iMovie export file size

Ok, here's the deal. I've imported some .mov files into iMovie, and I've edited them for my purposes. The two files I've imported have been joined together, and they total about 6gb's in their original incarnation. Now, when I try to export the completed movie in the full quality setting, iMovie tells me that the file size is going to be 24 GIGABYTES????? I have another file that I'm trying to do the same thing with, and it's about 14 minutes of low quality VHS tape conversion. It exports at almost 3gb's! How can that be when the original file size is only about 500mb, and the exported file isn't of higher quality??

well I don't think imovie knows how high quality your file is. For instance when I imported files off my digital camera I can export it at high quality or low quality and they come out the same quality, but different file sizes. What you have to do it find out What quality setting in imovie is closest to what your camera records at.

Thanks for your reply, Glenners, but actually, I made a mistake in my post. The exported file itself isn't 24gb's. The movie project itself that I saved is 24gb's - even before deciding on an export quality setting. Why would that be? Could the size be because of 'undo' files, perhaps? You know, so I can revert to the original footage? Even so, I only clipped a few seconds off the front and rear of the file, and added one transition. How is that enough to warrant an extra 18gb's for a movie project? It certainly makes no sense to me.

Oh yeah, I just noticed you're from Windsor... Birthplace of my fave band in the world, The Tea Party.

No, while it is good to empty the trash in iMovie, saves space, when you import any file into iMovie, such as .mov, iMovie changes that file into .dv format for editing. .dv is much larger than .mov, .mpeg, .mp4, .avi, etc.

Once you are done with the editing, you need to do Share in the top menu, and select an export setting that will make the movie an acceptable quality for your purposes. iMovie will then recompress it for you.

Brian

Thanks for the answer, Brian. Now, one more question if you don't mind...

If I want to export it to iDVD, but want to add it to an existing iDVD project, how can I do that? I know I can just compress it, and then add the movie file into iDVD by just dragging it in there, but the compression settings that iMovie export offers for say, quicktime, ipod, etc are not satisfactory to me. Quicktime export cuts frame rate to 15fps. iPod export cuts down from 640x480, etc. How can I just get the same quality picture that I originally imported in to my Mac on to my DVD? I mean, I know I could just drag the original files in to iDVD, but then that defeats the purpose of iMovie editing...

Is there something I'm missing, or do I really just have to jump thru a ton of hoops to do something I figured would be pretty straight forward?

When exporting choose "expert settings" and then you can export at higher frame rates/less compression

Del has it right, or you can export from iMovie at Full Quality, but that may be a rather large file. Try both, and see which works best for you. I haven't tried to export a second movie into an already existing iDVD project.

I suppose if you have the 1st iMovie project you exported to iDVD, you could open that, and add the second into iMovie, create the two as chapters, then export them as one file to iDVD.

Best,

Brian