How to Import Videos to iMovie

To convert videos for iMovie, follow these simple steps:

Download and install the converter.
Open videos and select an MP4 preset.
Convert and upload videos to iMovie.

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Edited by Shafin Tech

November 28, 2024

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iMovie-supported formats

The media format compatibility can be regarded as a global problem that has not yet been fixed. But it is still quite better now than it was decades before. Today, the most common supported file format is MP4. If your video is in this format, it won’t be a problem for you to import your file into iMovie to make edits. However, the formats accepted by iMovie are quite limited. Here are some of the common supported and unsupported video formats for iMovie.

iMovie-supported video formats

iMovie-unsupported video formats

3GP

AVI

AVCHD

F4V

AVI (Containing supported codecs)

FLV

MKV

HDV

MPEG-1

HEVC

MPEG-2

M4V

SWF

Motion JPEG (OpenDML only)

VOB (DVD-video)

MOV (QuickTime)

WebM

MPEG-4 (MP4)

WMV

Some of the supported codecs and image formats:

Video codecs

Apple Animation Codec, Apple Intermediate Codec (AIC), Apple ProRes, AVCHD (including AVCCAM, AVCHD Lite, and NXCAM), DV (including DVCAM, DVCPRO, and DVCPRO50), H.264, HDV, H265/HEVC, iFrame, Motion JPEG (OpenDML only), MPEG-4 SP, XAVC-S

Audio codecs

AAC, AIFF, BWF, CAF, MP3, MP4, RF64, WAV

Still image formats

BMP, GIF, HEIF, JPEG, PNG, PSD, RAW, TGA, TIFF

You can get more information on media formats on the Apple official website.

Visit the Apple website

These are some of the frequently used formats that can be found in your daily life. Suppose you want to import any video format that iMovie does not support. In that case, you can use any iMovie video converter that can be found easily to change any video format to your desired iMovie-compatible format.

To ensure that you receive only verified information, we do the following:

Movavi Content Team has tested all the products covered in this article.
When testing products, we compare all key parameters, including merging video clips, changing video speed, recording voice-overs, creating slideshows, and other significant features.

How to convert a video to an iMovie-supported format

There are some frequently asked questions about using iMovie to edit videos – “How to import video to iMovie?” or “How to upload videos to iMovie?” You must be aware that iMovie is a video editor for all kinds of Apple or Mac devices. You are not needed to be an “expert” video editor for using iMovie and watch all your videos that you upload via iTunes or your iPhone or iPad camera. But despite being a great video editor for all kinds of Apple devices, the application is quite picky with the import formats. You can easily import MP4, MPEG-2, DV, HDV, MOV, and other file formats. But if the formats do not match with formats that iMovie accepts, you will have to transfer them. You can use any iMovie converter like Movavi Video Converter.

With the help of Movavi Video Converter, you can convert more than 180 media formats. You can convert your files in the best quality while getting done with your requirement – changing file extension or file type into importable kinds of files. Just download the software and follow the instructions below to convert DVD and video into an iMovie-supported format.

Step 1. Install the iMovie converter

Download the iMovie converter from our website, launch the setup file, and follow the directions for installation.

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Step 2. Add your videos

Click the Add Media button, and, depending on the source, choose Add Video or Add DVD. Select the path to your files and pick the ones you want to convert. Our converter supports some of the most popular formats, so if you want, for example, to import a WMV or an MKV file, neither of which are among the iMovie-compatible formats, feel free to add them to our video conversion software.

Step 3. Specify the output format and choose your device

Open the Video tab in the lower part of the program window. Click MP4 and select the appropriate preset.

Step 4. Convert and upload videos to iMovie

A very convenient way of importing your file into iMovie is to upload the videos to your iTunes media library directly from the converter. Click the Share button and check the iTunes option before starting the conversion.

Click the Save to button, choose the folder where you’d like to save the converted files, then click Convert. In just seconds, the process will be completed. Now you know how to import MPG, WMV and other formats into a compatible iMovie video format quickly and with no fuss.

Movavi Video Converter

The ideal way to get your media in the format you need!

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Frequently asked questions

▶️ How do I import a DVD to iMovie?

You can import a DVD into iMovie using the following steps.

Download iMovie converter from the website of Movavi Video Converter.
Download iMovie converter
Install the application.
Launch the application.
Click Add Media button.
Select Add DVD.
Choose the file path.
Select the output format.
Click Save to and select the export location.
Click Convert.

After you are done with video conversion, you can easily put the converted video into iMovie by clicking on File and then Import Media.

▶️ How do I import pictures to iMovie?

You can import pictures to iMovie using the following steps.

Open iMovie on your Mac.
Click the Media tab.
Click File that can be found on the top of the screen.
Click Import Media.
Select the location of the image.
Select the image or images that you would like to add to your project. You can hold the command key for multiple selections.
Click Import Selected.

▶️ How do I import videos from Photos to iMovie?

You can import videos to iMovie from the Photos app using the following steps.

Start by opening iMovie.
Click the Media tab.
Click File that can be found on the top of the screen.
Select Import Media.
Click Movies.
You can see the libraries.
Click Photos that can be found under Media.
You can see all your videos from the Photos library.
Choose the video or videos that you would like to import.
Enter a location to save the video.
Select video size and check the option Copy Files.
Click Import.

▶️ How do I import audio into iMovie?

You can import audio to iMovie using the following steps.

Open iMovie.
Open the movie in the timeline.
Click Audio at the top of the screen.
Select Music, Sound Effects, or Garageband.
The contents of the item that you select will appear as a list.
Browse to locate the clip that you would like to add to your project.
Drag the audio clip to the background music well.
You can trim, position, and edit the audio in the timeline.
Turn on Trim Background Music and the audio will get trimmed to match the movie duration.

▶️ How do I import MPEG into iMovie?

You can import MPEG to iMovie using the following steps. But before that, you will have to ensure that the MPEG files are not multiplexed, like MPEG-1 or MPEG-2. If that is the case, you will have to first convert the video into an iMovie-compatible format.

Open Movavi Video Converter.
Click Add Media button.
Select Add Video.
Choose the file path.
Select the output format to MP4 for iMovie.
Click Save to and select the location for exporting the file.
Click Convert.

After you are done with video conversion, you can easily import your file into iMovie by clicking on File and then Import Media.

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