MAC question

[J.4knee]

OK so here is a question for all my Mac friends. I am for at least a while relegated to using my wife school district Mac to do my video editing. The problem with that is I need to be able to import my files directly to an external HD. I have an external USB 1TB HD. The Mac recognizes the HD just fine. I can copy files to it and save to it with no problems. The problem is when I use iMovie to import my AVCHD codec files, I do not have an option to import them directly to the external HD, I can only import them to the Mac HD. Then I have to copy them to the ext HD and delete them from the Mac HD. Once I do this I can no longer edit the movies in iMovie it does not see the drive. When I view the files on the HD I can only do so with Quicktime, and cannot edit them. The Mac is loaded with OS X 10.4.1.1 upgrading or updating the OS is not an option. Any idea's??

[michael hurd]

Disclaimer: I don't own a Mac... only PC stuff. This question would be a good one for the guys on the television to battle over. I thought all Mac was 'simple'. [:S]

I wonder if it's something as simple as the 'read / write' permissions and 'file ownership' of the files on the external drive. It may be a simple fix.

Hopefully someone with Mac experience will jump in and help you out.

[russ69]

I though this thread was about McIntosh hi-fi gear, geeze.

Thanx, Russ

[sunburnwilly]

AVCHD codec files

Are you using a Sony HD camcorder ?

[Marvel]

Well, I'm at home for the day due to our school being closed, or I could look on the Macs at work. Is there a preferences setting for iMovie that will allow you to change where it wants to open and save files?

Bruce

[J.4knee]

AVCHD codec files

Are you using a Sony HD camcorder ?

No I am using a Canon

[J.4knee]

Well, I'm at home for the day due to our school being closed, or I could look on the Macs at work. Is there a preferences setting for iMovie that will allow you to change where it wants to open and save files?

Bruce

There is a drop down box but the only option listed is the MAC HD.

[Edgar]

I originally thought that this might be an NTFS/FAT32 problem, see here, but the fact that you can both read and write the external HD from the Mac says that's probably not the case. Still, it might be worth a try.

Greg

[J.4knee]

I originally thought that this might be an NTFS/FAT32 problem, see here, but the fact that you can both read and write the external HD from the Mac says that's probably not the case. Still, it might be worth a try.

Greg

\

Actually you may not be too far off. The drive is a FAT drive, I did not format it for a MAC when I set it up. I am wondering if the MAC can see it but MAC's native APP's such as the iLife suite cannot see it, if it is not formatted for a MAC. That is a very fixable solution, I can reformat ths drive for a MAC, it will never be connceted to a PC, @ $90 it is just to cheep to get a second one if a need to connect to a PC arises. Thanx for the link I just registered for that forum.

[seti]

Step into the unix world for just a minute. Try creating a symbolic link to the /vol/external-device/folder you want to mount to your local computer /Users/path to where you want it for imovie. This is like an alias but works better.

NAME
link, ln -- make links

SYNOPSIS
ln [-Ffhinsv] source_file [target_file]
ln [-Ffhinsv] source_file ... target_dir
link source_file target_file

http://ss64.com/bash/ln.html

http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/unix-creating-symbolic-link-ln-command/

You will need to do this from terminal. To make sure I have the file path correct I usually type / then tab key to get a list of folder file options. That is just me. It is lazy but hey . I think if it is an external volume you will have to start at /vol/. I could be wrong so try with the documentation first.

[J.4knee]

Step into the unix world for just a minute. Try creating a symbolic link to the /vol/external-device/folder you want to mount to your local computer /Users/path to where you want it for imovie. This is like an alias but works better.

NAME
link, ln -- make links

SYNOPSIS
ln [-Ffhinsv] source_file [target_file]
ln [-Ffhinsv] source_file ... target_dir
link source_file target_file

http://ss64.com/bash/ln.html

http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/unix-creating-symbolic-link-ln-command/

You will need to do this from terminal. To make sure I have the file path correct I usually type / then tab key to get a list of folder file options. That is just me. It is lazy but hey . I think if it is an external volume you will have to start at /vol/. I could be wrong so try with the documentation first.

ummm thanks.......not sure what to say other than [:|] [:^)]

[Marvel]

It has to be formatted asMac OS extended for it to work with iMovie. The Mac forums are full of this problem. If you don't need to ever connect to a Windows box, just reformat.

Step into the unix world for just a minute.

No thanks. An end user at home shouldn't have to go through that.

[J.4knee]

Step into the unix world for just a minute.

No thanks. An end user at home shouldn't have to go through that.

!

[Marvel]

Oops, sorry Jim. My editing was sloppy. I fixed my original post. [*-)]

[J.4knee]

I was agreement with you. I can play command line on a PC but you can't fill a thimble with what I know about a Unix box.

[J.4knee]

OK So I got the ext hard drive up and formatted. iMovie sees it and moving, got my video or at least have started moving it. Now I got another inquiry for all you Mac'sh types. In iPhoto is there a way to move my existing photos to the ext HD other than exporting them. Seems when I do that I cannot view them in iPhoto. From what I am experiencing now it seems I have to re-import all my photos from my camera memory stick to the ext HD using iPhoto and then delete then from the laptop HD. Any idea’s?