Recorded footage from a MiniDV tape is by far the most popular source of iMovie video, but it’s not the only one. iMovie is perfectly content to slurp in video from an iSight camera, from a DV camcorder with no tape in it, or from a high-definition, semi-professional camcorder. (That, after all, is where iMovie HD gets its name.)
iSight recording, for example, is destined to become an increasingly popular trick in this era of do-it-yourself video podcasts. As described earlier, iSight is Apple’s name for its high-quality videochat camera/microphone. At one time, it was available only in an external model, a compact silver tube ($150) with the dimensions of a Hostess Ho-Ho.
Nowadays, however, there may be a tiny iSight lens built right into your Mac—above the screen on iMacs and MacBook Pro laptops , for example. The iSight doesn’t take tapes, so you can’t prerecord something. But it’s an excellent tool for recording live events directly into iMovie: interviews, meetings, travel adventures with your laptop, video-blog entries, video podcasts, and so on.
Recording from the iSight camera is extremely simple. If you have an external iSight, connect its FireWire cable to the Mac, and make sure that the iSight’s shutter is open (turn the ring on the lens).
Now you’re ready to record. Set the Camera/Edit switch to Camera mode, and then click Record With iSight to start and stop “filming.” (If you also have a camcorder hooked up, see Figure 4-8.)
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