How can I import MKV files to Apple iMovie? If you are having issues loading MKV media to iMovie for further editing, you may have interest in this post. It displays a workaround to convert MKV video to AIC .MOV for use in iMovie with optimum performance.
Getting into a trouble importing .mkv to iMovie
“Hi, there, I have an .mkv movie which I want to import to iMovie. The thing is that iMovie wouldn’t import the MKV file and if I dragged it into iMovie, iMovie got frozen. The file is about 1.2GB. Any clues on this? Thanks. I’m running Mac OS X Yosemite (10.10.2) on an iMac.”
MKV (Matroska Video) is a popular format for online video distribution (particularly through BitTorrent networks and all). It is an open and free container format that can keep a number of video, audio, picture subtitle components in just one file. iMovie will not import movies with extra tracks such as a chapter track. Remove this and these files will be editable with no further changes. To be able to work with MKV media in iMovie smoothly, we would recommend transocding MKV to AIC .mov format the imovie favors with third party software like HD Video Converter for Mac. Read on to find a step-by-step guide talking about how to encode MKV to Apple InterMediate Codec for iMovie editing.
Software requirement
HD Video Converter for Mac
A quick guide on how to rewrap MKV video for iMovie editing via AIC/ProRes codec
Download and install HD Video Converter for Mac, then follow these steps:
Step 1: Run HD Video Converter for Mac as a professional MKV to QuickTime Converter for Mac. When its main interface comes up, click ‘Add File’ to load source video to it.
Step 2: Select output format for iMovie
From ‘Profile’ list, choose ‘Apple InterMediate Codec (AIC) (*.mov)’ as output format under ‘iMovie and Final Cut Express’ column. This output format is also suitable for editing in Final Cut Express.
Important: If you’ve loaded a number of video clips to do batch conversion, please do remember ticking off ‘Apply to All’ option before you start.
Step 3: Adjust video and audio settings (for advanced users)
If necessary, you can click ‘Settings’ button and go to ‘Profiles Settings’ panel to modify video and audio settings like video encoder, resolution, video bit rate, frame rate, aspect ratio, audio encoder, sample rate, audio bit rate, and audio channels. 3D settings are also available.
Step 4: Click ‘Convert’ to start MKV to AIC conversion.
Step 5: Click ‘Open Folder’ to get generated AIC QuickTime files for transferring and editing in iMovie with optimum performance.
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