iMovie 6.0 (#7): Playback issues; Reverting to iMovie 5.0.x; more
iMovie 6.0 (#7): Playback issues; Reverting to iMovie 5.0.x; more
Playback issues Several readers report an issue where playback is jerky or slow when previewing video in iMovie 6.0 -- even if that video has just been transferred from an external source like a DV camera.
Many users describe the issue as the audio of the movie playing in slow motion.
The movie generally plays normally when exported and played in QuickTime or another application.
For most users, the issue exists whether playback settings are "Standard" (smoother motion), "High" (better image) or "Highest" (field blending
If you are experiencing a similar issue, please let us know.
Reverting to iMovie 5.0.x If you are experiencing workflow-disrupting issues with iMovie 6.0, there is a simple process for reverting to iMovie 5.0.x that will allow you to keep iMovie 6.0 intact as well. The process is as follows:
- Move the iMovie 6.0 application out of the /Applications folder
- Delete the following two .pkg files, located in the /Library/Receipts folder (the Library folder at the root level of your startup volume): iMovieThemes_Tiger.pkg and iMovie.pkg
- Re-install iMovie 5.0 from its original media.
- You can now go into the /Applications folder and re-name "iMovie" something like "iMovie 5," then move iMovie 6.0 back into your /Applications folder. Both versions will now function properly.
Erroneous low disk space messages Some users report receiving messages indicating that disk space is dangerously low despite having ample free space.
MacFixIt reader Thomas Ungricht writes:
"When saving a new project, iMovieHD 6.0 alerts me that I'm running dangerously low on disk-space and asks me to do something about it. I checked all disks, that might be affected: The drive I save my Projects to: 50. Gigs free; The drive where my swap-file is on: 25. Gigs free; My Startup-Partition: 6.7 Gigs free."
Possible fix for problems monitoring sound through FireWire We previously reported on an issue where iMovie 6.0 fails to monitor sound on incoming video from FireWire sources.
In some cases, the solution for this issue is to simply launch the Audio MIDI Setup (located in Applications/Utilities), then navigate to the "Selected Audio Device" pane, select FireWIre and under "input volume" select "Play through"
MacFixIt reader Mark writes:
"I also use the Canon Elura. The fix was to go to the utilites folder and open the Audio MIDI Setup app. With my Canon Elura attached to the Mac, I went into Audio MIDI Setup, under Audio Devices choose Selected Audio Device, choose Firewire, under input volume, check Play through. I did this once and it solved the problem forever."
Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.
Previous coverage:
- iMovie 6.0 (#6): More on problems monitoring sound through FireWire on Intel-based Macs
- iMovie 6.0 (#5): Distortion, garbled or colored images after applying themes or effects; Problems creating PAL movies; more
- iMovie 6.0 (#4): More plug-in problems
- iMovie 6.0 (#3): Confirmation for GeeThree Slick plug-ins problem
- iMovie 6.0 (#2): Excessive processor usage, slowdown; potential fix
- iMovie 6.0: Plug-in problems
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