User profile for user: barstewart54
barstewart54 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

editing digitized vhs in iMovie

Hi, I'm embarking on bringing our old VHS and 8mm (video) home movies into the digital world. I have the "ClearClick" converter box and have captured about 20 hours of video.

But now, when I import the digitized 1.5 hour file and put it on the timeline, I can't figure out how to pull certain parts out and put them into the "My Media" area for later use.

For example: If our dog "Boots" appears in short scenes in 5 video tapes... how can I pull those clips and save them for later use? I know how to split them on the timeline and select the sections... but can't move them anywhere.


I was an early adopter of iMovie, back when it first came out. In those days, you could pick clips out of your timeline and put them back in the holding tank. Very simple. Can this still be done?


Thanks in advance.


iMac mini from 2014 and iMovie 10.3.8. Monterey 12.7.6

Mac mini, macOS 12.7

Posted on Mar 20, 2025 11:37 PM

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User profile for user: barstewart54
barstewart54 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Mar 21, 2025 1:18 PM in response to barstewart54

Update: "Maybe" I've messed up by importing the digitized video straight into iMovie from my thumb drive — without putting the file in Photos first?


When I select a short clip in the main movie and try to share it, iMovie wants to share the entire movie... in this case, 25 minutes. When I click on the 'i' info button near the upper right, it clearly shows me the 34.3 seconds of the selected clip.


But, Apple says: "Clips in iMovie link to source media files on your Mac or a storage device. When you modify a clip, you are not modifying the media file, just the clip’s information in iMovie. (This is known as nondestructive editing.)"


Does this mean I have to have a source file in Photos, to allow a clip to be shared? This should be simpler...

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User profile for user: Rich839
Rich839
User level: Level 8
48,030 points

Mar 21, 2025 2:03 PM in response to barstewart54

Hi,


As you have found, in iMovie 10 one can only export the entire project, but not individual clips.


To export an individual clip, you need to do an edit/copy and then edit/paste the clip into the timeline of a newly created project. Your edits will carry over. Then you export the newly created project.


You can use a newly created project as a sort of library where you can store numerous edited clips for later use. From the library project you would do an edit/copy, edit/paste, of the clips into whatever current project you might be working on.


-- Rich

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editing digitized vhs in iMovie

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