Mythbusters: Saving, Moving & Exporting

As you may have noticed, iMovie does not have a Save or Save As command. This is because iMovie will auto-save your work project and events. This feature helps prevent you from losing work because it auto-saves, however, it does make moving projects a bit tricky!

The two links below are both great step-by-step guides on how to move iMovie projects:

ISS Media Center: Moving iMovie Projects

iMovie '11: Copy or move a project to an external hard disk

 If your project settings are set up correctly, this will be the highest-quality video possible for your project.  You can later use this MOV for burning to DVD using iDVD (Mac) or Windows DVD Maker (Windows).

1.   Click Share > Export using QuickTime…

2.   An Export dialog will appear 

•  In the Save As field:
     ◊ Choose a name for your video.
   
• Click on the Where: dropdown
    ◊ Choose a save location, such as your external hard drive.
   
• Make sure “Movie to QuickTime Movie” is selected for “Export.”

3.   Click “Options…” button

4.   Under Video, click “Settings…”

• Select “Apple ProRes 422” for “Compression Type.”
   
• Click “OK.”

5.   Under Video, click “Size…”

• Select “1920 x 1080 HD” for 1920 x 1080 or 1440 x 1080 (1080p, hi-def) videos, “1280 x 720 HD” for 1280 x720 (720p, hi-def) videos, or “640 x 480 VGA” for 720x480 (SD, standard def) videos for “Dimensions.”
   
• Click “OK.”

6.    Under Sound, click “Settings…”

• Select “Best” for “Quality.”
   
• Click “OK.”

✳ You can check the “Prepare for Internet Streaming” box and select “Fast Start.”  It is recommended to uncheck this box.

• Click “OK.”

7.   Click “Save.”

This will be a compressed MOV version of your project that is recommended for nearly all means of distribution, including being uploaded to YouTube or any other video sharing website.

1.   Click Share > Export using QuickTime…

2.   An Export dialog box will appear

• Save As:
     ◊ Choose a name for your video.
   
• In the Where: dropdown, choose a save location, such as your external hard drive.
   
• Make sure “Movie to QuickTime Movie” is selected for “Export.”

3.   Click “Options…”

Exporting 1920x1080 or 1440x1080 (1080p) footage

Exporting 1280x720 (720p) footage

Exporting 720x480 (SD) footage

4.   Under Video, click “Settings…”

Exporting 1080p example

• Select “H.264” for “Compression Type.”
   
• Select “Automatic” for “Key Frames.”
   
• Uncheck the “Frame Reordering” box.
   
• Select “Restrict to” and enter a value between 5000-8000 kbits/sec for “Data Rate.”
   
• Select Streaming for Optimized for.
   
• Click OK.

5.   Under Video, click Size…

•  Select “1920 x 1080 HD” for 1920x1080 or 1440x1080 (1080p) videos, “1280 x 720 HD” for 1280x720 (720p) videos, or “640 x 480 VGA” for 720x480 (SD) videos for Dimensions.
   
•  Click OK.

               ✳  You can check the “Prepare for Internet Streaming” box and select Hinted Streaming.

•  Click OK.

6.   Click Save.

If this guide did not answer your question or you would like additional info please check out these other recommended resources: