iPhoto will recognize many devices that shoot AVCHD video and import from them directly, similarly to importing a photo. Some devices don't appear in the regular import view of iPhoto. You can still use AVCHD video from these cameras by dragging and dropping or menu-driven imports. Importing the AVCHD video by dragging and dropping, or menu, can get different results depending on how it's done. Specifically:
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- If you want just the AVCHD files, you have to know which folder to import. 
	
- You have to import all of the AVCHD files at once. 
	
- Do NOT drag and drop the individual AVCHD streams or their containing folder. 

Note: Some cameras need to take a photo or capture a non-AVCHD movie before the memory card will contain the DCIM folder and be recognized by iPhoto.
General notes on drag and drop and file path
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- To get every file on the card (all video format files and all still images), you can drag and drop the whole disk image icon. 
	
- To get only the AVCHD files, you can import PRIVATE, AVCHD, or BDMV. 


Possible drag and drop issues:
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- If you drag and drop the DCIM folder (probably the most familiar to users), you exclude all AVCHD files from the import. 
	
- Certain folders fail completely. 

From the example above, there are four potential ways to import that fail with a warning dialog:
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- Importing individual MTS files will result in a warning similar to this one:

	

	

	 - Importing the AVCHDTN, PANA_EXT, or STREAM folders will result in a warning similar to this:

	

	



	
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Examples of the variance in folder structures:
Individual camera brands and models store the AVCHD video differently.
