Video file compatibility with iMovie
Can I import video files (Sony XAVC S 4k) from my Sony ZV-E1 Camera to imovie? I've tried and haven't been able to do so. It just imports the audio.
MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.13
XAVC S is a supported iMovie format. Perhaps the frame rate is the issue. iMovie supports 4k 30fps.
You might try deleting preferences. Open iMovie while holding down the Option and Command keys and select to delete preferences in the box that appears. iMovie will open in a new empty library. If so, reopen your old library to get back to your projects. Possibly you may need to reboot to set the changes. Deleting preferences is a safe procedure that will not cause data loss or disruption to your project.
If still no luck, and you can import to your desktop, try doing that and then using the free download, Handbrake to convert the clip to Mp4/AAC.
You can get Handbrake here:
A simple way to do it is to open Handbrake and do a File/Open Source. Navigate to your video and choose it as the source from the resulting screen. Then do File/Start Encoding. Wait a couple of minutes for the conversion to
complete. Then save and import the converted clip into iMovie.
-- Rich