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How to Convert and Import DVD to iMovie for Free

DVDs are not supported by iMovie. Why not convert DVDs to iMovie formats like MP4? Then you can import and edit the DVD in iMovie easily. Here are two free methods for converting a DVD to iMovie.

By Bella Brown ｜Last updated on November 23, 2022

Q: I filmed footage on a mini DV tape and put the footage on a DVD. I now want the footage to go onto iMovie, but when I try to drag the footage from the DVD into iMovie, it says: “The file will not be imported. It is not compatible with iMovie.” What should I do to make the DVD playable in iMovie?

There is a part of a DVD that I want to use in my class. I want to edit it using iMovie, but I have no idea how I can import it into iMovie. There is no option to import DVDs into it as it’s not a camera or camcorder. And the protection stuff…

A: In order to import the contents of a DVD into iMovie, you need to rip the DVD to an iMovie-supported format, like MPEG-4 (MP4, M4V), MPEG-2, DV, HDV, MOV, and AVCHD. That means a DVD to iMovie converter is necessary to help decrypt DVD files for iMovie on Mac.

Based on different demands, namely importing commercial or uncommercial DVDs to iMovie, there are two free DVD rippers to let you convert DVD movies into iMovie friendly formats. Then you can import the DVD movie to iMovie for editing.

How to Convert DVDs to iMovie?

Download the Best Free Protected DVD to iMovie Converter

MacX DVD Ripper Free is a 100% clean and free DVD ripper. It can convert homemade and commercial DVDs (region codes, RCE, CSS, Sony ARccOS, UOPs, Disney 99 title, etc.) to iMovie MPEG-4, MP4, MOV, AVCHD, H264, and 350+ other formats. It can convert a DVD to iMovie formats 5X faster than others because it supports Intel/Nivida/AMD GPU acceleration, multi-core CPU (up to 8) utility, and hyper-threading technology. With 3 clicks, the DVD will be converted for iMovie within 10 minutes on a high hardware configuration. The High Quality Engine and Deinterlacing features will ensure the best output quality.

Download for Mac Download for PC

How to Convert and Import Protected DVDs to iMovie for Free

Step 1. Add the DVD Movie.

Download and run this free DVD to iMovie converter on your PC or Mac, then click the “DVD“ button to add a DVD from your DVD drive. Or you can click “DVD Path” to import a DVD from a DVD folder saved on your computer.

Download MacX DVD Ripper Free for Mac Download MacX DVD Ripper for Windows

Step 2. Select an Output Format for iMovie.

Once the DVD is imported, an output format will pop up automatically. To convert DVDs for iMovie editing, you can go to General Video and select MP4 Video from the list. You can also scroll down the list on the left, choose Apple Device, and select to iMovie Video. Then choose a ready output format for iMovie from the list on the right. Then click Done.

iMovie supports the following formats:

H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, ProRes, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MJPEG, M4V, DV, HDV, AVCHD, Apple Intermediate Codec, Apple Animation Codec, XAVC/XAVC, iFrame, some, but not all, varieties of MP4, MOV.

Note: The latest version of iMovie claims to support the HEVC codec. Yet, its compatibility still leaves a lot to be desired based on iMovie users’ feedback on forums. As a result, you should select MP4 H264 or MOV H264 as output formats for the time being.

Step 3. Set an Output Folder.

Next, click the Browse button in the Destination Folder to set an output folder on your Mac computer for the output files. You can click the Edit button on the selected title to perform basic editing such as trimming, adding extra subtitles, cropping, rotating, etc.

Step 4. Convert your DVD to iMovie Now.

When all the settings are done, click the RUN button to start the DVD movie to iMovie conversion. Several minutes later, you’ll get a DVD video that can be imported to iMovie easily.

Tip: If any error occurs during the DVD ripping process, resort to “Safe Mode”, which is specially designed for you to handle latest the enhanced encrypted DVD discs and might come at the price of conversion speed.

Step 5: Import DVDs to iMovie.

Now you can import the DVD into iMovie on the desktop as you normally do. Launch iMovie on your Mac >> choose file >> select “Import Movies” to import output DVD video to iMovie. Alternatively, you can drag and drop the DVD video into iMovie.Then, you can start editing videos.

To import DVD files to iMovie for iOS to edit DVD movies on iDevices: first, convert DVD to iPhone iPad iOS devices. Choose “Apple Device” from “Mobile Video Profile” in the output format window, and convert the DVD movies to iPhone formats >> start iTunes and transfer DVD movies to iOS (iPhone, iPad), then edit in iMovie on iOS.

For more output profile presets, faster speed, and stronger ability to remove protections, please go ahead of its advanced edition - MacX DVD Ripper Pro. It will convert and import DVD to iMovie, Final Cut Pro, DVD to iDVD, DVD to iPhone iPad, DVD to Android and more, 420+ profiles faster, better and smoother.

Download for Mac Download for PC

Warm Prompt: Ripping and converting DVD discs to iMovie is suggested for personal use rather than commercial use. Please follow your country’s DVD copyright protection law. Do Not harm others’ interests.

How to Convert Homemade DVDs to iMovie

If you need to import a homemade DVD into iMovie on Mac, you can simply use the DVD ripper mentioned above. You can also try the method below.

Step 1: If the DVD doesn’t contain DRM, you should be able to double-click on the DVD drive to open it (if the DVD starts to play after you click on it, just close it and try again). Then you will see an Audio_TS folder and a Video_TS folder.

Click here

Step 2: Double-click on the VIDEO_TS folder to open it. Then you will see a slew of BUP, IFO, and VOB files. Copy all of the files with the extension .VOB to your Mac. The DVD movies are not copied to your Mac. However, you can’t import the DVD VOB to iMovie as it doesn’t support the format. So next, you need to convert the DVD VOB to iMovie MP4 using Handbrake.

Step 3: Handbrake can in fact freely convert homemade DVDs to iMovie MP4. Free download and install Handbrake. Open it and click the source to load the VOB files on your Mac. (You can skip Steps 1 and 2 and directly import the homemade DVD to Handbrake.)

Step 4: Under the Summary tab, choose MP4 as the output format. Then click the Video tab and make sure the encoder is MPEG-4 or H.264.

Step 5: Click Save As to set a destination folder on your Mac to save the output MP4 file. Click the “Start” button and this free DVD to iMovie converter will go into action to convert DVD/VOB to iMovie.

Which is the Best Way to Rip DVDs to iMovie?

Both methods can help convert and import DVDs to iMovie. Which is better? Which should you use? Check out the main features of the two free DVD to iMovie rippers.

Features	MacX DVD Ripper Free	Handbrake
Import disc types	Homemade & commercial	Homemade only
Decryption ability	Yes (CSS, UOP, RCE, region code, Sony ARccOS, etc.)	No (CSS with libdvdcss installed)
Output formats	MP4, H264, iMovie, MPEG4, MOV, MP3, iTunes, Apple TV, more	MP4 and MKV
Backup ability	1:1 backup DVD to ISO 5 minutes copy DVD main title Copy full DVD title Copy DVD to MKV	Convert DVD to MKV
Acceleration tech	multi-core CPU, super encode engine and hyper-threading	AMD VCE, Nvidia NVENC (Windows), and Apple VideoToolbox (macOS)

Final Words

If, after DVD ripping or DVD editing with iMovie on Mac, you are in great demand to transfer DVD movies to iPhone iPad iOS for watching on the go, you can resort to the high-end MacX MediaTrans to accomplish this task. This is a professional DVD movie transfer tool to transfer DVD movies, videos, music, photos, iBooks, VoiceMemo, Ringtones and more from Mac to iPhone iPad iPod and vice versa with a faster speed than iTunes (Intel QSV support).

FAQ on DVD to iMovie

1. Can you convert a DVD to digital on iMovie?

No. iMovie can’t support DVDs or DVD formats. You can’t import a DVD into iMovie, let alone do further editing or conversion.

2. Can I make a DVD from iMovie?

No. iMovie doesn’t offer a DVD burning feature, so you can’t export an iMovie to DVD directly. To burn a DVD from iMovie on Mac, you need to rely on the program iDVD (discontinued) or a third-party DVD burning tool.

Have any problem on how to convert DVD to iMovie for free on Mac, just email us >>

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bella Brown

Bella has been working with DVD digitization for over 12 years. She writes articles about everything related to DVD, from disc drive, DVD copyright protection, physical structure, burning and backup tips. The unceasing passion of DVD movies helps her build a rich DVD library and ensure a practical solution to address almost all possible DVD issues. Bella is also a crazy fan for Apple products.

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Learn How to Convert Your DVDs Into a Cutting-Edge iMovie Edit for Zero Cost!