Where is everything?

[Spangled]

A friend airdropped some long mp3s to my ipad. The only app I had at the time that would play them was iMovie, so I checked them with that. However, I now want to extract the audio files and transfer them to a pc, so I can publish them to a website. Where are they and how do I do this? It cannot be done within iMovie (for ipad), seemingly...

The files show up fine as clips within an iMovie "project", but there seems to be no way of extracting them, even into iTunes.

 

[ardchoille]

A friend airdropped some long mp3s to my ipad. The only app I had at the time that would play them was iMovie, so I checked them with that. However, I now want to extract the audio files and transfer them to a pc, so I can publish them to a website. Where are they and how do I do this? It cannot be done within iMovie (for ipad), seemingly...

The files show up fine as clips within an iMovie "project", but there seems to be no way of extracting them, even into iTunes.

Do you have the requisite permission to publish the files to a website? This may be something worth considering.

 

[Spangled]

Yes - they are lecture recordings and I have permission to publish them.

I don't need to do anything with them on the iPad, I just need to extract them from wherever they are hidden.

 

[ardchoille]

Yes - they are lecture recordings and I have permission to publish them.

I don't need to do anything with them on the iPad, I just need to extract them from wherever they are hidden.

Can you transfer them from iMovie to another storage facility such as Dropbox and then download them to a desktop machine? Or perhaps email them to yourself and open the email on a desktop machine?

I've never use iMovie and am just thinking out loud here.

 

[Spangled]

I tried this with one file - 150Mb - I had to download it to a Mac first, because the PC doesn't understand the iMovie file. I now need to download the latest iMovie, then look again.

 

[Spangled]

OK, uploaded to Dropbox ok, but once downloaded to the Mac, the latest version of iMovie won't import it.

This is all down to the apps. I don't want to be a slave to the apps - I want the file itself.

 

[Spangled]

OK, lets start again. Is there an app I can install on the iPad that can locate the original audio files that my friend airdropped to me. Or are they doomed to live in iMovie for ever?

 

[giradman]

OK, lets start again. Is there an app I can install on the iPad that can locate the original audio files that my friend airdropped to me. Or are they doomed to live in iMovie for ever?

Well, as already stated Apple's iOS is app-centric and does not offer the features of Windows Explorer (which I used up to early 2013 when wife & I switch to an iMac &MBPro) or OS X's Finder.

Now, on my Mac computers, I have an app called iExplorer - Mac & PC versions are available and the app has a price although a 'free trial' might be available (check the link) - w/ the program running on my laptop and my iPad Air 2 cabled to the computer, the iPad's contents are displayed in a hierarchical file arrangement (see the screen captures below) - a file(s) can be selected and multiple export options are available (2nd image) - NOW, will it accomplish your goal(s) w/ the MP3 lectures? Probably, but review their website and let us know your results. Dave
.

 

[Spangled]

That looks just the ticket - I will give it a go and report back - many thanks.

 

[Spangled]

OK - very interesting.

The iExplorer software works very well, for which many thanks.

However, despite having been incorporated as clips in iMovie, the original mp3 files, the ones I wanted and were AirDropped to me, aren't there.

At the time, the AirDrop only offered iMovie as an option, not iTunes, or anything more appropriate. I was away from any internet (in India). So the mp3s exist only as part of an iMovie project (for each one), which is absurd.

The clip cannot be extracted from iMovie on the iPad. I have tried transferring a whole iMovie project to iMovie on the Macbook Air, but it can't do it - "failed to import the iOS project file". It may be that a fully paid for iMovie app (as opposed to the one that came with the Mac) can extract the mp3s, but I'd rather not give Apple the money for something that should be doable natively.

So I am exporting an entire no-pictures movie (two hour's worth each) to the Macbook, for each mp3, which takes AN AGE, at which point it will allow me to make an m4a version (tried it with something shorter) and that'll be my way in.

Its all very well to talk about "app centric", but we are still dealing with files, and in the case of AirDrop, very much dealing with files. I wanted the files on my ipad until I got back to the UK and could do something with them. But it seems Apple won't let me do something this simple. Or am I missing something?

 

[ardchoille]

Or am I missing something?

Yes. I think you're still trying to implement desktop methods/ideas in iOS - this is the source of your frustration. Working on a PC requires a certain set of skills. Working on iOS and OS X requires two sets of skills - one for each platform. You can complain for eternity but that won't change the fact that iOS handles things a bit differently. Rather than allowing this to frustrate you, try to focus that energy on approaching this problem as if you've never used a PC.

"True wisdom lies in knowing that we know nothing". - Socrates

The person who AirDropped these files to you, can that person archive them in a .zip file or something and email them to you? Or perhaps upload them to an online storage facility where you can download them? Can you give this person a USB stick to which they can transfer the files?

 

[Spangled]

I understand this, but sometimes, particularly when transferring between machines, you just want the file.

 

[ardchoille]

I understand this, but sometimes, particularly when transferring between machines, you just want the file.

I understand, believe me, and I'm trying to come up with ideas to help resolve this for you. I was in the same situation when I moved to iOS. I have a shoebox full is USB sticks and, if I were there, I'd give you one to keep. I know it's frustrating, but there is a solution.. we just need to find it.

I added some ideas to my previous post, perhaps they can help.

 

[Spangled]

Yes, I am getting them from Germany via DropBox, finally.

The stick option wasn't there, because my friend had recorded on an iPhone and I just had the iPad. And we were in the jungle. My recorder used a microSD, which would have been useful if an iPhone had facility for one. Which it doesn't.

 

[ardchoille]

Yes, I am getting them from Germany via DropBox, finally.

The stick option wasn't there, because my friend had recorded on an iPhone and I just had the iPad. And we were in the jungle. My recorder used a microSD, which would have been useful if an iPhone had facility for one. Which it doesn't.

You might want to investigate purchasing an NAS device as a secondary backup. And, there exist third-party devices for iPhone/iPad that can aid in the transfer of files to and from SD cards and USB sticks.