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General discussion

Unable to Export i-Movie 6 Project back to Camera

Dec 19, 2007 5:42PM PST

I have recently completed a Project (Holiday in Spain - about 43 minutes). I successfully burned a DVD, playable on my Liteon DVD Player. However, I could not export it back to the Camera (Panasonic GS-NV 400). All sorts of messages appeared - mostly "you are not in the correct mode" which I was, because at the start of the operation the screen showed NS-GV 400 attached. I tried just to play back the Project via the camera, which I had done many times during the editing stage, but although the camera LCD showed the initial screen, as soon as I hit the start button, there was a click from the camera and a message appeared saying that connexion with the camera had been lost. I found,though, that the original "clips" played perfectly through the camera. Aha, I concluded, there's nothing wrong with the Camera.
I have solved this problem by very tediously creating another Project, transferring clips, music and voice-overs from the problem one. All seems to be well.
As I say, I have solved this problem, but I have no idea what was causing it. Anyone any ideas, please?

Discussion is locked

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So - to clarify... you had a problem,
Dec 19, 2007 10:15PM PST

fixed it, don't have a problem now and are looking to understand what caused it?

I had issues exporting an iMovie project to a QuickTime movie - I had not yet tried exporting to my camcorder... I decided that since the export failed at the very beginning of the project, but I was able to export selected clips after the very beginning of the project, I just replaced the very beginning... and all was well. I could watch the project in iMovie perfectly fine... the symptom was not an actual export failure, but the first 2 seconds or so was gray - and looked almost lightly "embossed" showing a monochrome version of the color video clip - then it wiped diagonally and pixelated and all looked as it should (this was the QT export - like I said, it looked fine in iMovie). Once the clip and fade-in were replaced, all was good.

It *could* be that replacing just the first clip (in you situation) might have been all that was needed (rather than rebuild the entire project)... I will never know if my camcorder would have thrown up on the export. If this ever happens again, I will be sure to try it.

My theory is that the first couple of bits were not as they needed to be, sending inappropriate signals to the camcorder during the export set-up process. In my case, after the first couple of seconds, it synch'd up correctly and was able to proceed with the QT export. In your case, the camera gave up and shut down - and no recovery. How did those first few bits get screwed up? I have no clue.

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Unable to export i-Movie project back to Camera
Dec 29, 2007 5:39AM PST

I spoke too soon.
I completed the new project - whilst doing so it played back perfectly via the camera. I went to export it back to the camera and EXACTLY LIKE THE PREVIOUS TIME, after a frame or two, connexion with the camera is lost. I can play back clips in the clips panel via the camera, but nothing in the Timeline.
Does anyone know what is causing this, please?

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" back to Camera "
Dec 29, 2007 5:46AM PST

Just so you know, back to Camera is not reliable and most will stop after a few bombs. If you feel it should work, start contacting each of the product's makers until they tell you it's them or they don't support it.

Bob

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Really?
Dec 29, 2007 6:17AM PST

Uh-oh... I export out to my HDR-HC1 all the time... works great... Are you telling me I'm on borrowed time?

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The HDR-HC1 is...
Dec 29, 2007 6:19AM PST

Not comparable to your Panasonic GS-NV 400. You may want to discuss that?

Bob

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um... miniDV camcorders...
Dec 29, 2007 10:31AM PST

one is standard def only; the other is 1080i hidef + standard def and a mic in jack.

Wink

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Back to Camera
Dec 31, 2007 12:08AM PST

To Bob Proffit,
As usual, I think you have" hit the nail on the head"- i-Movie 6 is the culprit. I come to this conclusion from these facts;
1. I edited the project and successfully burned a DVD
2. I attempted to record back to camera - UNSUCCESSFUL
3. I transferred all clips, music and commentary to a fresh project and played back
via the camera - SUCCESSFUL
4. I attempted to record back to the camera - UNSUCCESSFUL (constant messages
that connexion with the camera had been lost)
5. I attempted to burn a DVD - UNSUCCESSFUL ( constant messages of "errors" in
the project which"had to be addressed first".)
6.I again transferred all clips, music and commentary to another fresh project and
played back via the camera- SUCCESSFUL
7. I burned another DVD - SUCCESSFUL
COMMENT: Notice that everything succeeds AS LONG AS I DO NOT TRY TO RECORD BACK TO THE CAMERA. If I do, ALL IS LOST
8. On my Windows PC I have Sony Vegas Studio. I loaded this with content from
the DVD.
9. After rendering, it SUCCESSFULLY transferred back to camera tape.

I tell you all this at length because you may have some thoughts. I have no idea
why i-Movie 6 is unreliable in "Back to Camera" mode -BUT IT OBVIOUSLY IS, as
you say. I have solved my problem of back to camera, albeit with no success
from i-Movie 6. Others, who may not have another Movie Editing Program such
as Sony Vegas (or Ulead or somesuch), won't be so lucky.

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Can you export/share the project to
Dec 29, 2007 6:02AM PST

to a QuickTime (CD-ROM or "Email") compressed version file on the Mac? When you play that back, does it look OK?

Does the "connection lost" message happen in the same place each time? Can you Share Selected Clips back to the camcorder - but select those clips AFTER where the error message kicks in?

What version iMovie, QuickTime, OSX, Mac?

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oops... iMovie-6
Dec 29, 2007 6:15AM PST

sorry - just saw that. But the other questions still apply...

By the way, have you snooped around the Apple discussions board?

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Since I can't see your environment,
Dec 29, 2007 6:06AM PST

I get to ask silly questions...

Is the camcorder plugged into a known, good, AC power source and not running on its battery?

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back to camera
Dec 29, 2007 6:19AM PST

Many thanks all -
I'm certain I successfully exported to camera my last project when I was on Tiger. Is it, do you think, a Leopard problem, now that I'm on that?

the camcorder is pluged in to a good power source.
I'm using i-Movie 6; MacBook Pro
The connexion lost message appears at the same stage each time about 1/2 sec after I hit "Share"- or, rather, after "preparing to export" message.

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well... I am still on Tiger, and continue
Dec 29, 2007 10:33AM PST

to use iMovie HD 5...

curious.

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Back to camera no longer supported
Dec 29, 2007 7:17PM PST

I was so impressed with a friends Mac and especially iMovie that I decided to dump Microsoft and splashed out for a brand new iMac only to discover that iMovie08 does not support "back to Camera". I am most disappointed as it is the only way that I can show edited HD movies from my Canon HV20. Apparently this facility has been available on previous versions of iMovie. Why do developers do this?

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Back to Camera, (edited)
Dec 30, 2007 12:41AM PST

If you have a new Mac which came with iMovie 08, and you had iMovie HD, you can download a copy of iMovie HD from the Apple site.

They made it available after numerous complaints about the new iMovie.

Both the versions are quite happy living side by side on your hard drive and iMovieHD runs well on an Intel Mac.

Take a look Here and see if you can download it.

Hope this works for you


P

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Reason & Solution?
Jan 11, 2008 8:02PM PST

I am always so grateful to people who try to help me solve my problems. Life, for me, would be impossible without such kindness.
I must therefore share my latest experience, in the hope that it will be of value to anyone else who has the problem I had when i-Movie HD 6 would not export my project back to camera.
On another Forum ( DV Doctor -http://forums.dvdoctor.net) I found a thread that stated that i-MovieHD 6 WOULD NO LONGER EXPORT BACK TO CAMERA IF "FINAL CUT" (Pro or Express) had been installed. Now, I do not have Final Cut, BUT I HAD DOWNLOADED a tutorial on "passing from i-Movie to Final Cut.
CONCLUSION: I deleted the Tutorial and BINGO, i-Movie HD 6 now successfully
exports my project back to Camera.
Any comments will be eagerly devoured!

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Now that is bizarre
Jan 11, 2008 9:39PM PST

Pleased it worked for you.

Who'da thunk it?

Happy

P

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WOW! Great find for you and
Jan 11, 2008 10:20PM PST

awesome info you shared with US! Interesting irony since you started this thread looking for info!

Congratulations and thank you for sharing!

(and on my machine I continue to be running FinalCut studio - and iMovie HD... 5.)