Summary: The article shows you the best workaround for editing GoPro videos in iMovie by transcoding GoPro MP4 to iMovie native editing format - Apple Intermediate Codec.
GoPro video cameras like Surf Hero, Hero 960, HD Hero 2, HD Hero 3, etc are familiar with everyone whoever has passion for outdoor activities. The piont here, you will find it a pianful experience to import and edit GoPro HD fotoage with iMovie software. There’re some frequently asked questions quoted as below.
Q1: iMovie Won't Import MP4 Files from my Gopro
For some reason iMovie '11 won't let me import videos. Specifically, I'm trying to add MP4 files that I copied to my hard drive from my GoPro HD 960. For GoPro users, I used the R2 (720p) format. They open properly in QuickTime and VLC but can't be imported into iMovie (or iPhoto). When I select File-->Import-->Movies and browse to the directory where I saved all the .mp4 files on my hard drive, they're all greyed out. Any ideas? This is incredibly frustrating!'
Q2: GoPro video importing as poor quality into iMovie. HELP!
I used a GoPro Hero 3 to film a vacation and I am importing clips into iMovie to create a "music video," but the video is importing at a very poor quality. The video plays fine outside of iMovie. How do I fix this?
As you know, the GoPro cameras record in MPEG-4 and outputs its files as .MP4 files (the container). Files are compressed using the h.264 codec (as opposed to AAC or Xvid and DivX usually found in .AVI containers). So the files you are getting out of GoPro HD are suited to be delivered as is, which is usually not what you want. The GoPro HD being an “always-on” type of camera worn on your helmet, attached to your bike, surfboard or other, you usually end up with long sequences of footage you then need to edit down.
Since the MP4 codec is a final delivery codec it is not one you want to use for editing. To solve these problems, the quick workaround is to convert GoPro MP4 files to iMovie natively supported formats( Apple Intermediate Codec is highly recommended). Along with some help from third-party software, it can be done effortlessly. Here I share a simple guide on how to transcode GoPro HD MP4 files for iMovie 08/09/'11 editing smoothly. If you're facing the issues, read on to find the answer.
First of all, download the App- Brorsoft Video Converter Mac
Overall, the program is an easy-to-use yet all-in-one video conversion app which can be used as a GoPro camera video converer under OS X Leopard (10.5), Snow Leopard (10.6), Lion (10.7), Mountain Lion (10.8). It is free, clean and safe to install and use. With it, you can effortlessly transcode GoPro MP4 to Apple Intermediate Codec, which will create an iMovie friendly file format keeping the Gopro orginal quality. Besides iMovie, this software can also export DNxHD for Avid, MPEG-2 for Sony Vegas, Premiere Element, AVI for Pinnacle Studio, ProRes for FCP, more NLE systems for native editing. Just download it and follow the tutorial below to get the work done.
Convert/Import GoPro HD MP4 files into iMovie
Step 1: Add Gopro MP4 video files
Install and launch the GoPro HD MP4 converter and load source MP4 clips to it.
Step 2: Choose output format
Hit the "Format" bar and select iMovie and Final Cut Express > Apple InterMediate Codec(*.mov) as output format on the drop-down menu.
Tip - Profile Settings:
In case the default settings do not fit your requirement, you can click “Settings" button and enter “Profile Settings" panel to adjust video size, bit rate, frame rate, sample rate and audio channels.
Step 3: Start GoPro MP4 to iMovie AIC conversion
Click “Convert" button to start encoding Gopro HD MP4 video to Apple InterMediate Codec for importing to iMovie 08/09/11. When the conversion task is finished, click “Open" button to get the exported files and then import the converted GoPro MP4 files into iMovie to do further editing without problems.
Additional Tips:
If you want to edit GoPro video in Final Cut Pro X or FCP 7/6, you just need to choose the "Final Cut Pro > Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)" as output format in the second step; For Avid Media Composer, choose "Avid Media Composer > Avid DNxHD(*.mov)" as output; For Adobe Premiere Pro or Vegas Pro, choose Adobe Premiere/Sony Vegas> MPEG-2(*.mpg) as output.
GoPro Video Preparing Quick-Start Guides for Editing:
GoPro and Avid MC workflow | GoPro to FCP 7 Workflow | GoPro files and Premiere Pro | GoPro MP4 in Pinnacle Studio | GoPro footage editing with Windows Movie Maker
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