How to Edit Olympus E-PL3 AVCHD Files in iMovie

The Olympus E-PL3 is a brand new 12 megapixel compact system camera released in 2011. Like other cameras in the Olympus PEN range, it continues the PEN trend with retro charm and comprehensive feature set. The E-PL3 is available in three colors: silver, black, white or red. With the device, users can shoot 1080i video in AVCHD format and make improvement on the E-PL2’s continuous shooting at a top speed of 5.5 fps.

If you have a E-PL3 and often use it to shoot HD videos in your life, you may have the need to load and edit the AVCHD videos in iMovie. However, it’s not that an easy job. If you have tried, you may meet the problem like this person:
“I have recorded a lot of AVCHD videos on my E-PL3. I want to use them in iMovie on my MacBook. But after the importing, all clips appear blank both in the event library and timeline. Could you please advise how can I convert and a workflow for these files?”

Optimal Editing Format for iMovie

For iMovie ‘08, it’s recommended to import videos in standard-Apple MP4 or MOV; as it for iMovie ‘09 and iMovie ‘11, then a slightly wider range of input video types are supported, such as MP4, MOV, DV and AIC. So, in order to import Olympus E-PL3 AVCHD to iMovie for editing with best result, you can try convert the videos into one of the formats above.

Convert Olympus E-PL3 AVCHD to iMovie Format on Mac

Jihosoft Mac Video Converter allows users to convert 1080p and 720p AVCHD files to suit a list of video editing applications like iMovie, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, Sony Vegas, etc with optimized preset. You can finish the conversion in simply three steps:
1. Import source AVCHD videos
2. Select “Apple InterMediate Codec (AIC)” for iMovie as the output profile
3. Click “Start” to begin the conversion process

After the conversion is done, click “Open” button to preview the generated AIC MOV files. Then run iMovie, click File -> Import -> Movies… to import Olympus E-PL3 AVCHD to iMovie.