rich

I wouldn't save it to "iMovie Events" because that is an iMovie 9 folder.

Why not just save it to your Movies folder like you have already selected? Or to your desk top, and from there you can drag it wherever you want. I always save to my desk top.

-- Rich

Hi,

Glad to have you back Unless you use Handbrake a lot the settings can be confusing to anyone. The Handbrake help menu is not very good.

You need to choose the destination with the Browse button before you start your encoding. Then when the encoding finishes it will automatically save to your chosen destination. Look in your Movies folder (Finder Menu/Go/Home/Movies) and your encoded movie probably will be there.

-- Rich