Can't play my videos

[Eo-meo-ni]

It appears that I have imported my videos (avi, MOV etc.). I see the images in the filmstrip. There's data in the histogram. The images are in the "grid" view. When I double click, the whole image section goes grey with the standard video format there. I can click on a sideways triangle, but there's nothing there! Can anybody help me? I DO have Quick Time on my Mac but my Catalog is on an external hard drive. Maybe that's the issue, but if it is, I still don't know what to do! Thanks!

 

[Victoria Bampton]

Hi Eo-meo-ni, welcome to the forum! So has it ever worked on this computer? Which cameras are these videos from?

 

[Eo-meo-ni]

Hi Eo-meo-ni, welcome to the forum! So has it ever worked on this computer? Which cameras are these videos from?

Hi Victoria! Thanks for your reply. I can't say for sure that the videos have ever played on this computer. And I'd say that most of the videos are from my old Canon SD870 IS. It is now retired but served me so well for so many years before I dropped it. :-(

 

[Victoria Bampton]

You're welcome to send me one of the files and I'll try it here. That'll take your computer out of the equation. Easiest option is to use www.wetransfer.com to send to [email protected]

 

[Eo-meo-ni]

You're welcome to send me one of the files and I'll try it here. That'll take your computer out of the equation. Easiest option is to use www.wetransfer.com to send to [email protected]

Um. You may not believe this but I'm not quite sure how to go about this. Do I go to my file of pictures on my external hard drive, click on one of the videos and then...??? Am i right so far? But then what? Sorry! :-(

 

[Eo-meo-ni]

Hi Victoria! Thanks for your reply. I can't say for sure that the videos have ever played on this computer. And I'd say that most of the videos are from my old Canon SD870 IS. It is now retired but served me so well for so many years before I dropped it.

I've had two more thoughts. The videos do play on my Mac, before I try to transfer them to Lightroom. The other thing is that I have gotten the message that some part of the process is "Unable to prepare video for export" from iPhoto Library to my Desktop, from whence to Lightroom. I don't know what this means but you might.

 

[Victoria Bampton]

Hang on, so the videos are in iPhoto? And they play correctly there? And then how do they get into Lightroom?

 

[Eo-meo-ni]

Hang on, so the videos are in iPhoto? And they play correctly there? And then how do they get into Lightroom?

I move the videos from iPhoto to a folder on my desktop. That's how I move plain old photos into Lightroom. Apparently I have to go from iPhoto to a folder on my desktop. From the desktop I can import them into Lightroom. I think I can't import directly from iPhoto. And yes. The videos play correctly in iPhoto as well as in the folder to which I've exported them on my desktop. It's from desktop to Lightroom that something may or may not be happening.

 

[Victoria Bampton]

If you'd like to send me one of the problem files, I'd be happy to try it here, to confirm whether it's a problem with Lightroom, or possibly an incompatibility with 10.9. I'd suggest using www.wetransfer.com to send a sample video to [email protected] is probably the easiest option.