


Perhaps the most time-consuming feature in iMovie ’09 is image stabilization. You can also choose to optimize video during the import process, although that increases the initial time spent adding the video to iMovie’s library.Ģ. iMovie converts the files to AIC (Apple Intermediate Codec), the program’s preferred editing format. Choose File->Optimize Video, and then choose either Full-Original Size or Large-960×540.

Although iMovie can play those files, it has to work harder to fill in gaps that are removed as part of the camera’s compression process. If you shoot with a Flip camcorder or other camera that saves video as MPEG-4 files, you can improve iMovie’s playback performance by converting the clips.
