How to Import 720p/1080i/1080p AVCHD to iMovie '11, '09, '08?

iMovie did announce to work with AVCHD which is a camcorder video format used by a variety of camcorder manufacturers. However, it is easier said than done. If you want to import AVCHD into iMovie, you will need a Mac with an Intel-based Core Duo processor or better. Even meeting this requirement, there is still difficulty in importing some of AVCHD format to iMovie especially the high definition format 1080p recorded from Panasonic HDC-TM700, Canon HF S21, Sony HDR-AX2000, Panasonic AG-HMC150 or many other AVCHD camcorders.
There are indeed some video converters which can easily convert AVCHD to iMovie compatible video format. But the converted video quality is often disappointing: either in poor video and audio quality or not in the same high definition as the original one.

This article will solve the above problem and provide a step by step guide on how to import AVCHD to iMovie with almost no loss of video and tone quality.
This guide is applied for:

• Import AVCHD files in MTS to iMovie
• Import AVCHD files in M2TS to iMovie
• Import AVCHD files in MPG under MPEG-2 compression to iMovie
• Import AVCHD files in MOV with MJPEG video format to iMovie
• Import AVCHD files in DV to iMovie
• Import AVCHD files in MOD to iMovie
• Import AVCHD files in TOD to iMovie
• Import 1080/60p video from Panasonic HDC-TM700 camcorder, Panasonic HDC-SD9/HDC-HS9, Panasonic AG-HMC150, Canon HF S21, Sony HDR-AX2000, Sony HXR-NX5U and more

Make Preparation: Run Bigasoft iMovie Converter for Mac

Free download Bigasoft iMovie Converter for Mac, install and run it, an attractive interface will pop up.

Bigasoft iMovie Converter for Mac, a professional AVCHD to iMovie converter, is especially designed to convert all kinds of movies including AVCHD, AVI, MTS, MKV, FLV, MOD, and more to iMovie Video MPEG-4, iMovie HD Video MPEH-4, iMovie MOV for fast import to iMovie on Mac OS X.

Step 1 Load AVCHD footage

Connect AVCHD camcorder to Mac, then hit "Add File" button of Bigasoft iMovie Converter to load AVCHD footage.

Step 2 Set iMovie MPEG-4 format

Click "Profile" button, then select iMovie Video MPEG-4(*.mp4) from the drop-down list. In order to import 1080p, 1080p24, 1080-line 50p/60p, 1080i, 720p to iMovie with almost no loss of video quality, you need to select iMovie HD Video MPEG-4(*.mp4) as output format. To get more perfect effect, press "Settings..." button to set high Resolution as you like.

Step 3 Convert AVCHD to iMovie

To finish converting AVCHD to iMovie compatible video format, just press "Convert" button.

Step 4 Import AVCHD to iMovie

Run iMovie, then import the converted AVCHD video to iMovie by clicking File > Import > Movies...

 

Conclusion

The one who own AVCHD camcorder like Panasonic HDC-TM700, Canon HF S21, Sony HDR-AX2000, Panasonic AG-HMC150 and more will no longer worry how to import AVCHD 1080p, 1080i, 720p to iMovie with almost no loss of video quality with the above tutorial.

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