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convert .exec to movie format

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Hi,

I am a biology teacher, and back when I had a windows machine (ughh), I had a student create some animations clips about genetics themes. When I transffered all my files to my new Mac (yey!) the animation clips appeared only as blank, gray icons with "exec" written on them.

In fact, the exec files play with Quicktime so the animation data is preserved in the format somehow.

I know I could just always play them with Quicktime, but I would like to comvert the blank, gray exec files into something more friendly, compatible and durable, with an icon that shows part of the animation, for example. Perhaps an iMovie file of some kind?

I really don't know much about animation, video and movie comversion, so your help is appreciated.

I have a Macbook running OS X 10.5.7

Thanks!
 
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it would help if you could find out what the original file format was so you can find an appropriate convertor between formats
 
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Hmm.
From your description, it sounds like you're describing the icon for a unix executable file.
Picture%2023.jpg


If they play fine, I'd leave them the way they are. I really don't know how to change the format.

You can, however, very easily change the icons.

1. Select one of the animations.

2. Hit COMMAND-I to bring up the get info panel, we'll use this in a bit.

3. Double click the file to play it, I'm assuming that's what you do to play it.

4. Now this is tricky, I hope you've done you're finger stretches.
Simultaneously press COMMAND-CONTROL-SHIFT-4, this will bring up a cross hair cursor with the coordinates of the location on your screen. If you where to click and drag, the area you selected would become an image in your clip board. DON'T DO ANYTHING YET.

5. Press the space bar. Your cursor will now be a camera. Hover this over the animation and wait for the frame that you want to use as the icon. When your at a good spot simply click. That frame of the animation is now in your clip board.

6. Go over to the 'Get Info' panel that I had you open in step 2 and click on the icon preview in the top left making sure that there is a subtle blue highlight behind it.

7. Hit COMMAND-V to paste the captured frame to the file's icon.

8. Viola!
 
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Thanks for the info so far

Hi.

Thanks for the info so far.

Yes, the files are currently Unix executable files.


I will definately change the icon as you describe.

Just out of curiosity, does anybody know if I can change a Unix executable file that plays in Quicktime to another more convenient video file?

Thanks!
 
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what exactly do you mean by convenient? what yould you like to use to play the file? you mentioned iMovie, but to me it seems that Quicktime is pretty good to play short clips
 
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Yes, you're right. Quick Time is fine. I changed the extension for each file name to .mov and miraculously (to me!) the icons changed to the animations/pictures, so I'm happy.

Problem solved.

Thanks again.
 
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Cool, I'm glad that worked for you.

I wonder why your computer thought they were exec's
 
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maybe they didn't had an extension and osx couldn't find information about the file type since they came from a windows machine.
 

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