iMovie keeps crashing :(

acc30 · Apr 16th, 2007, 07:14 PM

Hey everyone... just would like to get an input and idea if anyone has experienced this and what they did.

have a macbook 2.0, 1GB ram

Basically have a file, initial file size was 18GB, but doubled to 40GB after extracting audio. File has been edited with transitions applied.

iMovie was fine until the audio was extracted, and iMovie freezes after opening and crashes after a while.

Thanks for any ideas as to why this is happening

Macaholic · Apr 16th, 2007, 08:18 PM

Hmmm.... I don't know if you need Quicktime Pro for this, but maybe try opening the original movie in Quicktime Player, do an export as AIFF, then import both the AIFF and the movie into iMovie and turn the audio track off of iMovie's video track.

Demosthenes X · Apr 16th, 2007, 08:29 PM

I had the same problem, same rig. iMovie just decided to crash at random for no good reason... I just saved often and got used to it.

Macaholic · Apr 16th, 2007, 08:45 PM

Eaerlier versions had troubles but sub releases have proven pretty good for me. Quite solid. ymmv.

acc30 · Apr 16th, 2007, 08:55 PM

macaholic, I have version 6.x. I'll try your suggestion with the sound.

Demosthenes X, apple key + s has been something I do without even noticing anymore, I sure have learned my lesson in the past. Though, in this case, I'm not even given enough time to do anything

acc30 · Apr 20th, 2007, 10:27 AM

video is just too big and my computer is running much slower. I was just wondering, how much of video editing can iMovie really handle?

Macaholic · Apr 20th, 2007, 11:00 AM

I suspect it copuld be your RAM. Yes, you have 1GB, but these are HUGE movie files. HUGE files.

I was editing my kid's school play (Wizard of Oz -- a big project) on a 1.25GHz G4 Mini with 512MB ram. It got to be very slow, stuttering and crashing. I (FINALLY) went out and bought a 1GB stick. This helped tremendously! Now, it still wasn't smooth as silk, but where it took A MINUTE to recover from me dragging the playback head from one spot to another, now to only took about five seconds or so for the G4 to catch up.

Given the complexity of OS X, Intel, the memory requirements of iMovie itself, and the size of your projects, maybe you need another gig? Boot Activity Monitor and keep an eye on your RAM consumption while working. I would say that, for media work of ANY kind -- even consumer stuff -- you just have to have at least 2GB.

acc30 · Apr 20th, 2007, 12:59 PM

my system has 1.5 gig RAM, but I guess that isn't enough for the file size I was working on.

For those who does video editing, what system specs should I look into getting, if I decide to up my system, or get a new one?

Macaholic · Apr 20th, 2007, 01:35 PM

Well, what type of media work are you typically doing? Is the size of this iMovie project normal for you? If so, then you may have to look into getting some heavier iron. But, now that we're starting to talk on this level I don't want to mislead you. My opinions have been just that: opinions. Others will hopefully pipe in for second or third opinions.

If this is a unique or irregular situation, where most f your iMovie projects are moderate in size, what about cutting the job into two or three iMovie projects? Assuming cutting to two projects, consider this:

Load up your project
Reduce its size by trashing the extraneous elements like the extracted audio file (the video file STILL has the audio; iMovie just sets the audio level for the clip down to zero when you extract)
EMPTY the trash
Save your project and quit iMovie
Duplicate the project file in the Finder. Label them filename1.imovieproject, filename2.imovieproject
Load the first one, chop that mother down somewhere halfway and at the end of a scene
Trash the clips to the right of your cut point
EMPTY the trash. This should result in a more reasonable project size to work on
Work away on that half
Export this segment's final cut at high quality
Repeat steps 6 through 10 for the second iMovie project segment. In this case, delete the FIRST HALF that you already completed. When you delete the first half, iMovie SHOULD automatically move everything to the beginning... or not. I'm going my mental recall here and you may have to select all the video ("Select All" from edit menu) and drag them to the beginning. Although Select All will indeed select all, be VERY AWARE of any black you may have that isn't a legitimate clip. Things might get shifted. Suffice it to say that this is the most delicate part of the entire procedure. Prepare to possible need to Undo, figure it out and try again.
Do likewise with all the audio
When all segments are edited and saved to disk, create a NEW iMovie project to act as your segment layup project
Drop your edited segments in sequential order
Check to make sure the segments transition satisfactorily
Export/Share the final layup as you please

This should work -- but don't kill me if things get screwed up!

iMovie was intended for home movies. Final Cut Express or Pro are intended for big projects.

Demosthenes X · Apr 20th, 2007, 05:12 PM

I still don't think iMovie should be crashing, though... I've done video editing on my XP box with 512mb of RAM using Premier without much trouble... it actually performed better than iMovie on my MacBook with 1GB.

Apr 16th, 2007, 07:14 PM	#1
acc30 Full Citizen Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: TO Posts: 599	iMovie keeps crashing :( Hey everyone... just would like to get an input and idea if anyone has experienced this and what they did. have a macbook 2.0, 1GB ram Basically have a file, initial file size was 18GB, but doubled to 40GB after extracting audio. File has been edited with transitions applied. iMovie was fine until the audio was extracted, and iMovie freezes after opening and crashes after a while. Thanks for any ideas as to why this is happening __________________ graphic & web design { postkardgrafiks.com }

Apr 16th, 2007, 08:18 PM	#2
Macaholic Honourable Citizen Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Toronto Posts: 8,754	Hmmm.... I don't know if you need Quicktime Pro for this, but maybe try opening the original movie in Quicktime Player, do an export as AIFF, then import both the AIFF and the movie into iMovie and turn the audio track off of iMovie's video track. __________________ 32GB iPad WiFi. 15" MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Core2 Duo/6GB/200GB/GeForce 8600M GT 256MB GPU/DL-DVDRW/24" BenQ LCD. MacBook 2.4GHz Core2 Duo/2GB/200GB/DL-DVDRW >3TB of FW drives, 16GB iPod Touch, 8GB 5th gen Nano, Canon HV20 HD-DV cam, Kodak digicam, Canon scanner, Canon iP5400 printer, Jailbroken 8GB iPhone 3G. In memoriam: my Sawtooth "Frankenmac" with dual 1.3GHz G4/2GB/360GB striped RAID/DVDRW/ATI Radeon 9000 Pro

Apr 16th, 2007, 08:29 PM	#3
Demosthenes X Full Citizen Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Victoria/Kingston Posts: 781	I had the same problem, same rig. iMovie just decided to crash at random for no good reason... I just saved often and got used to it. __________________ Demosthenes [noun], dem-aws-thene-s 1) (384 BC – 322 BC) the greatest of the Ancient Greek orators 2) pseudonym used by Valentine Wiggin in Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game to alter the events of world history

Apr 16th, 2007, 08:45 PM	#4
Macaholic Honourable Citizen Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Toronto Posts: 8,754	Eaerlier versions had troubles but sub releases have proven pretty good for me. Quite solid. ymmv. __________________ 32GB iPad WiFi. 15" MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Core2 Duo/6GB/200GB/GeForce 8600M GT 256MB GPU/DL-DVDRW/24" BenQ LCD. MacBook 2.4GHz Core2 Duo/2GB/200GB/DL-DVDRW >3TB of FW drives, 16GB iPod Touch, 8GB 5th gen Nano, Canon HV20 HD-DV cam, Kodak digicam, Canon scanner, Canon iP5400 printer, Jailbroken 8GB iPhone 3G. In memoriam: my Sawtooth "Frankenmac" with dual 1.3GHz G4/2GB/360GB striped RAID/DVDRW/ATI Radeon 9000 Pro

Apr 16th, 2007, 08:55 PM	#5
acc30 Full Citizen Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: TO Posts: 599	macaholic, I have version 6.x. I'll try your suggestion with the sound. Demosthenes X, apple key + s has been something I do without even noticing anymore, I sure have learned my lesson in the past. Though, in this case, I'm not even given enough time to do anything __________________ graphic & web design { postkardgrafiks.com }

Apr 20th, 2007, 10:27 AM	#6
acc30 Full Citizen Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: TO Posts: 599	video is just too big and my computer is running much slower. I was just wondering, how much of video editing can iMovie really handle? __________________ graphic & web design { postkardgrafiks.com }

Apr 20th, 2007, 11:00 AM	#7
Macaholic Honourable Citizen Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Toronto Posts: 8,754	I suspect it copuld be your RAM. Yes, you have 1GB, but these are HUGE movie files. HUGE files. I was editing my kid's school play (Wizard of Oz -- a big project) on a 1.25GHz G4 Mini with 512MB ram. It got to be very slow, stuttering and crashing. I (FINALLY) went out and bought a 1GB stick. This helped tremendously! Now, it still wasn't smooth as silk, but where it took A MINUTE to recover from me dragging the playback head from one spot to another, now to only took about five seconds or so for the G4 to catch up. Given the complexity of OS X, Intel, the memory requirements of iMovie itself, and the size of your projects, maybe you need another gig? Boot Activity Monitor and keep an eye on your RAM consumption while working. I would say that, for media work of ANY kind -- even consumer stuff -- you just have to have at least 2GB. __________________ 32GB iPad WiFi. 15" MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Core2 Duo/6GB/200GB/GeForce 8600M GT 256MB GPU/DL-DVDRW/24" BenQ LCD. MacBook 2.4GHz Core2 Duo/2GB/200GB/DL-DVDRW >3TB of FW drives, 16GB iPod Touch, 8GB 5th gen Nano, Canon HV20 HD-DV cam, Kodak digicam, Canon scanner, Canon iP5400 printer, Jailbroken 8GB iPhone 3G. In memoriam: my Sawtooth "Frankenmac" with dual 1.3GHz G4/2GB/360GB striped RAID/DVDRW/ATI Radeon 9000 Pro

Apr 20th, 2007, 12:59 PM	#8
acc30 Full Citizen Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: TO Posts: 599	my system has 1.5 gig RAM, but I guess that isn't enough for the file size I was working on. For those who does video editing, what system specs should I look into getting, if I decide to up my system, or get a new one? __________________ graphic & web design { postkardgrafiks.com }

Apr 20th, 2007, 01:35 PM	#9
Macaholic Honourable Citizen Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Toronto Posts: 8,754	Well, what type of media work are you typically doing? Is the size of this iMovie project normal for you? If so, then you may have to look into getting some heavier iron. But, now that we're starting to talk on this level I don't want to mislead you. My opinions have been just that: opinions. Others will hopefully pipe in for second or third opinions. If this is a unique or irregular situation, where most f your iMovie projects are moderate in size, what about cutting the job into two or three iMovie projects? Assuming cutting to two projects, consider this: Load up your project Reduce its size by trashing the extraneous elements like the extracted audio file (the video file STILL has the audio; iMovie just sets the audio level for the clip down to zero when you extract) EMPTY the trash Save your project and quit iMovie Duplicate the project file in the Finder. Label them filename1.imovieproject, filename2.imovieproject Load the first one, chop that mother down somewhere halfway and at the end of a scene Trash the clips to the right of your cut point EMPTY the trash. This should result in a more reasonable project size to work on Work away on that half Export this segment's final cut at high quality Repeat steps 6 through 10 for the second iMovie project segment. In this case, delete the FIRST HALF that you already completed. When you delete the first half, iMovie SHOULD automatically move everything to the beginning... or not. I'm going my mental recall here and you may have to select all the video ("Select All" from edit menu) and drag them to the beginning. Although Select All will indeed select all, be VERY AWARE of any black you may have that isn't a legitimate clip. Things might get shifted. Suffice it to say that this is the most delicate part of the entire procedure. Prepare to possible need to Undo, figure it out and try again. Do likewise with all the audio When all segments are edited and saved to disk, create a NEW iMovie project to act as your segment layup project Drop your edited segments in sequential order Check to make sure the segments transition satisfactorily Export/Share the final layup as you please This should work -- but don't kill me if things get screwed up! iMovie was intended for home movies. Final Cut Express or Pro are intended for big projects. __________________ 32GB iPad WiFi. 15" MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Core2 Duo/6GB/200GB/GeForce 8600M GT 256MB GPU/DL-DVDRW/24" BenQ LCD. MacBook 2.4GHz Core2 Duo/2GB/200GB/DL-DVDRW >3TB of FW drives, 16GB iPod Touch, 8GB 5th gen Nano, Canon HV20 HD-DV cam, Kodak digicam, Canon scanner, Canon iP5400 printer, Jailbroken 8GB iPhone 3G. In memoriam: my Sawtooth "Frankenmac" with dual 1.3GHz G4/2GB/360GB striped RAID/DVDRW/ATI Radeon 9000 Pro

Apr 20th, 2007, 05:12 PM	#10
Demosthenes X Full Citizen Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Victoria/Kingston Posts: 781	I still don't think iMovie should be crashing, though... I've done video editing on my XP box with 512mb of RAM using Premier without much trouble... it actually performed better than iMovie on my MacBook with 1GB. __________________ Demosthenes [noun], dem-aws-thene-s 1) (384 BC – 322 BC) the greatest of the Ancient Greek orators 2) pseudonym used by Valentine Wiggin in Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game to alter the events of world history

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
HELP! iMovie: shortcomings in importing/compression?	Macaholic	Mac & iPod Help & Troubleshooting	0	Jan 30th, 2007 12:10 PM
DV Cam Not Recognised	SoyMac	Mac & iPod Help & Troubleshooting	6	Aug 19th, 2006 09:31 PM
iMovie HD crashing	diemodern	Mac & iPod Help & Troubleshooting	0	May 19th, 2006 07:23 PM
Canopus ADVC-11 and iMovie '05	sketch	Mac & iPod Help & Troubleshooting	2	Jul 18th, 2005 11:50 AM
iMovie keeps crashing	sketch	Mac & iPod Help & Troubleshooting	2	Apr 10th, 2005 09:09 AM