Simple Steps to Import Videos from Sony Handycam to Mac for iMovie
“ I shot about 20 or so videos yesterday on a Sony HDRCX240 and want to edit them in iMovie. When I plug the camera into my MacBook Pro it comes up as usual but when I click on the actual video file it says the file type isn't supported. The videos are AVCHD. Is there a free way I can convert these into the file type necessary to edit them in iMovie? Thanks for any help. ”
Many people now have digital camcorders to record videos of their big events like wedding ceremony, birthday party, baby growth, etc.
While it is convenient to use a phone to shoot video, the benefit of a dedicated camcorder is excellent video quality. However, pulling video footage off the camcorder to a PC can be terribly confusing.
It’s known to all that Handycam is a Sony brand used to market its camcorder range. The video formats that Sony High Definition Models (Sony HDR-) series created, such as Sony HDR-CX240, Sony HDR-SR 7, Sony HDR-TG1, Sony HDR-SR11, etc. are MPEG-4 AVC/ H.264 and MPEG-2. And videos shot with most Sony Handycam are recorded in AVCHD files. But only MP4, MOV, and M4V video formats are supported by all Mac computers. That’s why Sue could not import Sony Handycam videos to iMovie to do video editing.
Well, how to import videos from Sony Handycam to Mac?
If we convert Sony AVCHD video to MP4, MOV or M4V, then we can import Sony camera video to iMovie, QuickTime, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, PSP, etc. on any Mac computers.
To finish the task, the best solution is to install a useful video converter that can help you convert AVCHD to Mac. f2fsoft AVCHD Video Converter is a nice choice for Mac users as a multi-functional Sony video converter. It could convert AVCHD video to video in 180+ different formats like MP4, MOV, MPEG, AVI, FLV, MKV, etc. and to most portable devices like iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, PS3, Wii, Xbox, BlackBerry, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, etc. Moreover, its user-friendly interface and easy-to-use filters allow beginners to batch convert AVCHD to MP4 easily and quickly. Therefore, even though you are new to AVCHD files and have no idea how to convert AVCHD files, f2fsoft AVCHD Converter is definitely your best choice.
Part1: How to import videos from Sony Handycam to Mac
AVCHD, found on most Sony, Canon and Panasonic HD camcorders, is a file-based format for the digital recording and playback of high-definition video. Based on MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video compression method, AVCHD also supports a variety of other standards, high definition and resolutions. The highest resolution quality images by Sony and Panasonic devices are capture only in AVCHD formats. The image quality is amazing. Thus, owing to its high quality, the format has large file size. And generally, the file extension of AVCHD is .mts or .m2ts. Videos in AVCHD format can be burnt to a standard DVD disc that can be playable on an HDTV and Blu-ray player. But it is difficult to play AVCHD files on mobile devices or on iMovie.
So, it is time to convert AVCHD files for us.
Preparations
Before doing the conversion between AVCHD and Mac supported video formats, you should make these preparations:
1. Download and install a Sony video converter on your computer. f2fsoft AVCHD Video Converter is recommended in this post.
2. Inset a fully charged battery into your Handycam and then turn it on.
3. Connect the camcorder to your PC using the supplied or built-in USB cable directly.
Tip: It is better to refer to your owner’s manual for instructions specific to your particular model of camcorder.
Step 1: Add source file
Run f2fsoft Sony video converter and you can see the main interface as the image below. Press Add File to browse and load the AVCHD video files you want to convert. You can add several videos simultaneously.
Step 2: Set output format
Select MPEG-4 Video (*.mp4) format in General Video from the Profile drop-down list as output format. As you can see, this AVCHD video converter can easily do conversion between AVCHD videos and any other video/ audio format. If you want to convert the video to AVI, just search AVI in Profile drop-list and choose one proper mode to convert.
Furthermore, if you want to change the saving destination for the output file, click Browse button and select the output folder.
Step 3: Start the conversion
Press Convert button to start the AVCHD to MP4 conversion. The process takes a few minutes, and then you can view the output video in output folder.
Part2: How to edit Sony camera videos
After the conversion, you can transfer video from Sony Handycam to Mac for further editing with iMovie, FCP, VLC, and QuickTime freely.
Here, I’ll strongly recommend a surprisingly quick and easy way to edit AVCHD videos - the built-in editor of f2fsoft AVCHD Video Converter.
You could simply click Edit button on the menu bar to start the Sony video editing process. Although the interface is simple, it provides numerous features, including rotate, clip, crop, watermark, merge and more editing features. You are allowed to preview the video effects while editing.
You May Also Like to Read:
- How to Convert MTS to MOV on Mac
- How to Convert AVCHD Video to MP4 on Windows
- [Solved] How to Convert AVCHD to AVI Video from Sony Camera?
- How to Convert MTS to MP4 with AVCHD Video Converter
- How to Convert M2TS to MKV with AVCHD Video Converter
- [Answered] Can PS4 Play MP4 File?-f2fsoft MP4 Video Converter