Like it or not , iMovie ’ 08 is the future of iMovie . And , true statement be told , I really care it . Not in compare to iMovie HD , but as an easy - to - use motion picture - making programme , iMovie ’ 08 is in reality pretty respectable .
One useful lineament of iMovie ’ 08 is that , like iPhoto , it keeps a depository library ofallyour DV clips handy and uncommitted , regardless of which project you ’re currently redact , so you have to import each clip only once to make it available to any labor . The downside of this approach is that your iMovie Events folder , which contains all your spell DV footage , can cursorily develop to ginormous proportions — DV file arebig .
One solution to this quandary is Nik Friedman’siMovie ’ 08 Library Compressor 1.2 (; spare ) . This AppleScript - ground utility use the H.264 codec to compact the DV files in your iMovie Events folder ; since iMovie ’ 08 patronize H.264 video , you may still utilize these smaller file in your projects .
To use Library Compressor , first quit iMovie ’ 08 if it ’s running . Then set up Library Compressor , read the informational substance , and select Continue ; navigate to your iMovie Events booklet in the ensue dialogue and come home on Choose . You ’ll then be capable to choose the calibre of your converted video ; here ’s what each of these preferences signify , according to the developer :
The Better setting is , in my vox populi , a very ripe via media between space nest egg and television quality .
snap on Select and the conversion process will start out . Library Compressor habituate QuickTime Player to do the actual conversion , so you ’ll see the Player window , with the Exporting Movie progress bar , for each clip . As with most video conversion , the outgrowth can take quite a while ; how long calculate on the velocity of your Mac , the chosen compression setting , and how much television is in your iMovie Events booklet . As an example , I converted an Events leaflet containing 4.74 GB of DV movie footage using the good scene . On my first - generation MacBook Pro with a 1.83GHz Core Duo processor — one of the obtuse Intel - based Macs — the process took approximately 49 minutes ; I was left with 600 MB of H.264 video clips . That ’s an telling reduction in space , and yet the resulting video clips were scarcely distinct from the originals , even when viewed full - screen .
At the end of the conversion operation , Library Compressor sets the cosmos date for each converted data file to that of the original , so that your freshly - svelte video clip are organized in the correct rules of order in iMovie ’ 08 ’s subroutine library . Your original DV filing cabinet are run to a leaflet callediMovie DV Archivein the same directory as your iMovie Events leaflet . If you ’re satisfied with the calibre of the compressed television file , you may delete this Archive leaflet . ( I burned mine to DVD , just in case I ever need any of the originals . )
Note that because Library Compressor converts only .dv Indian file , you could run it at any time on your iMovie Events brochure ; it will convert only the .dv single file you ’ve added since the last clock time you ran it .
Library Compressor Caveats
There are a few considerable caveats to using Library Compressor . The first is that it ferment only if you ’ve purchasedQuickTime Pro , since the loose interpretation does n’t export video . The 2nd is that you also need to have the SetFile usefulness , part of Apple’sDeveloper Tools , installed ; Library Compressor practice this utility to set the creation date on the resulting video files . ( You do n’t have to deploy the entire Developer Tools package ; just need the SetFile usefulness . you’re able to get this from your Mac OS X Install disc . On the Leopard record , open Optional Installs , then open Xcode Tools , and then double - select XcodeTools.mpkg ; use the Installer ’s Customize screen to choose just UNIX Development Support . On the Tiger disc , clear Xcode Tools and then double - press XcodeTools.mpkg ; use the Installer ’s Customize blind to choose just Developer Tools Software . )
ultimately — and this the most important caveat to keep in head — because you ’re replacing video clip , any labor that references those clip will need to be reconstruct using the new clips . So unless you want to remodel your motion-picture show project , you ’ll want to habituate Library Compressor onlyafteryou’ve dispatch and export any project that ’s currently in forward motion . ( Or , if you ’re just starting new projects , run Library Compressorbeforestarting to work on those projects , so you ’re using the compressed TV from the start . )
On a functional banker’s bill , iMovie ’ 08 Library Compressor broadly speaking run well for me , although on one social function the political platform contribute me an AppleScript “ timed out ” error , forcing me to start over . And because the cognitive process of convert video is slow , if you ’ve got a wad of .dv file in your iMovie subroutine library , I recommend starting the cognitive process at night when your Mac will have plenty of “ alone time . ”
Of course , you could perform the same labor as iMovie ’ 08 Library Compressor , manually , using a telecasting - conversion utility such as VisualHub ( ) and a third - company filing cabinet utility such as FileXaminer ; in fact , VisualHub ’s actual picture - conversion appendage is usually riotous than QuickTime Player ’s . However , Library Compressor makes the process easier , and its built - in appointment - typeset feature is more commodious than accept to notice the original creation date of each DV clip and then using a utility to reset the date on the resulting converted - video files . iMovie ’ 08 Library Compressor is a nifty utility and a undecomposed example of what you could do with a bite of AppleScript ingenuity .
iMovie ’ 08 Library Compressor requires iMovie ’ 08 , QuickTime Pro , and Apple ’s SetFile utility .
