AVCHD To HitFilm 4 Express
The single AVCHD file is the container the camera uses to store the .mts files, because the format has a file size limit that forces it to break up longer recordings into multiple pieces. You have to open the AVCHD file and extract the .mts files, and you will be able to import them [into HitFilm Express].
FXHome’s tech support
NOTE: I did have to purchase the HitFilm Express Add-on: “Formats: Starter Pack” in order to import the .mts files. It was $10, and totally worth it!
FXHome’s reply was hugely important, because I did NOT know that all the little .mts files are inside the AVCHD file. I just kept trying to import the ACVHD file into HitFilm Express – unsuccessfully!
How to open the AVCHD file and extract the .mts files help came from Vector15.com’s article Organizing and Viewing AVCHD and MTS Videos on Mac OSX (scroll down to the accordion section and click “Extracting MTS files is tedious”)
Manually extracting MTS files is a 10 step process for each AVCHD file.
- Import an AVCHD package
- Open finder
- Find the AVCHD package in Finder
- Right-click the AVCHD package
- Choose ‘show package contents’
- Find the BDMV package in Finder
- Right click the BDMV package
- Choose ‘show package contents’
- Find the STREAM folder in Finder
- Select all of the MTS files
- Copy the MTS files to a new location
