iMovie 10.1.4 will not export any projects (and other issues)
I am using macOS High Sierra 10.13.6. Last week I had updated iTunes (12.8) for reasons completely unrelated to iMovie. And I had deleted a few project files normally just to clear some space. But strangely now I suddenly finding that I am unable to export any project, in any format, to any location other than Theater.
The process fails like this: the window pops over for me to fill in export settings, I save the file, the thumbnail moves to the upper right corner of the iMovie window - and disappears. There is no progress ring that shows up like usual. (The progress ring does still show up when I import media however.)
I noticed a lot of people have had similar problems before and I tried their various solutions:
- Rebooting my computer in safe mode and then rebooting again did not work.
- Based on an error message I got by uploading to Theater, "The operation couldn't be completed. (com.apple.Compressor.CompressorKitErrorDomain error -1.)": Opening the iMovie package contents and rearranging and replacing the Compressor did not work.
- Option-Command clicking to run iMovie and clear my preferences did not work, and it also told me to update all my libraries, which removed every single project and event I have added after, like, 2013 and replaced them with projects and events from that year and earlier.
- The only possible solution I have not tried is reinstalling iMovie and given how distraught I was at losing all my iMovie media from the past 7 years I'm not ready to try that.
I have no intention of upgrading macOS cause I have exported hundreds of videos over the past few months without fail on High Sierra. I have been comfortable where I am now. But something seems to be breaking down.
I tried to just upgrade iMovie alone but that hangs too. Heck, I couldn't even login to this community via Safari because it "couldn't establish a secure connection to idmsa.apple.com".
Can anybody help me figure out how to fix this? How can I export projects in iMovie again? How can I get my project data back? Is there anything else that's immediately apparently wrong with my OS?
MacBook Air 13", macOS 10.13