Where are iMovie projects stored?

[DaveWT]

OK, disclaimer. I may try and use iMovie about once a year, if that. I currently have version 10.1.10 with Mojave.

It seems projects used to be saved in my user folder > Movies > iMovie Projects. If I go there now, I find some but not all of the projects that actually exist in iMovie.

In iMovie there is a sidebar with a heading iMovie Library 2 (a former iMac had 2 drives so there was a Library 1 on the SSD and Library 2 was on the spinning drive) These are now consolidated on the new iMac

In iMovie if I click on the "Products" button:



it takes me to the page showing all my existing iMovie projects...

This is a partial view.

This page shows all the projects I would expect to find, with the most recent shown here. Note that this project does not show in the sidebar previously mentioned under "iMovie Library 2" nor does it appear in my user folder > Movies > iMovie Projects.

So just where does it hide on the Mac?

Also under the heading "iMovie Library 2" there is an entry called "Finalized Movies". I couldn't see how to "Finalize" a movie so I went to the web and an article suggested you don't need to do that any more. What is that all about?

Dave

 

[chas_m]

The answer was surprisingly hard to track down! I knew generally where they were, but here’s the full answer:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7523069

 

[DaveWT]

Thanks Chas,

Wow, that is obscure. I couldn't get there starting with Spotlight as suggested but if I go to my user folder > Movies and right click on my iMovie Library 2, I do see the option to "show package contents". Opening that, gives a folder that would appear to have all my "projects" although the concept of "projects" doesn't seem to exist here anymore.

For example if I click on the "Clearing Track" folder (that was indicated in my original post) it opens and shows another "Clearing Track" folder within it, an item called "CurrentVersion.imovieevent, a folder called "Original Media" (which does seem to contain all my original separate clips), a folder called "Render Files" and a folder called "Shared Items". Turning my attention to that first folder ("Clearing Track") it contains a file called "Backup.imovieevent" and another file called "CurrentVersion.imovieevent"

In other words, no where in these package contents is anything referred to as a "project" even though that is still used in the iMovie app itself.

As you are fond of saying: "Apple likes to rearrange the furniture"

I have made sure I have bookmarked that article you indicated. I would never remember this in the future.

 

[chas_m]

Essentially, Apple has reverted to a database-like format within a package rather than out in the open — presumably to stop people from messing about with the files and ruining their projects. Consequently, although I know you don’t need to be told this, be extremely careful about moving or changing anything inside the package whilst you are looking around.