iMovie is a free video editing tool for Apple's users. iMovie is easy to use. However, you might encounter iMovie problems and issues sometimes. The most common issues are iMovie problems since macOS Sierra update, iMovie export problems, iMovie import problems. Whenever you encounter problems while using iMovie, you're supposed to calm down and find the solution quickly. Below we're going to discuss about the top 10 common iMovie issues the best solutions.

1. Imovie Won T Export 1080p
2. Imovie Won't Export Project

Part 1. Best iMovie Alternative to Fix All iMovie Probelms - Recommended

Filmora Video Editor is the best alternative to iMovie for Mac (macOS 10.13 High Sierra included) I'd like to recommend to you. It's easy to use, even for beginners in editing videos can start the editing right away. As for the features, Filmora Video Editor provides you with handy video editing tools and free video effects, including trimming, rotating, splitting, cropping, adding background music, and effects like transitions, filters, texts, overlays, intro/credit, PIP, green screen, motion graphics, and so on.

Why Recommend This iMovie Alternative:

IMovie Won't Export 4kIn this video I show you exactly how to export 4k in iMovie. 4k in iMovie can be tricky and a lot of people get frustrated and say iMov. Launch iMovie in Mac. Import the Video or Open the existing project. Select File - Share - Choose File. Now you may see the Resolution option 1080p size is Greyed out. Hi everyone Second issue with iMovie, hopefully this one can be solved! I edited a concert and have just been asked to export as well specific music pieces. After a hair removing session struggling to find a solution, here is the question: is it possible to export certain portions of the. How to Export a Video in iMovie You created a video in iMovie and now you want to export it, just go to the upper right corner and locate the Share button (arrow pointing up in the box). Click on that button to export the video. You will have a number of options to choose from in the small window that pops up. Ready for the steps to export video, in iMovie (on your Mac, iPhone, or Pad)? You found the easiest step-by-step iMovie tutorial here, updated for 2020! Don’t miss these common mistakes for saving videos in iMovie, uploading to YouTube or social media, exporting an iMovie video to a thumb drive, or emailing an iMovie video.

• Best for beginners and professionals with easy-to-use interface and advanced editing tools.
• Come with 300+ new effects to personalize your video, including filters, overlay, PIP, motion graphics, etc.
• Support edit video, audio and photo in any format, and you can edit 4K videos and GIF files.
• Simply drag and drop to import files from cameras, phones and export files in many ways in high quality.

Part 2. Top 10 Common iMovie Problems and Solutions

1. Poor camera connection

You will at more than one instance find that your camera's connectivity to the iMovie is not up to the required standards. That is one of the problems that you will with no doubt have to deal with when you are importing your footage directly from the camera. The problem could have arisen from a variety of factors that include incompatibility of the USB cable on either the iMovie or camera.

The best solution for that is replacing the USB cable with another output option like FireWire. If you are using a camcorder, it will require nothing more than using the guidelines given out in the user manual. If followed strictly, it will not be challenging having the camera sync well with the iMovie.

2. Slowed speed

It is not unusual to have the iMovie running slow when editing movies and videos. This can be as a result of the program being given too many commands at the same time which it might be unable to dispense simultaneously. When that happens, the iMovie will definitely end up being slow in functioning. The ideal solution to this is ensuring that iMovie is not overworked so be very keen on the commands you give it. Every command should be given at a time and in a systematic manner.

There are times when slow functioning of iMovie results from inadequate memory which can also be addressed easily. Delete all the files that are not necessary in the project because they end up eating too much of the available storage space. Don't allow any idle files to sit in the iMovie if you know the storage space is not enough. Alternatively, you can countercheck the memory requirements of the movie to be edited and the capacity offered by iMovie in advance to know whether they match. That can be a good solution to cushion the program from enduring this problem.

3. iMovie not exporting

It might not be as smooth as you expect when exporting movies from iMovie and it is a huge problem. You might end up with a mix-up of audio and video files as they compete for space. The files cannot compete if the storage space is adequate and your troubleshooting must begin from that. Check the space available to determine if it's the cause of the problem arising from movie exporting.

If that is not the cause, it might be that the original project was corrupted in one way or another. Definitely, you will have to come up with a fresh project if that is the situation. You must go to the extreme in making sure the problems associated with movie exporting are completely dealt with.

4. Lacks sound

Never take anything for granted that your iMovie project must have quality sound. You will be surprised to note that leave alone having poor quality sound, there will be no sound at all. Wrong preferences can cause this problem so you need to make sure that all the settings are adjusted properly. Another cause can be incompatible format which is not supported by iMovie. The solution will be converting the files to a format that is friendly to iMovie and the sound will play normally.

5. Files distortion

Whether its video or audio files, they might suffer distortion if the right exporting and importing procedures are not followed. You might get the video quality looking questionable while audio will not be very clear as you expect. To avoid that from happening, make sure you export or import files of right size that the iMovie can handle without damaging the original quality. Also, everything touching on editing has to be done in the timeline and nowhere else. That is the natural editing section in iMovie and any violation will cause file distortion.

6. iMovie crashing

This is a problem of iMovie that needs no introduction. It can be as a result of corrupted files and being overworked which many users do knowingly. You must observe the right workload for your iMovie to prevent it from crashing. File corruption will be occasioned by the presence of viruses in the computer system and carrying out a thorough scan will help to solve the issue. Scan the system as many times as often to maintain it clean and free from viruses.

7. Error creating DVDs

It is possible to convert movies from iMovie to DVD but length will matter a lot. For instance, short movies will be converted flawlessly but problems will start manifesting once there are longer movies to handle with iMovie. The source of the problem might be low RAM or an incompatible Mac system. In case you determine that's the basis of the problem, it will be advisable that you improve on its RAM as well as change your Mac system to a friendlier one. Alternatively, you can choose to ignore the iDVD feature in iMovie and convert the movies to DVD directly.

8. Ineffective trailer

You would want to announce the expected unveiling of your new movie with a trailer but it frustrates you unexpectedly. If it happens, that can be the worst of the problems that you will experience with iMovie. This will include selecting the best clips and music but end up experiencing unanticipated hitches.

To solve that problem, go to 'fonts' and open to activate all the fonts in case some are inactive. Come up with a new account, log in and iMovie will restart automatically. From there, you can visit 'disk utility' button, select 'repair permission' and then 'restart OSX'. That should have your movie trailer up and running effectively.

9. Annoying video effects

There are several video effects that you can add to movies in iMovie and they are specifically there to enhance quality and appeal. Unfortunately, some of the effects will end up annoying you once they fail to render successfully. That will be an iMovie rendering problems to do with improper rendering. You will have to follow the given guidelines for each and every effect if at all you want them to add to your movie correctly. Don't expect things to work out miraculously but your effort must count.

10. Unsatisfactory bend results

This is a general problem of iMovie that you will encounter at the close of the project. It can be unfinished project, poor quality video and audio or incompatible movies which will trace their source to one of the key steps involved. To make sure your iMovie does not deliver such disgusting results at the end of the movie project, be sure to follow all the outlined procedures from the start to the end without omission.

Have you edited a video on iMovie only to be greeted by an error message saying “The Operation Couldn’t Be Completed” right after you export it?

iMovie is yet another application developed by Apple for its enthusiasts to enjoy. It is a video editing app that is available on macOS and iOS with lots of functionality that lets you create cinematic films on the go.

While the app offers a lot of positives to its users, there have been reports from Apple Support Community regarding various issues with the app. One of these problems is when the videos that you have edited on the app simply refuse to be saved and export from your device.

Luckily, there is a dedicated page on Apple Support that tackles the issues regarding iMovie. In this guide, we are going to walk you through the different methods that you can try to fix the issue with iMovie won’t export the videos that you have created.

Let’s get started.

1. Restart Your Mac.

It may seem that a simple restart of your computer doesn’t do anything at all, but a simple restart of your computer would allow your operating system (macOS in this case) to reload all of its resources which may have encountered a temporary glitch during your use.

Before doing this, make sure that you save all your progress on iMovie first to avoid losing your work.

Now, to restart your Mac properly, check out the steps below:

1. On your computer, click on theApple logo located at the upper-left corner of your screen.
2. After that, click on Restart.

3. Lastly, wait for yourMac to finish restarting.

On the other hand, you can also restart your Mac computer by holding the Power button until the options menu appears on your screen. Now, click on Restart or press the R key on your keyboard.

Once your computer has restarted, go back to iMove and try to export the video that you want to see if the error would still occur.

2. Update iMovie.

There are a lot of problems that can occur if you are running an outdated version of any application on your computer or other devices. An outdated version of iMovie may cause compatibility issues with your operating system that can affect the performance of the app.

To fix this, make sure that you are running the latest version of iMovie before editing or exporting videos from the app.

1. First, click on the Apple logo located at the top of your screen.
2. Next, click on Apple Store.

3. Inside the Apple Store, click on the Updates tab.
4. Lastly, Apple Store would automatically scan for any update available to all the apps installed on your Mac. If available, press theUpdate button beside iMovie to install the update.

After updating iMovie on your Mac, restart it and try to export the video on iMovie once again to see if the ‘won’t export’ error message would still occur on your computer.

However, if you are still having issues with iMovie after the update, you can try doing the next method below to address the problem.

3. Update macOS.

As mentioned above, even outdated versions of operating systems can also cause incompatibility issues with iMovie and other applications. It is possible that there was a recent update with iMovie and it no longer supports the current version of macOS installed on your computer.

To fix this, simply update your macOS to the latest version available.

If you are using macOS Mojave or later, you can check for an update by doing the following.

1. On your Mac, click on the Apple logo at the top of your screen and select System Preferences.
2. Inside System Preferences, click onSoftware Update.

3. Lastly, click on theUpdate Now button if available.

For earlier versions of macOS, you can check for an update using the Apple Store, which is discussed in Method 2.

Once the update is installed, restart your Mac once again and try to export the video on iMovie to see if the error message saying ‘The Operation Couldn’t Be Completed’ is already fixed.

4. Boot in Safe Mode.

Booting in Safe Mode on Mac allows your operating system to repair itself and clear system caches that may affect the performance of several applications on your computer, including iMovie.

Try running iMovie while in Safe Mode to see if the error message would still appear while exporting a video.

1. First, turn off your computer completely.
2. After that, press on theShiftkey on your keyboard and hit the Powerbutton.
3. Continue holding the Shiftkey until your Mac boots up completely.
4. Lastly, open iMovie and try to export the video.

If you have exported the video successfully while in Safe Mode, restart your computer and exit Safe Mode. Now, try exporting another video to see if the error message would still occur.

5. Check the Name of Your Export.

iMovie does not allow special characters and symbols on your export file. In this case, you can try verifying if there are any special symbols or characters included on the file name of your export and remove it.

Once you have removed any unallowed characters on the export file, try to export it once again to see if it will be successful.

Alternatively, if you still want to include special characters on the export file, you can just rename it after the export is done.

6. Check Your Export Settings.

For some unknown reasons, the H.264 codec of iMovie is having issues when you export using “Best Quality” multipass encoding. In this case, you can fix the issue by tweaking a few settings on your export preferences.

Follow the guide below to know exactly what you need to change:

1. On iMovie, click on the Share button.
2. After that, export the video usingQuickTime.

3. Next, click on Options, thenSettings.
4. Lastly, change the following options:

Compression Type : MPEG-4 Video

Key Frames : Auto

Date Rate : Auto

Compressor Quality : High

Now, try to export the video that you are having problems with to see if the error message would still occur on iMovie.

7. Try Exporting Another Project.

If you are still having issues exporting a specific project, it is possible that its library files got deleted or corrupted on your Mac which causes the error on your computer.

To rule this out, try to create another project and add a short video in it and add a couple of effects. Once done, try to export the new project on your computer to see if it will go smoothly.

If the new project has been exported successfully, this means that the problem is with the specific project that refuses to export. Try to check all the videos used in that project and make sure that none is missing or corrupted.

However, if you are having problems exporting any project on iMovie, you can try doing the final method below to fix the issue on your computer.

8. Reset NVRAM or PRAM.

Resetting your NVRAM or PRAM would reset certain system preferences settings and configurations that you may have changed unknowingly which causes iMovie to malfunction and refuse to export any project on your computer.

To reset your NVRAM check out the steps below:

1. First, turn off your Mac computer.
2. Next, locate the Option + Command + P + R keys on your keyboard but don’t press it yet.
3. Lastly, press thePowerbutton on your Mac and immediately hold theOption + Command + P + R keys on your keyboard and continue holding it for20 seconds.

Allow your computer to reboot normally afterwards and try to use iMovie in exporting a project once again to see if the error message is already fixed.

Imovie Won T Export 1080p

This sums up our guide on how to fix iMovie won’t export any project on your Mac computer. If you find other solutions that may help others in dealing with this specific issue, kindly share it in the comment section below, and we would give you credit for the solution once we update this article.

Imovie Won't Export Project

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