# Video help



## Andrew Pratt (Feb 16, 2007)

I could do with some help from those more familiar with working with video files on a Mac. I have exported a few clips from our mapping software and the only choice I have is AVI. They're more or less 1080P in resolution and look fairly decent as AVI's. My problem though is that we need to splice them together to form a movie and as soon as I import them into iMovie and then export them back out the output is not nearly as good as the input video's. I've tried exporting them as 1080P and in various formats but nothing seems to help. Also the contrast is all washed out as well but I've somewhat fixed that by editing the video properties.

The best I've come up so far is to skip iMovie and just use QuickTime to splice them together. That results in a better quality movie but now lacks the dissolve transitions between the video portions.

Any idea's?


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## tompatrick (Oct 14, 2011)

try Camtesia 30 days free trial utility


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## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

I'm using iSkysoft 3.0 Video converter, Works great.
Used to use ViualHub before I got this program.


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## keebler27 (Jan 5, 2007)

Hi Andrew,

A few ?'s first:

1. what is the desired output? blu ray? digital file?

2. Try MPEG Streamclip (fantastic program!). Import those files then export as QT files for importing into iMovie. MPEG does a better job of creating QT files then iMovie does of importing non-QT files, I find. There are plenty of output options in MPEG so it depends on the original file details.

Open an avi in QT then command + I to get the information and report back. I might be able to better direct what output options to choose in MPEG.

3. Depending your Mac, the desired objectives and cashflow, you might want to try Final Cut X and Compressor. I find their options for editing and output better than iMovie. I know some folks call FCX a bloated iMovie, but I respectfully disagree.

4. Depending on job confidentiality, can you tell us what mapping software you're using? Maybe we can do some research on what it can output.

Cheers,
Keebler


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## Andrew Pratt (Feb 16, 2007)

We ended up just using QT to splice the video sections together and exported it as an mp4. That produced the cleanest video as anything we brought into iMovie produced anti alias issues with the text in the maps which weren't that great to begin with.


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## a7mc (Dec 30, 2002)

This is pretty much an impossible question to answer unless looking at the files. All I can contribute is what you're describing sounds like the original video is interlaced, and the new video being exported is progressive. Unless you do a proper de-interlacing, you're potentially just losing half your resolution.

A7


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