Optimizing Video in iMovie '11

Hi there!

This is my first time using iMovie. I am optimizing a ton of video from my external hard drive, but the problem exists when it is completed, it is putting in its own hierarchy. As an example, I am grouping all of my home movies by year. So when I optimized 2002 (about 8GB), it put it in a 2012 folder (that I didn't create). When I optimized 2003, it put it in a 2011 folder (again, which I did not create). First of all, does anyone know how I can get rid of the year hierarchies? Secondly, is there a way for me to move the movies so that they are in ONE hierachy of folders? Thanks!

Why are you bothering to micromanage your footage? Isn't that what you bought a computer to do?

It's putting it in 2012 because you have opened a new project in ... <looks at calendar> 2012. Projects and footage are two separate things. Pay no attention to iMovie's visual hierarchy of folders. Change the name of the project to add "2002" to the name if it bothers you.

The important thing is that iMovie can find the footage and you can work on the project and output as desired. You're quite free to file the footage anyway you like, but naturally iMovie is going to think it's a 2012 project if in fact you're working on it in 2012. Don't worry about it, and unless you want to mess up the work you've done I'd seriously leave the iMovie project hierarchy alone.

2nd ^^^ There is only so much tinkering your going to do with the hierarchy process...As Chas mentions...just rename the Events/Projects to whatever you want and include the year in the title...

Thanks for your feedback.... I guess it is just the anal CPA in me that wants things organized correctly! Another question.... when I am importing movies, I am selecting a folder that has 4 different 2GB files. WHen I just select the folder to upload (thinking that it will select ALL of the files), it just seems to select one or two of them. Am I not able to select a folder to optimize or do I need to do the files one at a time. Thanks.... I am new at this, so bear with me...