7. Importing Footage

Whatever the source of your video—DV or HDV camcorder, digital still camera with a video recording feature, DVD, an iSight camera, or just movie files on your hard drive—it’s easy to bring the footage you shot into iMovie for editing.

For the least amount of hassle, the video should be digital. I realize you can buy inexpensive analog camcorders these days, but since the footage will need to be digitized anyway, you may as well start with digital originals. (If you already own an analog camcorder, don’t go scrambling for a credit card to buy a new camera; I talk about importing that video, too.)

Speaking of less hassle, let’s start with the easiest method of importing footage: the Magic iMovie feature.

Making a Magic iMovie ...

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