View source for Importing a recording in iMovie from a digital camcorder

* Connect the camera to the computer. Make sure the camera is connected to an AC adapter. Set the camera to its import mode (will vary from model to model, refer to camera guide.)
* Open iMovie (These instructions are for iMovie version 9, also known as iMovie '11 but version 7 or later, also known as iMovie '08 will work, too)
* File => New Project
** Name of your choosing
** Choose Widescreen for HD cameras.
** The default framerate of the Canon XA10 cameras is 30. Other cameras may have a different frame rate. Choose the framerate you used. If you're not sure, pick 30 and iMovie will correct that when you start work on your clip. You can leave other options as they are.
* File => Import from Camera
** If your camera has multiple storage devices (internal memory, one or more SD cards), you can browse each storage by selecting it from the drop down menu in the lower left corner.
** You can choose to import all recordings from the storage (Import All button) or you can switch iMovie's import window to Manual mode (lower left corner) and select the clips you'd like to import.
** When you click the Import button you'll be asked to select where to save the imported recordings, name the event and select an optimization.
*** Select the disk that has more space
*** Name of your choosing
*** Full - Original Size for the optimization
** The transfer time depends on the length of the recording. Roughly, it takes one minute to transfer three minutes of video. A one-hour recording will take about 20 mins to transfer.
** When the import is done you can close the import window.
* The imported video will be in the lower part of the screen. You can use the mouse to click and select the portion you want to use (or Edit => Select All to select the entire video). Drag the selected video to the designated project area in the upper part of the screen.
* To create a DVD, insert a blank DVD (click ignore if the Finder window pops up) and. Then in iMovie click Share => iDVD. iMovie will transfer the recording to iDVD which will take about 10-15 mins for a 1 hour recording and iDVD will launch when this is complete. In iDVD you can use the default theme or try different themes. To burn the DVD click File => Burn. The process may take up to an hour for a one hour recording (less on faster computers)
* To create an MP4 file for uploading on the web (MiddMedia, Youtube etc), follow the instructions here: http://mediawiki.middlebury.edu/wiki/LIS/MiddMedia#OS_X_-_iMovie.

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