Use your computer's free, pre-installed software to transfer DV clips to your hard drive.
Digital video (DV) cameras make capturing family events, social gatherings or action-packed activities a simple task, with many affordable camcorders simplifying the act of recording live video to the touch of a button. Once you have a cherished video safely stored onto a mini-DV tape, you must transfer it to your computer to make edits or add creative flourishes like titles, scene transitions or musical soundtracks. Mac computers have included the iMovie software since 1999, and Windows PCs have featured the Windows Movie Maker since 2000. Both pre-installed programs can transfer DV clips from the camcorder to the computer.
Instructions
Transferring Digital Video on a Mac Computer
1. Double-click the iMovie icon, found on your computer's dock or in the Applications folder, to open the program.
2. Plug your DV camcorder into your Mac computer using the cable that was included with your camera, inserting the mini-DV plug into your camera and the USB or Firewire end into your computer.
3. Switch on your camcorder and make sure it is in playback mode, which allows you to see the videos contained on the DV tape either through the viewfinder or an LCD screen.
4. Click the "Camera Import" button in the iMovie application to access your DV camcorder. Click the "Fast Forward" and "Rewind" buttons in iMovie to scan through the video on the mini-DV tape until you find the beginning of the portion of the tape you would like to transfer to your computer, then click the "Stop" button in iMovie.
5. Click the "Import" button in iMovie to begin transferring the digital video, then click "Stop" in iMovie when you have reached the end of the portion of the tape you would like to capture.
6. Click "Save," then drag the "Save to" menu in the pop-up window that appears to select where you'd like to the video saved to your hard drive. Click "Create New Event, then enter a name for your video, then click on "Import Video As" to choose the size you'd like your exported video to be. Click "Import" to convert the digital video to a .mov file and save it to your computer's hard drive.
Transferring Digital Video on a PC Computer
7. Click the "Start" menu, click "Programs," and search for the "Windows Live Movie Maker" to open the program.
8. Connect your DV (digital video) camcorder to your PC using the cable that was included with your camera, inserting the small DV plug into your camcorder and the USB plug into your computer.
9. Switch on your DV camcorder and make sure it is set to playback mode, which allows you to play the mini-DV tape inside the camcorder, and watch the video either through the viewfinder or an LCD screen.
10. Click the "Movie Maker" button in the application window, then choose "Import From Device." Choose your camcorder in the "Import Photos and Videos" pop-up window that appears, then click the "Import" button.
11. Choose "More Options" on the "Import Video" window, then choose the format you'd like for your exported video and choose the location on your computer where you'd like the clip saved. Name your video, then select "Choose parts of the video to import." Click the "Fast Forward" and "Rewind" buttons in the Windows Live Movie Maker program window to search through the video on your mini-DV tape until you find the beginning the clip you'd like to transfer, then click "Stop" in the program window.
12. Click "Import" in the program window to begin the importation process, then click "Stop" in the program window when you have reached the end of the clip. Click "Finish" to have the DV clip saved to your computer's hard drive as an .avi file.
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