As the quality of our lives keep getting better and better, recording memorable moments with a camcorder has become a habit for a lot of families. After recording the big events or interesting moments in our lives, many people would like to transfer the recorded footage to computer and use a video editor program like iMovie to edit the video clips, so that the videos could be more interesting and more memorable. Although iMovie claims to have a native support for AVCHD, not all AVCHD video files can be directly imported into iMovie for editing, which means you would probably fail when you try to edit the AVCHD MTS or M2TS videos with iMovie. In that case, you need to convert the MTS or M2TS videos from their original format to an iMovie compatible format before importing them to iMovie. If you don't know how to do that, then I'm sure today's recommendations on the best AVCHD to iMovie converter programs would do you a favor.

Part 1: Something About AVCHD and iMovie

What is AVCHD?

AVCHD, the abbreviation of Advanced Video Coding High Definition, is a file-based format for the digital recording and playback of HD or 4K ultra video. At present it is widely used in high definition consumer camcorders or cameras, for example, Panasonic Lumix DMC, Panasonic HDC series, Canon XA20, Pana TZ7, Sony Alpha DSLR(SLT) Cameras, Sony HDR-PJ790 and etc.

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What is iMovie?

iMovie, originally released in 1999 as a Mac OS 8 App, is a proprietary video editing software application sold by Apple Inc. for the Mac and iOS (iPhone, iPad, and iPod). It claims to support AVCHD the same as iMovie 11 and has ability to import and edit native AVCHD in 1080i 50/60, 720p 24/25/30, 1080p 24/25/30, but iMovie does not support AVCHD 1080p 50/60 or 720p 60. In other words, you will probably fail to import AVCHD to iMovie 10/11/09/08/HD if the AVCHD footage recorded at 1080/60p, 1080/50p or 720/60p no matter from what kind of cameras or camcorders. So in order to import these AVCHD MTS or M2TS videos to iMovie for editing, you need to convert the AVCHD videos to iMovie compatible formats in advance.

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Part 2: Convert AVCHD to iMovie for Importing AVCHD into iMovie with Leawo Video Converter

Like mentioned above, some AVCHD MTS or M2TS videos are not acceptable in iMovie. In order to import these AVCHD videos into iMovie for editing, you need to convert them to an iMovie compatible format first. To do that, you need to have a video converter program which accepts the MTS or M2TS video as input. Although there are not many video converting programs out there that can get the job done, you can always find a good converter tool like Leawo Video Converter to finish the converting task perfectly.

Leawo Video Converter is an all-inclusive video converter program with a variety of powerful video processing abilities. With a leading video converting technology, Leawo Video Converter can convert video or audio files between more than 180 formats and still have the best quality retained in the final converted result. When it comes to the converting speed, Leawo Video Converter can also be astonishing. By comparison to the industrial average level, Leawo Video Converter can have a 6 times higher speed when converting a same video file, saving a lot of times for you in each converting task. Also, Leaow Video Converter has a built-in video editor module, allowing you to not only trim, crop your video, but also remove background noise, adjust video parameters, add watermark and turn 2D video to 3D.

At the same time, with all of these functions integrated, Leawo Video Converter is still easy to use because of the great user interface design. To convert a AVCHD MTS or M2TS video to an iMovie compatible format, just take a look at the following guide and do as it says.

Step 1: Download, Install and Launch Leawo Video Converter. When you enter the program, first navigate to the "Video Converter" function module by clicking the "Video Converter" entrance, and then click the "Add Video" button to import your source AVCHD MTS or M2TS video file. You can also import the file by directly dragging and dropping the file into the program interface.

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Step 2: You can use the default "MP4 Video" as the output format, or you can also change it to whatever format you like. To change the format, simply click the "MP4 Video" area, and then choose "Change" to go to the format selection window, where you can choose your desired output format.

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Step 3: Before starting the conversion, you can click the "Edit" button to edit your video first. Like mentioned above, Leawo Video Converter provides various video editing options for you to customize your video. All of the editing options are well listed in the left bar in the video editing window. When you are done editing, just click "OK" to go back to the main window.

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Step 4: When you think there's no more editing needed, you can click the green "Convert" button on the main window, set an output directory and start converting your video from AVCHD MTS or M2TS to the iMovie compatible format.

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Part 3: Convert AVCHD to iMovie for Importing AVCHD into iMovie with EncodeHD

Besides Leawo Video Converter, EncodeHD is also a good video processing tool that can help you convert the AVCHD MTS or M2TS to iMovie compatible formats. As one of the most recommendable video re-encoding tools. EncodeHD is used and trusted by a lot of media professionals to do advanced video converting tasks like converting YouTube to AVI HD and so many other kinds of media converting and re-encoding tasks. Besides that, the video encoding tool is also small in size, and at the same time, has a very powerful video converting function and a simple, straightforward user interface. If you want to try using EncodeHD for the AVCHD MTS or M2TS to iMovie converting task, then check out the simple guide given in the following.

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Step 1: Download EncoderHD, and install it on your computer.
Step 2: Launch EncodeHD. To import your source AVCHD video file, just drag the file and then drop it on the program interface.
Step 3: Choose an output device preset or an iMovie compatible format by clicking the "Device Profile" dropdown button at the top. You can drag the quality slider on the right to adjust the output video quality.
Step 4: Finally, when you have done all of the basic settings right, click the "Start" button to start the video re-encoding process.

Part 4: Convert AVCHD to iMovie for Importing AVCHD into iMovie with iWisoft Free Video Converter

Like the name suggests, iWisoft Free Video Converter is another video converter program that you can try to convert your AVCHD video to iMovie videos for free. Besides the AVCHD videos and iMovie videos, iWisoft Free Video Converter also allows you to convert videos between most of other mainstream formats without spending a fortune. In addition, the program also provides output device presets to let your output videos perfectly fit your device without having to set the detailed parameters manually. The built-in video editor module allows you to do some basic adjustments like cropping, trimming, merging videos, adding watermark and changing brightness. Although these functions are not as useful as the ones provided by Leawo Video Converter, they could also become handy when you need them. Here is a simple guide on how to convert AVCHD MTS or M2TS videos to iMovie with iWisoft Free Video Converter.

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Step 1: Download, install and launch iWisoft Free Video Converter.
Step 2: At the main interface, click the "Add" button at the upper left corner to import your source AVCHD video.
Step 3: At the bottom, there is a "Profile" parameter. Choose a device preset for the output video or directly set it to the format you would like to convert the video to.
Step 4: Set an output path in the "Output" box, and then click the big "Start" button to start converting the AVCHD video.

Part 5: Convert AVCHD to iMovie for Importing AVCHD into iMovie with MediaCoder

If you want a professional media converter program for the AVCHD to iMovie converting task, then MediaCoder might be a good choice for you. MediaCoder a lot of advanced video and audio encoding options., allowing you to do more precise adjustments in the video performance, therefore the program is loved by so many media professionals and video creating practitioners. But at the same time, the rich functionality also makes it a little harder for beginners to get started with the program. However, As long as you are willing to take some time to get used to the user interface, converting your AVCHD videos to iMovie shouldn't be a tough job to do. If you find the program a little hard to understand, here is a brief guide that may be of help.

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Step 1: Download, install and launch MediaCoder.
Step 2: Click the "ADD" button in the toolbar to import your source AVCHD video file.
Step 3: After the file is imported, you can go to the lower left section in the program interface to change various output settings. For the output video format, open the "Video" tab in the section and find the format parameter to do the changes.
Step 4: Once the output settings are all done, set an output folder with the "Output folder" box at the upper right corner, and then click the "START" button in the toolbar to star converting the AVCHD video to iMovie compatible formats.