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User profile for user: Adrian_S
Adrian_S Author
User level: Level 1
36 points

Importing photos from Photos.app to iMovie app produces question marks

I am using an mac Mini M2 pro with both the Photos app and the Movie Library on an external SSD.


I am trying to import photos into iMovie. All my photos appear correctly in the iMovie media browser. But if I drag a photo to the timeline several things may happen. Often the image disappears while dragging. Sometimes it stays, but then later it changes into a question mark. Occasionally I have seen the progress circle active with "importing photos", but without success. Usually some photos are visible on the timeline, while others are question marks. In one case I was even able to export a project with 3 photos successfully. But after closing and reopening iMovie, all photos that were previously visible have become question marks again.


I have a lot of experience with this in previous version of iMovie/Macos, but in Ventura 13.5 and iMovie 10.3.8 this feature seems utterly broken. Or could I be doing something wrong?

Mac mini (M2 Pro, 2023)

Posted on Aug 19, 2023 2:32 AM

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User profile for user: Ian R. Brown
Ian R. Brown
User level: Level 7
22,067 points

Posted on Aug 19, 2023 12:31 PM

When Final Cut pro and iMovie were updated a couple of months ago this particular bug appeared and has persisted with subsequent updates.


If you can't find an earlier version you will have to wait until it is finally cured.


As a workaround you could import the photos you need to your desktop and then import them from there into iMovie.

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User profile for user: Ian R. Brown
Ian R. Brown
User level: Level 7
22,067 points

Aug 19, 2023 12:31 PM in response to Adrian_S

When Final Cut pro and iMovie were updated a couple of months ago this particular bug appeared and has persisted with subsequent updates.


If you can't find an earlier version you will have to wait until it is finally cured.


As a workaround you could import the photos you need to your desktop and then import them from there into iMovie.

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Importing photos from Photos.app to iMovie app produces question marks

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