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iMovie app is Apple’s official video editing software designed to help users edit videos on their Macbook and iPhone instantly.
If you are looking for a simple yet feature-rich solution for editing videos on macOS, iMovie is the right one.
What is the iMovie app?
iMovie is what professionals like to call their non-linear editor.
This is a type of software that you can use to cut and edit videos, music, and graphics without changing any of the original files.
They are powerful tools for filmmakers and are used to edit almost all Hollywood movies today.
Professional-grade editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut cost a fortune and because iMovie is free, it’s a great place for beginners to start.
It has an easy-to-use interface and various editing tools that will help you unleash your creativity and create different movies in no time.
You can use iMovie to edit short films, movie trailers, or even a quick compilation of all the special moments with your friends and family.
Read this guide to understand how to make a movie on iMovie without any effort.
Apple iMovie app: Should I buy it?
The best thing regarding iMovie is that it’s free, although the price is reflected in its limitations. At the same time, its simplicity isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
When it comes to splicing, trimming, arranging shots, and soundtracks, they perform as you’d expect and are easy to master – making them ideal for beginners.
The biggest drawback of iMovie is the lack of important updates for Mac. And there seems to be no sign that this will change any time soon, which means that iMovie risks being out of date.
Of course, there’s always a chance that Apple will look to focus its efforts on iMovie on the future of its iOS apps.
That’s not impossible given the contrast between the latest macOS and iOS updates, not to mention the increasingly advanced cameras on the iPhone.
But whether that is the case, we will have to wait and see.
Read also: Photo editing software“
System requirements: Mac: Apple iMovie 10.2.1
- Apple Mac computer
- Processor Intel® 64bit or better
- macOS v10.15.6 (Catalina) or later
- Hard disk space 2.2 GB
- 4 GB of RAM (but the more RAM the better)
System requirements: iPhone / iPad: Apple iMovie 2.3.1
- iOS 14.0 or later
- 4K 60fps requires iPod Touch (7th generation), or iPhone SE (2nd generation),
iPhone 7 or later, iPad (6th generation) or later, iPad mini (5th generation), iPad Air 3 or later, or iPad Pro 10.5-inch or later - HDR video editing and sharing requires an iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, or
Newer, iPad mini (5th generation), iPad (7th generation) or later, iPad Air 3 or later, or iPad Pro 10.5-inch or later
Read also: Camtasia software“
iMovie App Features
Let us quickly introduce you to some of the iMovie app features that make it one of the best video editing tools for macOS and iPhone.
- User-friendly interface and easy navigation.
- Built-in templates to add items such as credits, logos, and cast names.
- Add special effects and transitions to make movies visually appealing.
- Install videos to fix choppy shots.
Read also: Video Editing Software“
How to make a movie in iMovie?
As it has an intuitive interface, iMovie is the perfect choice for beginners who want to improve their video editor skills.
It contains all the tools needed to perform basic editing operations such as cutting, splitting, cropping, merging, etc.,
on different video clips and stitch them together to create a full-length movie.
Even if you have never worked on any editing software in the past, you will be able to use the iMovie app without any hassles.
How to make a movie with iMovie
So, here is the step-by-step process on how to make a movie with iMovie app on Mac.
- Step 1 – Go to Apps and launch iMovie. On the main screen, tap Create New and select Movie to set up a new project.
- Step 2 – You will see a full editing panel on your screen with a custom timeline, preview window and toolbar.
Hit the Import button or hit Command + I to add media files to your project. - Step 3 – Once the videos have been successfully imported, you can start the editing process. To do that,
First, drag and drop the desired clips into your timeline. - Step 4 – If you want to cut a video clip, place your cursor on the start or end and then drag the editing tool to remove the unwanted part.
- Then Step 5 – To add titles to your movie, select the Title tab and choose any of the included templates.
Once you find the right template, drag it onto the timeline and customize it to add a new title. - Step 6 – After the editing process is finished, click on the “Export” button in the top-right corner to save the file to your computer.
You can also share the movie directly on your social media handles.
Read also: Filmora“
How to make a video in iMovie
Creating videos in iMovie is not difficult. If you are a beginner,
You may need a short video editing tutorial before you start making your videos like a pro.
Any type of media can be mixed into one video. This means that even if you don’t have any filmed clips in your library,
You can create videos from photos or combine amazing photos with audio to create a video with photos and music.
You can also create screenshots if you record your screen on your Mac.
And then you can make a video tutorial from it. The options are endless,
Any shots you need to make to fit your project vision are eligible.
How to start a new video project in iMovie on iPhone?
To start creating your video, follow these steps:
- Open the iMovie app on your iPhone
- Click on the plus icon
- Choose movie option
- Select the media you want to include in your video (You can scroll through all your iMovie clips
or media you created with your Photos app) - Click Create Movie
You should now be on the iMovie editor page.
Pro tip: Tap and hold an image or video to preview it in full screen before selecting it for your project.
Keep in mind that you can also create videos from pre-made templates.
To do this, you can select the Trailer option on the New Project screen.
You can still add your own photos, videos, and music in the trailer templates and edit your project separately.
How to edit videos in iMovie on iPhone?
iMovie project timeline
Once you are in the timeline of your project, there are many ways you can polish your video to get the result you want.
The video editing features available in iMovie on your iPhone are:
- Adding voice overs
- Change appearances
- Cut clips
- Add filters
- slow down or speed up clips
- split clips
- add text
- adding music
- change transfers
Keep in mind that you can add more media files to your project at any time during the editing process.
Simply click the plus icon on the left side of your screen, and your library will appear.
add audio
iMovie Voice-Over
If you want to add sound to your project, the process works similarly to adding sound effects. Here are the steps to take:
- Tap the plus sign icon on the left side of the screen
- Select the Voice-Over option
- Click Register
- record your voice
- Click Stop when you have finished recording
- Choose the accept option if you are satisfied with your voiceover (you can review, cancel and re-record it)
- Click the purple recording layer below your clip to adjust the volume, speed, or duration
- Change appearances
You can set up a theme for your video project by clicking on the settings icon on the right side of your screen. - You can also choose to apply theme elements in your project, such as a theme soundtrack or fade in and out black effects.
- When you’re done, your chosen theme will appear as a green layer below your media in your project timeline.
From there, you can click on the green layer to cut, split, or delete it.
Read also: Adobe Spark“
truncating syllables
To cut your clips, you need to click on each clip individually. When the yellow shading appears,
Hold the edges of the clip on both sides and drag the edge to trim your video clip.
This way, you can shorten or lengthen a clip or delete parts of the video clips you’ve included in your project.
You can also change where your clips appear. To do this, tap and hold on the clip you want to move and then drag it to fit into the sequence you have in mind.
adding filters
If you want to give your video a unique look, one way you can do that in iMovie is by adding some filters.
When you go to the project settings, you can choose one of the many video filters to add to your project.
Keep in mind that the filter you choose will apply to the entire video, not individual clips.
You can choose different filter for different clips. To do that:
- Tap the clip you want to add a filter to
- Select the Add Filters icon at the bottom of the screen
- Choose a filter you want to add
- Click anywhere on your screen outside the filter options to finish
Shorten or lengthen your clip
If you try to shorten or lengthen your clip by cutting and pulling the yellow edges that don’t work,
There is a reason for that. iMovie does not allow backing clips shorter than 0.3 seconds or longer than 20 seconds. Keep this in mind when slowing down or speeding up your shots.
To slow down or speed up your clip:
- Click on the clip whose speed you want to adjust
- Select the clock icon
- Drag your finger along the scope handle
- Tap your phone screen anywhere outside the speed options to quit
- Dragging the yellow speed slider to the right — toward the rabbit icon — will speed up the clip.
If you drag it to the left – towards the turtle icon – you will decrease it.
split sections
You can split your clips into two clips or several individual clips so that you can edit each clip according to your vision.
If you want to split a section in your project, follow these steps:
- Put the playback head where you want to split your clip
- Click on the clip
- Select the scissors icon
- Press split
- add text
- With iMovie text feature
How to add text to your clips
If you want to add text to your clips,
iMovie has more than a few font styles for you. You have to move the playhead to the time in the clip you want to add text to and then click on the clip to do so.
When you choose the font style, you can choose whether you want the text to appear in the middle or the bottom of the clip.
You can also edit your text any time you want by clicking on it from your project timeline.
adding audio
Videos are a form of visual art, but if your clip doesn’t have sound, it won’t have the effect you’re aiming for.
In the iMovie app, you can choose to add three types of audio to your project:
- Soundtrack
- My Music – Any audio files you have on your iPhone, like songs and audios
- Sound effects
To add music to your iPhone video project in the iMovie app,
You need to click on the plus icon on the left side of your timeline and then click on Option
the sound. The three categories listed above will appear.
Transfers
Your project can get even better if you add the right scene transitions. Unfortunately, iMovie on iPhone doesn’t offer many transfer options, so you can only choose from these options:
- Trait
- Melt
- sliding
- wipe up
- Disappears
To add different transitions to your scenes, you must click the transition icon between individual clips in your timeline.
If you want to add a transition to an individual clip, you will have to split it up first.
Read also: Nero Video“
Export your video
When you’re satisfied with your project, you can click Done in the upper-right corner of the timeline screen.
You can then choose to name, edit or export your project.
Keep in mind that you can’t edit or undo the elements you’ve already included in your video by simply clicking Done. You can only add new items.
Now is the time to share your masterpiece with the world! To do this, you must export your final project.
Export simply compresses your project into a single video file,
And iMovie does a great job of doing all the hard work for you.
All you have to do is choose the platform you want to upload your video to (like YouTube or Facebook),
iMovie will export and publish it for you. You don’t have to worry regarding all the complicated settings that look like hieroglyphs.
- Step 1: Click on the Export button
- Step 2: Select the platform you want
- Step 3: Click Next and then Save.
Now that you know how to use the iMovie app, keep editing and you’ll be a pro in video editing in no time!
We hope this guide helped you understand how to make movies with iMovie app.
iMovie for Mac is a reliable video editing tool for anyone who wants to take advantage of their creative side.