iMovie problems under Mac OS X 10.5.3 linked to color system
iMovie may refuse to open.
After updating to Mac OS X 10.5.3, users may have problems with launching iMovie. For most, iMovie refuses to opens, and the usual fix of removing the iMovie preferences, caches, and other iMovie settings files, and then relaunching the program does not appear to help. One user reinstalled the program with no luck resolving the problem:
"I have the same problem. I've tried to reinstall the imovie, but it still does not work. I have imported a lot of video in iMovie. Please help!!! "
For other users, while iMovie would start, they could not open any projects or use the program.
One user, while not initially affected by this problem, found that after changing the color calibration of his Apple Cinema display iMovie suddenly wouldnt open just as described by others; however, upon reverting to a previous color profile iMovie became functional again. This indicates the problem lies somewhere in computer's color system configuration; and changing color settings seems to have fixed the problem for all affected users.
Fixes
Change the screen colors Go to the "Displays" system preferences and change the color output of the screen (either from thousands to millions, or vice versa) and relaunch iMovie. Somehow changing the display color depth modifies the color system so iMovie properly loads.
Calibrate the display While for some users calibrating the display resulted in the iMovie error, for others the problem was fixed by re-calibrating the display. Calibrating the display can be an involved process, but it is recommended to ensure your screen outputs the most accurate colors as possible. This option is available in the "Displays" system preferences under the "Color" tab.
Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.
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