How to get iMovie 09/11 recognize Canon Vixia HF S21

We all know that the recording format of Canon Vixia HF S21 is the AVCHD which delivers stunning picture quality. Vixia camcorders recorded video format is AVCHD MTS, and this format is also used in Canon XA10 and other popular high-end camcorders. However, if you want to edit Canon HF S21 MTS files in iMovie 09/11, you will meet siome problems. MTS format is not easy to use as it's not well supported by many editing software, especially on Mac. Currently neither iMovie 9 nor FCE 4 supports the original MTS footages from Canon Vixia HF S21, that's why you cannot import Canon AVCHD MTS files to FCE/iMovie.



The common practice for MTS workflow with FCE/iMovie is, get a Mac AVCHD to iMovie/FCE Converter and transcode Vixia HF S21 MTS footage to AIC (Apple Intermediate Codec), the well-acknowledged optimal editing format for iMovie 9/11 and FCE 4. By converting .MTS files to Apple Intermediate Codec(AIC)(*.mov) you save both time and trouble, as AIC video will be processed by FCE4 and iMovie naturally without rendering, and all you need is drag and drop the result video for prompt editing.


Here we recommend you Brorsoft MTS/M2TS Converter for Mac - a top Canon Vixia video converter for Mac which can transfer Canon HF S21 AVCHD recordings to AIC mov for iMovie 09/11 or FCE 4 smoothly editing. Below a step-by-step guide to transcode and ingest Canon Vixia HF S21 mts files into iMovie.

Converting Canon Vixia MTS to iMovie Apple Intermediate Codec

Step 1: Download, install and run the mac Canon Vixia MTS Converter for iMovie, and then click the "Add" button to load the .mts videos. You can also use the drag-and-drop method to load the 1080p .mts files to the application UI.



Step 2: Click format column to choose the output format for iMovie. Click and choose "iMovie and Final Cut Express -> Apple InterMediate Codec (AIC) (*.mov)", it’s the best output format for iMovie 09/11.



Tip: Before conversion, you can click the "Settings" icon to customize the video/audio settings for iMovie: 1920*1080 vide size; 30fps frame rate(for original 60fps videos) or 25fps frame rate(for original 50fps videos).



Step 3: Click convert button to start converting Canon HF S21 MTS footage to AIC MOV.

After the Canon Vixia HF S21 MTS to AIC converter finished transcoding, you can run the iMovie 9 or FCE 4 to import the converted files and edit Canon Vixia HF S21 MTS in iMovie 9/11 and FCE 4 without any rendering or compatibility issue.



Additional Tips:
If you want to edit Canon Vixia AVCHD .mts files in Final Cut Pro X or FCP 7/6, you just need to choose the "Final Cut Pro > Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)" as output format in the second step; For Avid Media Composer, choose "Avid Media Composer > Avid DNxHD(*.mov)" as output; For Adobe Premiere Pro or Vegas Pro, choose Adobe Premiere/Sony Vegas> MPEG-2(*.mpg) as output.