Appendix B. Troubleshooting

Apple does amazing things with each new version of iMovie. It adds features new not just to iMovie, but to consumer video editing, period. And you know what happens with brand-spanking-new features, right? Right: glitches.

Here’s an impressive compendium of the problems you may run into—and the world’s best attempts at solving them.

The Golden Rule

If there’s any common wisdom at all about iMovie, here it is—the golden rule that will stave off a huge number of problems down the road:

  • Use the latest version. Each “.01” or “.1” iMovie upgrade zaps a whole host of bugs and glitches. The updates are free, so when your Mac App Store advises you that one is available, jump at the chance to install it.

General iMovie Troubleshooting

Let’s start general, shall we?

Keep Your Hard Disk Happy

Remember the old expression “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy”? Well, if your hard disk isn’t happy, iMovie won’t be happy, either.

Here’s a short list of maintenance suggestions. A little attention every week or so may help keep minor hard drive problems from becoming major ones:

  • After installing or updating any software, use Disk Utility to repair permissions. (Disk Utility is in your Applications→Utilities folder. Click the First Aid tab, select your hard drive, and then click Repair Permissions.)

  • Back up, back up, back up. Oh, and have a good backup. Use, for example, the Time Machine backup software built right into OS X. It can back up your entire hard drive onto another ...

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