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User profile for user: BDfromaz
BDfromaz Author
User level: Level 1
22 points

Correct repository for completed iMovie projects

I am in the middle of a project to clean up some very old home video files on my Mac and could use some help in making sure I understand a good go forward organization;


1)     My assumption if the Apple TV app on the Mac is the go-forward repository for completed home movie videos to be shared.  I have a ton of video clips in Photos – that’s an issue for later.

2)    If my assumption is correct, do I need all the video files currently stored in /Movies/iMovie Sharing/iTunes/?  I have the source files backed up as well to a NAS drive.


So far – and I’m not that far into my cleanup, it seems like all the home videos to be played on other devices (Apple TV4k, iPad, iPhone) are stored in /Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/Home Videos/.


Thanks in advance for the help

MacBook Air (M1, 2020)

Posted on Jun 25, 2024 3:24 PM

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3 replies
User profile for user: Rich839
Rich839
User level: Level 8
47,742 points

Jun 26, 2024 9:25 AM in response to BDfromaz

Are you referring to movies that have been exported from an iMovie project?


If so, I would store one copy of the each video in the Photos app where they can be easily organized, and another copy in a Finder folder on your Mac or external drive where the movies can be organized using subfolders. There are online depositories as well, such as Google Photos. Another option would be to burn the movies to DVD disks. This is just my opinion, and others may chime in with other options.


You never want to have the sole copy of your media stored in some app, like iMovie or Photos. Apps can become corrupted, or discontinued, or updated in ways not suitable to you. Likewise, you should avoid having both copies stored on the same drive, in the event that the drive fails.


Eventually, all physical storage devices fail over time. Whenever you store any files on physical media, like drives or DVDs, you should have a schedule for periodically re-burning or re-downloading the files to a fresh DVD or external drive. DVD's last several years if stored properly, but the life of an external drive is 3-5 years.


For off-line storage, you need to make sure that your family or heirs can access the movies in the event of your incapacity or death, assuming that you eventually want to pass on the movies to others.


Ultimately, the "correct" repository for your movies is whatever works for you and accomplishes your pupose, and is safe.


-- Rich



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User profile for user: BDfromaz
BDfromaz Author
User level: Level 1
22 points

Jun 26, 2024 1:33 PM in response to Rich839

Thank you for the reply – it’s very much appreciated.  I do have backup copies of all my home videos on my NAS drive and if I understand correctly, once I’m done with creating a home movie project in iMovie, the source clips can be deleted.


I hadn’t thought of using Photos as a way of sharing home videos with my other devices / those set up on home sharing – that’s something I will certainly look into once the clean-up is done.  For now, I am importing missing home videos into the Apple TV app on my Macbook, making sure I have backups of the video and deleting the source files.  I’ll either use Apple TV on the Mac or Photos to share them with my devices.  


Thanks again! BD

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Correct repository for completed iMovie projects

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