why are files exported from iMovie reduced in file size

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lackaman Author

Level 1

8 points

why are files exported from iMovie reduced in file size

iMac 21.5″ 4K, macOS 11.1

Posted on Feb 1, 2021 5:24 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Rich839

Level 8

47,616 points

Feb 1, 2021 6:30 PM in response to lackaman

They are reduced in file size because the Mp4 format used by iMovie happens to be more compressed than the clips that you exported, or a lesser bitrate. If you want a larger file size export at the Best Quality (pro res) setting and you will get a 4x larger file size. Or export at a higher Custom bitrate.

Usually iMovie exports at a larger file size, based on numerous posts on this forum.

— Rich

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Answer 2

lackaman Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 2, 2021 6:04 AM in response to Rich839

Thanks for your help. I have a few more issues and was hoping you know the answer since I have not been able to figure them out.

One question is when I share movies from iMovie to YouTube & Facebook my editing and titles from iMovie get saved in the output but when I share to File the unedited project is saved. I want to save a high quality project so I can view them on AppleTV. Do you know why the editing from the project is not saved when you share to file? Is there a way to save a high quality project with the editing to file?

My other question has to do with working with avi files from camcorders. On my old iMac I could make great movies with these files. The new iMovie does not support avi files. On the web it says to convert them with QuickTime Player Pro. I cannot find a current version of this that works on my iMac. The QuickTime Player that I have only reads a handful of my avi files. Most of them you only get the sound and no video at all. What can I do?

Thanks so much for your help.

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Answer 3

Rich839

Level 8

47,616 points

Feb 2, 2021 7:46 AM in response to lackaman

It could be a corrupt preference that is causing a project to share in an unedited form. Try deleting preferences. Deleting preferences is a safe procedure that will not cause data loss or disruption to your projects. To delete preferences open iMovie while holding down the Option and Command keys and select to delete preferences in the box that appears. iMovie will open in a new library. Reopen your old library to get back to your projects and see if you can share out with all of your edits intact.

You are correct that .avi files are not supported in Catalina and Big Sur. Try converting your .avi clips to H.264, Mp4/AAC with the free download, Handbrake.

You can get Handbrake here:

https://handbrake.fr/

A simple way to do it without fiddling with settings is to open Handbrake and do a File/Open Source. Then navigate to your video and choose it as the source from the resulting screen. Then do File/Start Encoding. Wait a couple of minutes for the conversion to complete. Then save and import the converted clip into iMovie.

If you want to preserve the original .avi format of your clips you can first duplicate the clip and then convert the duplicate.

-- Rich

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