This post is written for people who are having issues editing Panasonic Lumix GF7 1080/60p video on Mac through iMovie, FCE, or FCP X. It displays a way of transcoding Lumix GF7 AVCHD/MP4 video to a Mac friendly format for working with iMovie, FCE, FCP X maintaining original quality.
I would like to be able to edit Lumix GF7 1080/60p AVCHD video in iMovie
“Hi, I am looking for the best alternative to take recorded 1080/60p AVCHD videos from my Panasonic DMC-GF7 and then edit parts of those videos on my MacBook Pro through iMovie 11. iMovie’11 won’t open any of the 60p MTS videos that I have recorded. What’s the best solution to do this? If possible please provide me an answer ASAP as I need to start this project immediately. Thanks.”
The most recent Panasonic DMC-GF7 is equipped with the same 16MP sensor as other latest Panasonic cameras in the series, such as the GX7, GM1, and GM5. The GF7 can record 1080/60p video in AVCHD or MP4 format. If for some reason you are unable to work with GF7 60p AVCHD/MP4 files in iMovie, FCE, or FCP X, we would recommend converting the GF7 60p AVCHD/MP4 video to QuickTime mov before editing. To be clear, if you would like to edit Lumix GF7 1080/60p AVCHD/MP4 files in Apple iMovie or FCE smoothly, you are suggested to encode the GF7 video to Apple InterMediate Codec .mov. And if you are attempting to use GF7 AVCHD/MP4 files in FCP X fluidly, we do recommend rewrapping GF7 footage to Apple ProRes 422 .mov. This required third party software like HD Video Converter for Mac. You can download a demo to see if it is able to do what you want.
Edit Lumix GF7 Videos on Mac – how to encode Lumix GF7 AVCHD/MP4 footage to compatible files for iMovie, FCE and FCP X?
To do this:
Step 1: Open up HD Video Converter for Mac as a Lumix GF7 Video Converter for Mac. When its main interface comes up, click ‘Add File’ to load your source media.
Step 2: Select output format for your editing program
To convert Lumix GF7 1080/60p AVCHD/MP4 for iMovie/FCE, from ‘Profile’ list, choose ‘Apple InterMediate Codec (AIC)(*.mov)’ as output format under ‘iMovie and Final Cut Express’ column.
To transcode Lumix GF7 1080/60p AVCHD/MP4 files for FCP X, select ‘Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)’ as output format under ‘Final Cut Pro’ column. The ProRes codec is also workable in its former version FCP 6 and FCP 7.
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: Custom video and audio settings (optional)
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: Begin Lumix GF7 1080/60p AVCHD/MP4 to MOV Conversion on Mac
When ready, click ‘Convert’ to start format conversion. Once the conversion process is complete, you can click ‘Open Folder’ button to get the generated AIC MOV files or ProRes MOV files for editing in iMovie, Final Cut Express or FCP X with optimum performance.
Tips:
If you don’t want to wait for the entire conversion process, you can tick off ‘Showdown computer when conversion completed’ and go away to do other things.
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