After a long title like that, I guess it’s hard to tell what the heck I’m going to even talk about, right?
Master informs me that it apparently works that way in the computer science world, but I have no idea.
Well, this is a tutorial on how to make an AMV on a Mac, using iMovie HD, written by a Windows user (that’s me).
1. The first thing you need to do is get all the episodes you want to use from the anime in question. There are lots of ways to do this, but it’s often considered a legal gray area, so I’m not gonna go into a lot of details. Alternatively, one can purchase the DVDs (if available) and rip the files off of them. To do that, one can use many media players, including iTunes, I believe. I’m not positive on that regard, but there’s a nice and easy button at the top of Windows Media Player’s full screen view (which I don’t have access to right now either!).
2. Once these are gathered, you need to convert any and all files into .AVI format, so that iMovie can read them. This also applies if you’re using Windows Media Player, for the record, since both of them primarily work with .AVIs. This can be accomplished by several programs, such as YouTube Downloader, SeaSky Video Converter, etc. Again, Google is your friend for finding these programs for free.
3. After the files are converted, drag them into iMovie in full. Be ready to do this multiple times, as you may need to edit the episodes multiple times. On the side of the screen, you’re going to see all the clips you’re working with. Use the Cut tool (command + T) to pick apart the clips to what you want to use–it’ll cut STARTING at the frame you’re working on. You’ll want to intersperse this with step #4.
4. You’ll want to acquire the song that you’re using and drag it into the bottom section of the screen. If you want to cut it, you can do it the same way as the video clips. You’ll be using the little purple bar to time everything.
5. Wash, rinse, repeat.
This is a pretty simple tutorial, but there are many functions in iMovie, which I don’t fully understand (not being a Mac person). Happy trails!
