How to Convert and Import H.264 to iMovie

iMovie is the best free home movie editing software for Mac users. But what if you have some H.264 video files which are unrecognizable by iMovie? In fact, it's a common problem importing H.264 to iMovie. Based on our testing, GoPro H.264(.mp4), Canon EOS H.264(.mov), Nikon DSLR H.264(.mov), etc footage can't be supported well by iMovie(iMovie 11 included). Luckily, this article will give you the best workaround to get H.264 files into iMovie on Mac without hassle.

Technically, H.264 is highly compressed. It is not designed as a format for editing. That's not where you want to start with editing for high quality results. Since iMovie most compatible format is Apple InterMediate Codec, the best way to edit H.264 videos in iMovie is to transcode all H.264 files to AIC .mov. A suggestion is to use Brorsoft Video Converter for Mac to get the work done.

Overall, it is the best H.264 to iMovie converter for Mac users. It offers optimized preset Apple InterMediate Codec .mov - ensuring maximum editing quality and efficiency when working with iMovie program. Besides, Apple ProRes, DNxHD, etc profiles are also provided to help you encode H.264 to FCP, H.264 to Avid Media Composer with the best quality. Now just download it and follow the steps below to finish the H.264 to AIC MOV conversion for using in iMovie under Mac OS X.

Free download H.264 Converter for Mac:

(Note: Click here for OS X 10.5)

How to Convert H.264 to iMovie editable format

STEP 1. Install the H.264 to iMovie Converter program on Mac and run it. Drag the H.264 files to the software. Or you can also click "Add" button on the top of the main interface to import video to the program. It supports batch conversion and joining multiple video clips into one file.

STEP 2. You can directly choose the preset iMovie/FCE --> Apple InterMediate Codec(AIC) (*.mov) as the output format. Moreover, the Mac program has some simple edit functions like cropping, splitting, adding effects etc. If necessary, click Settings icon to do some simple editing.

Tips: Adjust the video and audio parameters, including the Bitrate of Video & Audio, Video Size, Sample Rate, Frame Rate, Audio Channels, etc., by clicking the Settings button on the main interface for getting the best quality.

STEP 3. Once you have all the required settings, you can click on the Convert button to automatically start the H.264 to iMovie conversion.

After the conversion, click "Open" to locate the result videos and then launch iMovie. Choose File > Import > Movies..., and browse to where you save the converted H.264 clips to. Select the videos that you'd like to add. Now you can start fun away with editing H.264 footage in iMovie 08/09/11 without problems.

Related Guides:

How to Open and Edit H.264 in Sony Vegas Pro
How to Import H.264 to Final Cut Pro