Convert MTS AVCHD to MOV and editing Camcorder MTS Video files in iMovie

[daisy520]

Convert MTS AVCHD to MOV and editing Camcorder MTS Video files in 
iMovie
Rewrap MTS to QuickTime MOV or Convert MTS to AIC for editing in 
iMovie

iMovie is a simple, easy-to-use video editing tool that comes 
with Apple operating system. Mac users can use iMovie to drag and 
drop clips to timeline, crop them, drag in titles and 
transitions, etc. Yep, just a few clicks, you can turn your 
digital movies from camera into your all-time favorite films. 
However, experienced iMovie user must have found that iMovie is 
not accessible as it claimed when trying to import MTS files to 
iMovie.

When iMovie doesn’t support MTS files?
Two ways to edit MTS files in iMovie.
Rewrap MTS to QuickTime MOV or Convert MTS to AIC for editing in 
iMovie?

There’re two cases that iMovie doesn’t support MTS files:
1. iMovie doesn’t accept raw .MTS files copied from STREAM folder 
in AVCHD>>BDMV.MTS files are just grayed out if you try to use 
the option of “import movies” to load digital MTS files to iMovie.

2. iMovie can’t recognize 1080 50p/60p MTS files. Take Panasonic 
TM700 as an example, it is a HD camcorder which records both 
1080/60p and 1080/60i AVCHD. Connect TM700 to iMac, then, iMovie 
will detect the camera and allows us to start loading MTS files. 
When importing process is finished, we can find only 1080/60i MTS 
files in iMovie.

In conclusion, iMovie doesn’t support 1080 50/60p MTS files 
whether the original AVCHD folder are kept intact or not. MTS in 
a whole AVCHD folder but neither at 1080/50p nor 1080/60p can be 
accessible to iMovie for further editing.

The below paragraphs are mainly focusing on how to make iMovie 
recognize 1080 50p/60p AVCHD files or separated .mts files copied 
from AVCHD folder.

There’re two ways to make these MTS files acceptable by iMovie.

Solution one: Rewrap MTS to QuickTime MOV without Re-encoding

Purchase ClipWrap with $49 to rewrap .mts files to mov without 
changing video samples and the speed of conversion is nearly as 
fast as a file copy.



Solution Two: Convert/Transcode MTS to AIC (*.mov) for iMovie’s 
Further Editing

In addition to rewrapping, ClipWrap also supports transcode MTS 
files to Apple Intermediate Codec if you’are willing to pay $49.

However, if you can’t afford for a Apple Intermediate codec at 
$49,Mac Aunsoft MTS Converter as the best MTS to iMovie Converter 
for Mac is a worthy-purchase with only $29 to not only transcode 
MTS to AIC but also Apple ProRes, DVCProHD, or Avid's DNxHD, 
Mpeg, H.264 codec, etc.



Which is better for editing MTS in iMovie, Rewrap MTS to MOV or 
Convert MTS to AIC?

Here we did a test by importing rewrapped MOV to iMovie and 
loading MTS transcoded AIC to iMovie.

Preparations:
1. Using ClipWrap to rewrap a 28-second 1080/50p MTS file to a 
MOV file named as “rewrap.mov”

2. Using ClipWrap to transcode the 28-second 1080/50p MTS file to 
a “clipwrap-aic.mov”

3. Using Aunsoft MTS Converter to convert the 28-second 1080/50p 
MTS file to a “Aun-aic.mov”

Then, according to the option of “Import Movies” in iMovie, we 
separately import the three “rewrap.mov”, “clipwrap-aic.mov”, and 
“Aun-aic.mov” to iMovie. How long the importing process does 
lasts?

It takes three minutes to import “rewrap.mov” to iMovie, while 
only 5 seconds to import both “clipwrap-aic.mov”, and 
“Aun-aic.mov”. Since ClipWrap rewrapped MOV files doesn’t alter 
the original video’s samples, it seems that iMovie needs some 
time to optimize the rewrap.mov to match better.



Thus, the test turns out that both rewrapped MOV and converted 
AIC can achieve the goal of editing MTS in iMovie, but the 
converted AIC can be loaded to iMovie more quickly as AIC is 
iMovie best editing codec.

As far as I’m concerned, I’ll be more likely to recommend the 
solution of converting MTS to AIC for iMovie’s further editing 
instead of rewrapping MTS. And, as for which app to choose for 
converting MTS to AIC, ClipWrap with $49 or Mac Aunsoft MTS 
Converter with $29?

ClipWrap is famous for its unique function to lossless rewrap 
existing HDV (mts) or AVCHD (mts) footage into QuickTime movies 
faster than realtime while Aunsoft MTS Converter is said to be 
professional at transcoding AVCHD/MTS/M2TS to AVI/MOV/WMV, etc. 
Well, it’s up to you to select the proper program for converting 
MTS footage to AIC for further editing in iMovie.