How can I get my videos from a digital camera to OSX and iPhone?

Question

I have Sony NEX 3N. I can find AVCHD file when camera plugged to the computer

that fires QuickTime

where I can export videos to different social services such as YouTube but I cannot find the video files itself. I want videos to directories such as Dropbox directories. Then I want to organise the videos by timestamps.

I have used Aperture for pictures and Final Cut Pro for editing videos. Now I want to get the videos as files without middlemen like QuickTime or Final Cut Pro. I need the videos from Sony NEX 3N to my iPhone where I have video collage creation applications and more videos. So my plan is to have the video files as raw in Dropbox and somehow get them to iPhone or is there any easier method?

How can I get videos from the camera to OSX? What about to iPhone? How can I manage this process?

Answer 1

This is the solution I am using for fast small improvisation

I create a new Aperture production library for each new project. I don't want to mess up the originals. I import all necessary videos and pictures to the new production Aperture library and then syncronise that production library through iTunes: clean and simple! Sometimes the syncronisation has some problems but then you just need to close your Aperture and close your iTunes. The syncronisation does not look to work most reliably that is a bit painful. To circumvent the syncronisation problem: the Time Capsule may be a solution -- as suggested here.

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Analysis

Community wiki answer where I am documenting solutions. Bruno here provided the solution fastest for finding the files in Quora but I am not able to get them into iTunes. I don't know yet how to syncronize things over OSX and iPhone now easiest, testing.

0. Create iMovie projects in OS X and iOS that you synchronise -question

I. Finding video files (found in MTS format)

Go to the AVCHD file (that is actually a folder)

1. click "Show Package Content"

2. click "Show Package Content" again with something called B

3. now the videos are *MTS files. Enjoy!

II. How to get MTS files to iPhone?

MTS files do not work directly in iPhone. So you cannot transfer them just like that from the STREAM/*.MTS to DropBox and open in iPhone.

III. How can I get the videos from the camera to iTunes and sync to iPhone? Drag and dropping does not work from the video view to iTunes.

IV. How to get the videos easiest to iPhone from the Sony camera?

I don't know the answer yet.

V. How to get the videos easiest to OSX from the Sony camera and iPhone?

I don't know the answer yet.

Answer 2

As you've noticed QuickTime supports (as of quite recently) the AVCHD container format and the MTS or M2TS files therein. Because of this, you can use iMovie to import them into an iMovie library. This importing process will remux the videos (i.e. change container format) to MOV which are obviously much better supported, not only as individual videos, but for a wider range of Apple software/devices.

I've not tried just using those MOV files on an iOS device, but would assume at the least iMovie for iOS can use them.

So far I'm not aware of any super easy way to move iMovie video events from OS X over to an iOS device (you can AirDrop from iOS to Mac but not the other way around!), but you could certainly grab the MOV files out of the iMovie library and copy those over.

This removes the problem of having unwatchable MTS files or an annoying AVHCD container, but the issue of painlessly synchronising to iOS remains unsolved.

I guess a possible solution would be:

• make a new iMovie library in Dropbox
• create just one single event that you use for all importing
• set up the "Original Media" directory as some kind of bookmark in the Dropbox app (can you do this?)
• after importing on OS X, use Dropbox to view the Dropbox/iMovie Library/EventName/Original Media folder to see the .MOV files.