iMovie Tips and Tricks

iMovie Videos:

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Plug-Ins:

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How to Install Additional Plug-Ins:

You can extend iMovie's features by installing plug-ins. Apple and third parties have created plug-ins for iMovie.

How to install additional plug-ins:

1. Quit iMovie, if it is open.
2. Click the Finder in the Dock.
3. Choose Go to Folder from the Go menu.
4. Type "~/Library" and click Go.
5. If you don't see a folder named "iMovie" choose New Folder from the File menu, and name it "iMovie".
6. Open the iMovie folder.
7. If you don't see a folder named "Plug-ins" choose New Folder from the File menu and name it "Plug-ins".

The resulting path should look something like this:

Macintosh HD/Users/Your User Name/Library/iMovie/Plug-ins/

8. Copy any additional iMovie 2 for Mac OS X plug-ins into the Plug-ins folder.
9. Open iMovie.

The iMovie Plug-in pack 2.1.1 for Mac OS X is available from the iMovie Web site (http://www.apple.com/imovie/).

Free iMovie Plugins:

Apple iMovie Plugin Pack:

2.1 - Download

This iMovie Plugin Pack 2.1 includes the following new effects, transitions, and titles

Jerry's Free iMovie Plugins:

1.3 - Download

Color Mangler (color controls) UPDATED FOR 1.3!
* Eric The Plugin (4:3 to and from 16:9) UPDATED FOR 1.3!
* Funky Monkey (solarization)
* Monkey Brewster (lithograph and posterization)
* Rhesus Pieces (pixelizing, anonymizer)
* Sleepy Time (dream mist)
* The Matrix (matrix convolutions)
* Ye Olde TV (scanlines, etc)

1.0 - Download

Auto Saturation (over, negative and automatic saturation)
* Blueprint (blueprints and other related color mistakes)
* Color Slide (move R,G,B around independantly of eachother)
* False Color (turns the image into a color-cycling image)
* HV Hold (adjust horiz,vert hold and position)

BKMS Free iMovie Plugins:

- Download

This pack contains a selection of transitions taken from the Melt Through, Melt Away, Pixelate, and Soft Wipes sets, download the free BKMS iMovie plug-in samples.

Slick Free iMovie Plugins:

- Download

Slick Sampler includes 9 fully functional plug-ins for iMovie
( works with iMovie 4, 3 and 2).

Keyboard Shortcuts:

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You can use your keyboard to quickly accomplish many tasks in iMovie. To learn the shortcuts for common commands, refer to the list below.

Getting information:

Open iMovie Help > Command-?
Show project properties > Command-J
Show date, time, and keywords for video frames > Command-Y

Importing and exporting:

Import from camera > Command-I
Export project to a folder > Command-E

Managing projects and events:

Create new project > Command-N
Move project to Trash > Command-Delete key
Play video beginning from frame beneath pointer +
Plays only the selection if pointer is resting within a selection border; plays through if pointer is resting outside of any selection border. > Space bar
Play selection > / (Forward slash)
Play selected event or project from beginning > \ (Backslash)
Play selected event or project full screen > Command-G
Page setup > Shift-Command-P
Print selected event or project filmstrips > Command-P

Selecting and editing video:

Select entire clip > Command-A
Deselect all clips > Shift-Command-A
Add selected frames to project > E
Cut selected frames > Command-X
Copy selected frames > Command-C
Paste selected frames > Command-V
Paste all adjustments > Shift-Command-V
Paste video adjustments > Option-Command-I
Paste audio adjustments > Option-Command-U
Paste crop > Option-Command-R
Mark selected frames as favorites > F
Unmarked selected frames > U
Reject selected frames (mark for deletion) > R
Reject selected frames (mark for deletion) in source video (events) +
Delete frames from project > Delete key
Trim selection > Command-B
Open trimmer > Command-R
Open Keywords window > K
Remove all keywords from selection > 0 (zero)
Open crop, rotate, Ken Burns effect editor > C
Open Video Adjustments window > V

Working with audio:

Open Music and Sound Effects pane > Command-1
Open Audio Adjustments window > A
Open Voiceover window > O
Turn on or silence audio while skimming video > Command-K
Undo last action > Command-Z
Redo last action > Shift-Command-Z

Editing text:

Show Fonts window > Command-T
Make selected text bold > Shift-Command-B
Make selected text italic > Shift-Command-I
Underline selected text > Shift-Command-U
Add outline to selected text > Shift-Command-O
Make selected text bigger > Command- + (Plus)
Make selected text smaller > Command- - (Minus)
Align text left > Command-{
Align text center > Command-| (Vertical slash)
Align text right > Command-}
Make text lines tighter > Option-Command-Left Arrow key
Make text lines looser > Option-Command-Right Arrow key
Copy selected text > Command-C
Paste text > Command-V
Copy text style > Option-Command-C
Paste text style > Option-Command-V

iMovie window:

Minimize window > Command-M
Open Photos pane > Command-2
Open Titles pane > Command-3
Open Transitions pane > Command-4
Make viewer small > Command-5
Make viewer medium > Command-6
Make viewer large > Command-7

Keyboard shortcuts and shortcut menus:

You can use the keyboard to perform many of the iMovie menu commands and tasks. To see a comprehensive list of keyboard shortcuts, open iMovie and choose Help > Keyboard Shortcuts.

Another way to access relevant commands is to use shortcut menus. These are context-sensitive menus that list most of the commands you might need for working with different items in the iMovie window.

To open a shortcut menu:

Press the Control key while you click an item in the iMovie window.
A shortcut menu opens, presenting a context-sensitive list of commands you can use on the item you are clicking.

Customize Keyboard Shortcuts for iMovie:

In addition to the built-in keyboard shortcuts that come as part of the default settings for iMovie, you can also create custom shortcuts for any of iMovie’s menu commands (the commands that are listed when you click on a menu, such as the File menu, Edit menu, and so on).

To create a keyboard shortcut for a menu command in iMovie that does not already have one:

Choose the Apple menu by clicking on the Apple symbol at the top left corner of your screen.
In the drop-down menu that appears, select System Preferences. A System Preferences window will appear. Click on Keyboard & Mouse.
The System Preferences window will become a Keyboard & Mouse window. Select the Keyboard Shortcuts tab. Click the + button.
A new window will appear in front of the Keyboard & Mouse window. Click the All Applications drop-down menu and scroll to select iMovie.
In the field next to Menu Title:, type in the exact name of the command for which you want to create a shortcut as it appears in its iMovie menu. If the command contains an ellipsis, type Option+; (semicolon). In the rare case where using Option+; doesn’t work, try typing three periods (without touching the option key).
Click in the Keyboard Shortcut field and press the combination of keys you want to use as your keyboard shortcut. Your keyboard shortcut may include one letter or number key; one of either the Command, Option, or Ctrl keys; and the Shift key.
Click Add.
Quit and then restart iMovie. The shortcut you created will appear next to the command in its menu.

If you try to create a keyboard shortcut that is already in use for another command in iMovie, the new shortcut you tried to create won’t appear in the menu next to its command—it also won’t work. In this case, the easiest thing to do is to try to create the shortcut again but with a different key combination.

Change a Keyboard Shortcut:

You can also change an existing keyboard shortcut if you wish. To do so, follow the same procedure for creating a shortcut, but type in the name of the menu command that you’d like to change and then type in the new key combination that you’d like to use as its keyboard shortcut.

Delete a Keyboard Shortcut:

You can delete a keyboard shortcut that you’ve created by selecting it in the window and then clicking the – button, which is located next to the + button.

Restoring Shortcuts to Original Settings:

If you’ve added or modified many shortcuts in iMovie, the easiest way to delete them may be to restore the original shortcuts. To do this, click the Restore Defaults button.

Publishing:

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Publishing directly to YouTube:

You can publish your iMovie project directly to the YouTube website. YouTube is an independent website that freely hosts videos by its community members. To post to YouTube, you must have a YouTube account.

To publish to YouTube:

Select your project in the Project Library, and then choose Share > YouTube.
Choose your account in the Account pop-up menu.
If you don’t have a YouTube account, click Add to be guided through the account creation process on the YouTube website.
Choose a category from the pop-up menu for the video to be categorized on the YouTube website.
Fill in the following fields:
Title: The name of your movie.
Description: Some information about your movie for viewers to read.
Tags: Keywords that viewers can use to search for and find your movie.
Select the mobile or medium size for your movie.

If the larger sizes are not available, the original project media isn’t large enough to render in that size. The largest media size used in the project determines the final movie sizes you can render.

The dots below each device in the table of sizes indicate which movie sizes are recommended for use with that device. Either size is good for streaming from the YouTube website; the mobile size will be easier to watch for people with slower internet connections.
Hovering the pointer over the “i” next to the movie dimensions displays the following information for the rendered movies:

H.264: The standard video compression that's used in the movie.
fps: The frame rate of the movie in frames per second.
Kbps: The maximum rate at which the movie can be streamed over the Internet in kilobytes per second.
MB: The size of the movie file in megabytes.
You can limit who can view the movie by making selecting “Make this movie private.”
Click Publish. iMovie automatically uploads your movie to the YouTube website.
After the movie has been uploaded to YouTube, the title bar of your project in iMovie displays “Published to YouTube.” It also displays buttons that take you to the movie’s webpage and send notifications to your friends.

To visit your movie’s webpage, click Visit.

To notify your friends of the new movie you’ve published, click “Tell a friend.”

If you make further edits to your project in iMovie after you’ve published it to YouTube, the title bar indicates that your project is out of date and needs to be rendered again. Old versions of the movie are deleted and replaced by new ones when you render it again.

If you want to save the previous version of your movie before you edit it, you can do so by exporting it to the Finder.

Publishing directly to your .Mac Web Gallery:

To share your movies over the Internet, you can publish your iMovie projects directly to your .Mac Web Gallery. After you publish a movie, send its internet address to your friends and family so they can view it.

To publish to your .Mac Web Gallery, you must have an active .Mac account. If you don’t already have a .Mac account, you can sign up for one at the .Mac or MobileMe website.

To publish to your .Mac Web Gallery:

Select your project in the Project Library, and then choose Share > .Mac Web Gallery.

In the “Publish to .Mac” window, fill in the fields:

Title: The title of your movie.
Description: Some information about your movie for viewers to read.
Select one or more movie sizes to publish. The dimensions of the finished movies are shown on the right side of the table.
Mobile size is recommended for most purposes; the larger sizes may be difficult to watch for people who have slow Internet connections.

If the larger sizes are unavailable, the original project media isn’t large enough to render in that size. The largest media size used in the project determines the final movie sizes you can render.

Hovering the pointer over the “i” next to the movie dimensions displays the following information for the rendered movies:

H.264: The standard video compression used in the movie.
fps: The frame rate of the movie in frames per second.
Kbps: The maximum rate at which the movie can be streamed over the Internet in kilobytes per second.
MB: The file size of the movie in megabytes.

Choose an option from the “Viewable by” pop-up menu to set password protection for your movie, depending on whether you want it to be publicly viewable or accessible by only specific people.
Everyone: Makes the movie publicly accessible by any visitor to your .Mac Web Gallery.
Only me: Requires your .Mac user name and password in order for you to see the movie. Sharing your user name and password with others is not recommended.
Edit names and passwords: Allows you to create user names and passwords that you can provide to others whom you want to be able to access the movie. After selecting this option, click the Add (+) button in the bottom-left corner of the window and then type a user name. Press the Tab key, and then type the password you want to associate with the user name. User names and passwords must be between four and twenty characters long and can include only letters (a through z), digits (0 through 9), the underscore (_) or a period (.), but not more than a single period can be used at the end. Any Web Gallery movies available to this user will be listed to the right of the password. Click OK, and then select the user name from the “Viewable by” pop-up menu.
Select “Hide movie on Web Gallery homepage” if you do not want the movie to appear on the homepage of your .Mac Web Gallery.
Select “Allow movie to be downloaded” if you want viewers to be able to download copies of your movie.
Click Publish. iMovie automatically uploads your movie to your .Mac Web Gallery. After the movie has been uploaded to .Mac, the title bar of your project in iMovie displays “Published to .Mac.” It also displays buttons that take you to the movie’s webpage and send notifications to your friends and family.
To visit your movie’s webpage, click Visit.
To notify your friends and family of the new movie you’ve published, click “Tell a friend.”
If you want to remove your movie from .Mac, choose Share > “Remove from .Mac.”

If you make further edits to your project in iMovie after you’ve published it to .Mac, the title bar indicates that your project is out of date and needs to be rendered again. The old version of the movie is deleted and replaced by the new one when you publish it again by choosing Edit > “Republish to .Mac Web Gallery.”

If you want to save the previous version of your movie before you edit it, you can do so by exporting it to a folder in the Finder.

Watching:

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Watching your movies on Apple TV:

If you want to view one of your iMovie projects on your Apple TV, you need to send it to iTunes. When you send your project to iTunes, iMovie allows you to create one or more movies of different sizes, depending on the size of the original media that’s in your project. The large size movie is best for viewing on Apple TV.

To send your project to iTunes:

Select it in the Project Library, and then choose Share > “Share Project with iTunes.”
Select one or more sizes of movie to render. If the larger sizes are not available, the original project media isn’t large enough to render in that size. The largest media size used in the project determines the final movie sizes you can render. The dots below each device in the table of sizes indicate which movie sizes are recommended for use with that device. Hovering the pointer over the “i” next to the movie dimensions displays the following information for the rendered movies:
H.264: The standard video compression that's used in the movie.
fps: The frame rate of the movie in frames per second.
Kbps: The maximum rate at which the movie can be streamed over the Internet in kilobytes per second.
MB: The files size of the movie in megabytes.
Click Publish. Rendering can take up to several minutes depending on the size of your movie and if you’re rendering several sizes at once. After the project has finished rendering, iTunes opens automatically.
In iTunes, click Movies to see your movie and broadcast it through Apple TV.

In iMovie, an icon appears next to the project’s name in the Project Library to indicate that the project has been rendered. If you select the project in the Project Library, its title bar indicates that it’s been sent to iTunes.

If you make further edits to your project in iMovie after you’ve sent it to iTunes, the title bar indicates that your project is out of date and needs to be rendered again. Old versions of the movie are deleted and replaced by new ones when you render it again.

If you want to save the previous version of your movie before you edit it, you can do so by exporting it to the Finder.

Watching your movies on your iPod:

If you want to view one of your iMovie projects on your iPod (or download it to you iPhone), you need to send it to iTunes. When you send your project to iTunes, iMovie allows you to create one or more movies of different sizes, depending on the size of the original media that’s in your project. The medium sized movie is best for viewing on your iPod.

To send your project to iTunes:

Select it in the Project Library, and then choose Share > “Share Project with iTunes.”
Select one or more sizes of movie to render.
If the larger sizes are not available, the original project media isn’t large enough to render in that size. The largest media size used in the project determines the final movie sizes you can render.
The dots below each device in the table of sizes indicate which movie sizes are recommended for use with that device. Hovering the pointer over the “i” next to the movie dimensions displays the following information for the rendered movies.
H.264: The standard video compression that's used in the movie.
fps: The frame rate of the movie in frames per second.
Kbps: The maximum rate at which the movie can be streamed over the Internet in kilobytes per second.
MB: The files size of the movie in megabytes.
Click Publish. Rendering can take up to several minutes depending on the size of your movie and if you’re rendering several sizes at once. After the project has finished rendering, iTunes opens automatically.
In iTunes, click Movies to see your movie and download it to your iPod or iPhone.

Send it to iTunes and download it just as you do for an iPod.
Publish it to your .Mac Web Gallery.

To learn how to send a movie to iTunes for downloading to your iPhone, see the instructions for watching your movie on your iPod.

Watching your movies on your iPod:

To publish to .Mac, you must have an active .Mac account. If you don’t already have a .Mac account, you can sign up for one at the .Mac website.

To publish your video to the .Mac Web Gallery and watch it on your iPhone:

Select your project in the Project Library, and then choose Share > .Mac Web Gallery.
In the Publish to .Mac window, fill in the fields: Page Title: The title of your movie. Description: Some information about your movie for viewers to read.
Select the tiny and mobile sizes to publish. Your iPhone uses either of these sizes, depending on how you’re connected.
Select “Allow movies to be downloaded” if you want viewers to be able to download copies of your movie.
You can limit who can view the movie by selecting “Show project on Web Gallery home page.”
Click Publish. iMovie automatically uploads your movie to your .Mac Web Gallery. After the movie has been uploaded to .Mac, the title bar of your project in iMovie displays “Published to .Mac.” It also displays buttons that take you to the movie’s webpage and send notifications to your friends and family.
To find out the URL (web address) for the movies published to your .Mac Web Gallery, click Visit, and then write down the URL.
Using Safari on your iPhone, navigate to the URL for your movies.

In iMovie, an icon appears next to the project’s name in the Project Library to indicate that the project has been rendered. If you select the project in the Project Library, its title bar indicates that it’s been sent to your .Mac Web Gallery.

If you make further edits to your project in iMovie after you’ve published it to .Mac, the title bar indicates that your project is out of date and needs to be rendered again. The old version of the movie is deleted and replaced by new ones when you publish it again by choosing Edit > “Republish to .Mac Web Gallery.”

If you want to save the previous version of your movie before you edit it, you can do so by exporting it to the Finder.

Watching your movies in Front Row:

If you want to view one of your iMovie projects in Front Row, you need to send it to iTunes. When you send your project to iTunes, iMovie allows you to create one or more movies of different sizes, depending on the size of the original media that’s in your project. You’ll be able to play any of these sizes in Front Row.

To send your project to iTunes:

Select it in the Project Library, and then choose Share > iTunes.
Select one or more sizes of movie to render.

If the larger sizes are not available, the original project media isn’t large enough to render in that size. The largest media size used in the project determines the final movie sizes you can render.

The dots below each device in the table of sizes indicate which movie sizes are recommended for use with that device. Hovering the pointer over the “i” next to the movie dimensions displays the following information for the rendered movies:

H.264: The standard video compression that's used in the movie.

fps: The frame rate of the movie in frames per second.

Kbps: The maximum rate at which the movie can be streamed over the Internet in kilobytes per second.

MB: The files size of the movie in megabytes.

Click Publish. Rendering can take up to several minutes depending on the size of your movie and if you’re rendering several sizes at once. After the project has finished rendering, iTunes opens automatically.
In Front Row, select Videos, and then select Movies to find the movies you created in iMovie.

Editing:

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Cropping video clips:

Cropping allows you to edit a clip by keeping only the portion of video you like and removing the rest.

It's a good idea to crop your clips before dragging them out of the Clips pane and into your movie. However, you can also crop a clip after you've added it to your movie by selecting it in the clip viewer or timeline viewer.

To crop a clip:

Select the clip you want to crop by clicking it in the Clips pane, clip viewer, or timeline viewer.
Drag the playhead (A, shown above) to where you want your scene to begin.
Place your pointer (B, shown above) just below the playhead, and then drag to the right to include the footage you want to keep. The gold portion of the scrubber bar (shown below) highlights the footage you've selected.
To precisely adjust where the selected footage begins and ends, click a crop marker (shown below) to select it, and then press the Left or Right Arrow key to move the crop marker one frame at a time. To move the marker in ten-frame increments, hold down the Shift key while pressing the arrow key. You can see the duration of your selected footage in minutes:seconds:frames at the bottom edge of the iMovie window.
Choose Edit > Crop to keep the portion of video you've highlighted and remove the rest.

If you want to trim away only the beginning or end of a clip, drag the crop markers to highlight the portion you want to remove, and then choose Edit > Clear.

When cropping, keep in mind that iMovie HD only hides the footage you don't want to show and doesn't actually remove or delete it. If you trim away too much, you can always choose Edit > Undo to cancel your change, or extend the clip back to the desired length by dragging one of its edges in the timeline viewer.

Adding a web link to your movie:

If you intend to publish your movie to the Internet as a video podcast or share it as a QuickTime movie, you can add web links to it. When your movie is played, the web link appears and viewers can click the link to open the webpage in a separate browser window.

You add a web link to your movie as part of a chapter marker. The web link appears over that section of your movie.

To add a web link to your movie:

Move the playhead to the point at which you want to display the web link. The web link will be displayed in your movie for 8 seconds; therefore, it's a good idea not to add a web link any later than 8 seconds before the end of the movie. It's also a good idea not to add a web link within a transition. If you do so, it may be difficult to see. Because a web link appears as dark blue text in a QuickTime movie, add it to a piece of video with contrasting color so the link is easy to see.
Click the Chapters button, and then click Add Marker. To quickly add a chapter marker, you can also choose Markers > Add Chapter Marker.
Type a chapter title next to the thumbnail that appears in the Chapters pane.
Double-click Link URL below the chapter title and type the web address. (If you don't see Link URL below the chapter title, choose Markers > Show Podcast URLs.) Be sure to include the full URL, including "http://" or other required parts of the address. If you don't include the full address, your recipient may not be able to click the link to go to the website.

Chapter markers appear in the timeline viewer as yellow diamonds.

Note: You won't be able to see the web link when previewing your movie in iMovie HD. Web links appear only after you export your movie as a podcast or QuickTime movie.

To remove a chapter marker and its web link, select the chapter marker in the timeline viewer, and then choose Markers > Delete Chapter Marker. (You can also select the chapter marker in the Chapters pane, and then click Remove Marker.) If you only delete the URL in the Chapters pane, the marker behaves as an ordinary chapter marker.

IMPORTANT: Web links you add to your movie do not appear in iDVD. When sharing your movie to iDVD, the places you added web links are treated as ordinary chapter markers. If you don't want a web link to appear as a chapter marker in iDVD, you can delete the chapter marker in iMovie before exporting your project to iDVD, or you can delete the chapter menu item using iDVD.

Using theme elements in your movie:

You can choose from a collection of titles and visual effects to combine your video and photos with stunning backgrounds and animated graphics called "themes." Use themes to add Hollywood-style polish to your movie and give it a creative and unified design.

IMPORTANT: To use themes in your movie, you must be using Mac OS X version 10.4.4 or later.

To use a theme element in your movie:

Click the Themes button.
Choose a theme from the pop-up menu at the top of the Themes pane.
Select a theme element that you want to use in your movie from the Theme Elements area. The Drop Zones window opens, and the theme previews in the iMovie monitor.

If the theme you chose contains titles, type your title in the Title field. (Some themes have multiple title fields.)

Do one or both of the following:

To add video clips to the theme, click the Clips button and drag video clips to the drop zones in the Drop Zones window.
To add photos to the theme, click the Media button, click Photos at the top of the media pane, and then drag photos to the drop zones in the Drop Zones window.
To remove an item from a drop zone, click the drop zone to select it, and then press the Delete key or drag it out of the drop zone.

Click the Themes button to return to the Themes pane.
Click Apply. The new clip is added to the end of your movie. A red progress bar indicates that the theme is rendering.
After the clip has finished rendering, drag it to where you want it to appear in your movie.

Tip: After you've created a theme, you can also add it to your movie by dragging it directly from the Themes pane.

After you've added a theme element to your movie, you can change its duration by dragging one of its edges in the timeline viewer. You can also apply transitions and effects to it, as you would with any video clip. To remove a theme from your movie, select its clip in the clip viewer or timeline viewer, and then press the Delete key.

Changing an existing video effect:

You can make changes to a video effect that has already been rendered.

To change an effect:

Select the clip that contains the effect you want to change in the clip viewer or timeline viewer. If you need to make the same change to more than one clip, select all the clips and update them all at once to save some time. For information about selecting multiple clips, see Related Topics below.
Press the Delete key to remove the effect.
Click the Editing button, and then click Video FX at the top of the Editing pane.
Set your new effect settings.
Click Apply.

Adding slow motion or speeding up a clip

If you want a clip or part of your movie to play in slow or fast motion, you can add the Fast/Slow/Reverse effect to it and set how fast you want your selected footage to play.

To learn how to add this effect, see "Using special effects to add visual interest" below.

Using special effects to add visual interest

You can add interesting effects to your movies to lend them special appeal, focus, or a sense of fun. iMovie HD offers a range of video effects that can make clips shake as if during an earthquake, fling sparkling fairy dust across the screen, filter a scene with passing fog, or add a streak of electricity to an image. Other effects change the brightness or contrast of the video, add slow motion, change colors, soften the focus, and more.

To apply a video effect to a clip:

Select the clip or clips you want to alter in the clip viewer or timeline viewer. To apply an effect to a section of a clip or stretch it across a portion of multiple clips, drag the crop markers to select the frame range you want. For more information, see "Selecting part of a video clip" below.
Click the Editing button, and then click Video FX at the top of the Editing pane.
Select the video effect you want from the effects list. You see a preview of the effect in the iMovie monitor.
Move the Effect In and Effect Out sliders to indicate when you want the effect to begin and end. When you drag the Effect In or Effect Out sliders, you see the times change next to the sliders. You can also click these numbers and type new times.
Adjust the effect with any other available sliders. (Some effects have more options.)
You can set the origination point for some effects. If you see a position indicator in the iMovie monitor, drag it to a location in the monitor where you want the effect to begin.
Click Apply.

A red progress bar indicates when the effect has finished rendering.

To see how an effect looks in the clip or timeline viewer, move the playhead to a point in the movie before the effect (with no clip selected) and click the Play button.

After you've added an effect to your movie, you can select the effect's clip or clips to play it, change it, or delete it at any time. You can also layer multiple effects over the same clip by repeating the steps above.

Tip: Some effects allow you to set the point where the effect originates. To see if this setting is available for an effect, position your pointer over the iMovie monitor. If the pointer changes to a crosshair, you can click in the monitor where you want the effect to start.

Adding a dissolve or other transition between clips:

You can add transitions between clips to smooth or blend the change from one scene to another. You can have clips fade in or out, dissolve into another clip, push one scene aside as the new scene enters, and so on.

Tip: When you add a transition to your movie, it may blur or hide some footage that you want viewers to see. Therefore, it's a good idea to add extra time to the end or beginning of clips that you plan to add transitions to. (The amount of footage in a clip that's used up by a transition equals about half the length of the transition.) To adjust the length of your clips, see "Fine-tuning where a clip begins and ends."

To add a transition between clips:

Drag the playhead near the location where you plan to add the transition.
Click the Editing button, and then click Transitions at the top of the Editing pane.
Click a transition style in the transitions list to select it. You see a preview of the transition in the iMovie monitor.
Set the duration of the transition using the Speed slider.
If necessary, set a direction for the transition using the arrow buttons.
To add the transition to your movie, drag it from the transitions list to the clip viewer or timeline viewer.

When you drag the transition between the two clips you want joined, iMovie automatically makes room for it. (Fade and Wash effects are the only transitions that can be added to the beginning or end of a movie.) A red progress bar indicates when the transition has finished rendering.

To see how a transition looks in the clip or timeline viewer, move the playhead to a point in the movie before the transition (with no clip selected) and click the Play button.

After you've added a transition to your movie, you can select the transition's clip to play it, change it, or delete it at any time. For more information, see Related Topics below.

Tip: You can change multiple transitions in a movie with a single procedure. Just select the clips you want (or all the clips in the movie), set up the transition options you want, and click Update. To select all your transitions at once, select a single transition and then choose Edit > Select Similar Clips.

Adding titles or text:

With iMovie HD, you can add a variety of text to your movie, including film titles, credits, subtitles, and much more. You can also select a font and color for your text and chose how you want it to move on and off screen.

Tip: When creating a title, be sure its duration isn't longer than the duration of the video clip or color clip that it appears over. You can place a short title sequence on a longer clip, but you can't place a long title sequence on a short clip.

IMPORTANT: To add titles to a clip that contains a transition, remove the transition first, and then add your text and reapply the transition.

To create a title for a clip:

Click the Editing button, and then click Titles at the top of the Editing pane.
Select a title style from the titles list. You see a preview of the title in the iMovie monitor.
If necessary, set a direction for the title using the arrow buttons.
Type the text you want in the text fields. Some title styles include Add (+) or Delete (-) buttons so you can add or delete lines of text.
To change the color of the text, click the Color box to select a color.
Choose a font style from the Family and TypeFace pop-up menus, and drag the size slider to change text size.
Drag the speed slider and pause slider to change the duration of the title. The title's total duration is the sum of the speed and the pause durations, shown at the bottom of the Titles pane.
If you want the title to appear over a black background, select the "Over black" checkbox.
You can set the origination point of some title styles. If you see a position indicator in the iMovie monitor, drag it to a location in the monitor where you want the title to begin.

To add the title to your movie, do one of the following:

To have your title appear over black, make sure you selected the "Over black" checkbox in step 8 above, and drag the title from the titles list to where you want it to appear in the clip viewer or timeline viewer.
To have the title start over the beginning of a clip, make sure you did not select the "Over black" checkbox in step 8 above, and drag the title from the titles list to the left of the clip you want to play underneath the title.
To have the title start in the middle of a clip, move the playhead to where you want the title to start, and then click the Add button at the bottom of the Titles pane. (Because iMovie titles can only start at the beginning of a clip, iMovie creates a new clip at the spot where you want your title to begin by splitting the existing clip in two.)

If the title you created is shorter than the video clip you added it to, iMovie splits the clip in two, and the first of the two resulting clips contains the title. If the title is longer than the clip, the title automatically extends across the next clip or clips in your movie. If this is the case, the final clip on which the title appears will be split where the title ends.

After you add a title to your movie, you can change or remove it at any time. For more information, see Related Topics below.

Adding special characters and symbols to your text:

You can insert special characters, such as mathematical symbols, letters with accent marks, or arrows and other "dingbats," into your titles using the Character Palette. You can also use this palette to enter characters from other languages.

To insert special characters and symbols:

In the Titles pane, click in a text field where you want the special character or symbol to appear.
Choose Edit > Special Characters.
Choose the type of characters you want to see from the View pop-up menu at the top of the Character Palette. If you don't see the View pop-up menu, click the button in the upper-right corner of the Character Palette to show the top portion of the window.
Click an item in the list on the left to see the characters that are available in each category.
Select the character or symbol in the right column that you want to insert into your document, and then click Insert. To see more options for each character, such as the variations in glyphs for some characters, click the Character Info triangle or Font Variation triangle at the bottom of the Character Palette.

If the character doesn't appear in your title, iMovie may not support that character.

Mix video formats within a project:

You'll get best results from iMovie if you use the same video format for all of the footage in a project. If you don't have this option, then these steps may allow you to mix various media footage (DV, HDV, MPEG-4) in the same project using iMovie HD.
Normally, when you attempt to import footage from a different camera type than what's used in your current iMovie project (iSight footage is the exception—you can import it into any project format), iMovie won't let you and may give you the following warning message:

"The attached camera uses a different video format than your project's format. To use this camera, disconnect any other tape-based cameras, then create a new, empty project."
Don't worry; it can be done.

If you need to mix footage from different camera types, follow these steps:

Import the additional footage into a new iMovie project.
Select the imported footage in the clips pane or timeline and copy the clips to the clipboard (from the Edit menu, choose Copy).
Close the project and open the project in which you want the clips to appear.
Paste the clips into the clips pane or timeline (from the Edit menu, choose Paste).

iMovie HD will automatically convert the footage so that it can be used in this project. Please be aware that depending on the project and footage formats, the footage may be converted to a lower quality.

If your footage is of a different aspect ratio, it may be letterboxed or pillarboxed to fit the project you are pasting into. If you need to add an effect to such footage, consider adding the effect in the clip's original project before cutting and pasting it into the new project.

What are Letterboxing, Pillarboxing and Windowboxing?

When the proportions of an image don't exactly match the proportions of the screen where the image is displayed, you might see black bars in the empty space of the screen. Depending on where the black bars are placed, this is referred to as letterboxing, pillarboxing, or in some cases what is informally known as "windowboxing". These terms are explained below.

Letterboxing: Black bars at bottom and top of screen.

A letterbox is usually seen when widescreen content is displayed on a standard size screen. You might see this for example if you view a widescreen DVD movie where the image dimensions are wider than would fit your television or display.

You might also see this if you import widescreen footage into a standard (4:3) iMovie project, or when viewing photos in iPhoto that are landscape orientation.

Pillarboxing: Black bars at left and right of screen.

A pillarbox is usually seen when standard dimension content is displayed on a wide screen. You might see this for example when watching an older TV show on a widescreen HDTV, or Cinema Display.

You might also see this if you import standard DV footage (4:3) into a widescreen (16:9) iMovie project, or when viewing photos in iPhoto that are portrait orientation.

Windowboxing: Black bars on top, bottom, left, and right of image.

A windowbox is usually seen when widescreen content was manually letterboxed for standard size screen (4:3), but then viewed on a widescreen display. You might see this for example when watching a commercial for an upcoming film, or an older music video on a widescreen HDTV or Cinema Display.

You might also see this if you import footage that was manually letterboxed into an iMovie project. You can tell if the footage has a letterbox effect already applied by viewing the footage in QuickTime Player.

Deleting or editing Gallery content:

If you select a project from the iMovie Project Library, then choose File > Move Project to Trash and click Delete, only the locally stored project is deleted. The movie is still online at MobileMe. The online copy of the movie can be removed from MobileMe Gallery by clicking the Delete icon in the MobileMe toolbar. Another way to remove movies from MobileMe is to choose Share > Remove from MobileMe in iMovie. This removes both the locally stored movie and the published project.

Tips to improve performance:

Only render one clip at a time:

Rendering clips takes a lot of processing power. If iMovie seems unresponsive, consider waiting until a clip is finished rendering before continuing or rendering another clip. You could also render clips in small batches to improve responsiveness.

Change playback quality:

If you are using iMovie 4 or later, consider changing the playback quality setting in iMovie preferences.

Note: If you are using an older computer, try turning off the option "Keep playhead centered during playback" in the playback pane of iMovie preferences by following these steps:

In iMovie choose iMovie>Preferences.
Select the playback pane.
Deselect the "Keep playhead centered during playback" checkbox.

Turn off Audio Waveforms:

If you are using iMovie HD 5 or later, consider turning off "Show Audio Waveforms" from the View menu to free up processing power.

Don't store your project in a folder that uses FileVault:

If you are using Mac OS X 10.3 or later, make sure the project you are working on isn't saved in a folder that's protected by FileVault.

Quit unused applications and users:

Quit any open applications you're not using. If Fast User Switching is on, consider logging out other users.

Check the disk:

Open Disk First Aid. Check the startup disk, and the disk where the project is saved.
Use Disk Utility to Repair Permissions on the startup disk.

Check for plug-ins:

Check to see if there are any plug-ins in this directory: ~/Library/iMovie/. If so, remove them. Reopen iMovie and see if performance is improved. If this resolves the issue, contact the plug-in's developer for more information.

Check also for non-Apple plug-ins in /Library/QuickTime/ and ~/Library/QuickTime/ . Try moving any non-Apple items out of this folder and relaunch iMovie. Some older third party QuickTime plug-ins may interfere with iMovie operation. If this resolves the issue, check with the plug-in manufacturer to see if an update to the plug-in is available.

Copy the project to the computer's hard disk:

If your project is saved on an external hard drive, try copying the project folder to the computer's hard disk (if there is room) and open it from there. See if this improves performance.

Rebuild the project:

If you are only experiencing the issue in one project, consider rebuilding it.

Defragment the disk:

If you have access to a disk defragmenting utility, consider defragmenting the drive where the project is located.

Project length:

If you are only experiencing the issue in one project, consider rebuilding it.
The longer and more complicated the project, the more RAM, disk space and processor power the project may require. Try splitting lengthy projects into multiple shorter projects if you are using an older Macintosh and notice a degredation in performance with lengthy projects.
Using other suggestions in this article (such as changing the playback quality setting) may also make a difference without having to limit your project length.

Working with HD footage:

High Definition footage (HDV 720p or 1080i) requires extra CPU performance to play and edit. Make sure your computer meets the system requirements for HD editing ( 1 GHz G4 or faster) if you are attempting to work with HD footage.

Related document:

303529: iMovie: How to move clips from one project to another
42964: iMovie: "Disk Responded Slowly" Alert

Improving audio and video synchronization:

If your audio and video do not play in sync when exported to QuickTime or iDVD, check the following:

Make sure the DV camera you used to record or capture the footage was set to 16-bit at the time of recording (not 12-bit).
Make sure your QuickTime software is up to date.
If you are using iMovie 3, make sure you have updated to iMovie 3.0.3 or later.

You may be able to resolve audio synchronization issues by extracting the audio from the video clips in the iMovie project to a separate audio track:

Select all video clips in the timeline (from the Edit menu, choose Select All).
Extract audio to a separate track (from the Advanced menu, choose Extract Audio).

Export this project to QuickTime and see if your audio remains in sync when the resulting file is viewed in QuickTime Player.

Related documents:

61636: iMovie: Use 16-bit audio for best results

Undoing your changes:

If you make a mistake or don't like the changes you've made, you can undo them.

WARNING: After you save your project or empty the iMovie Trash, you cannot undo any of the changes you made to your project before that time.

Here are ways to undo your changes:

Choose Edit > Undo to remove your last change. Continue choosing Undo to cancel your previous changes one by one.
Choose Advanced > "Revert Clip to Orginal" to undo all of the changes made to a selected clip.
Choose File > "Revert to Saved" to undo all of the changes made to a project since the last time you saved it.

After you undo a change, you can choose Edit > Redo to reimplement the change.

Creating:

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Using iSight with iMovie:

In addition to DV FireWire camera support, iMovie 4 added compatibility with some IIDC-based FireWire video cameras including the external version of the Apple iSight camera.

To use the built-in iSight included with some Macintosh models, use iMovie HD 6 or later.

If your iSight camera is not recognized by iMovie ("no camera is attached" message), make sure you are using the correct version of iMovie. Check also to make sure that other applications which may be using the camera are not open, such as Photo Booth or iChat. iMovie cannot access the iSight camera if it is already in use by another application.

Tip: For best results when capturing from an iSight camera, make sure your subject is well lit.

Built-in iSight camera not recognized:

In iMovie 7.1.2 or later, you may not be able to use your built-in iSight camera to capture footage in iMovie. iMovie may not recognize the camera. This may occur even if you are able to activate the camera in other applications, such as iChat.

Resolution:

If you are experiencing this behavior, follow the steps below:

1. In Finder, navigate to /System/Library/LaunchDaemons

2. Select the file com.apple.mio.VDCAssistant.plist and delete.

3. Restart your system.

You should now be able to use your iSight camera with iMovie.

Adding and removing audio tracks:

In iMovie, you can easily add and remove audio tracks to your project.

1. Open your project in iMovie '08 and click the Music and Sound Effects button.

The Music and Sound Effects window opens in the lower right corner of your iMovie project window.

2. Select a song from the Music and Sound Effects window, then drag and drop it over the gray space of your project background. The gray background turns green as you drag your song over the background.

You can also specify the exact location (pinning) that you want your audio file to start by dragging it over a video clip (not the background). As you drag your song, a vertical red line indicates where the audio track will begin when you release the mouse button.

Your audio track appears as a green bar under your project’s video clips.

Note: After adding the audio, you can move it within your project by dragging the green audio bar.

The example above describes adding a pinned audio track, but in iMovie '08 you can add multiple sound tracks like sound effects, background music and voice over recordings.

3. To remove an audio track from your iMovie project, simply select the audio track (the green audio track is then outlined with a yellow line) and press the Delete key and the audio tracked is erased from your project.

4. If you want to remove a song you added to the background, select the green background area to highlight it the song and press the Delete key.

Changing transition times:

You can change the duration of the transitions in your video project, setting how long it takes for one clip to transition fully to the next. Transitions can be no longer than half the length of the shortest adjacent clip.

Follow these steps to change the transition duration:

1. In your iMovie project, select the transition whose duration you want to adjust. When selected, the transition is highlighted by a yellow rectangle. The transition time displays when you move your pointer over it. In this example the transition duration is 0.5 seconds.

2. rom the Edit menu, choose Set Duration.

3. When the Set Duration window opens, the current transition time is displayed in the Duration field. Type in the new duration and select the option to apply the duration to the selected transition or apply to all transitions in your project.

Click OK.

4. Move your pointer over the transition to see the new duration. In this example, it was increased from .5s to 1.0s.

Note: If you added transitions to your project using the automatic transition feature, you can't change them individually.

Importing:

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Using footage from DV and non-DV sources:

iMovie is designed to work with the following video formats:

DV
DV Widescreen
HDV 1080i (25 and 30 fps)
HDV 720p (25 and 30 fps)
MPEG 4 Simple Profile
iSight

However, because iMovie uses QuickTime to process video and audio footage, you may be able to import footage from other sources or formats.

Here are some things to keep in mind when dealing with video footage from alternative sources:

Camcorder Support:

iMovie '09 is designed to work with a wide range of digital video devices and formats, including tape-based and the latest tapeless camcorders that record to flash memory, a hard disk drive, or DVD media.

The following information is provided for your general reference:

Import video from a camcorder or camera:

The enhanced import feature in iMovie '08 allows for importing video footage to iMovie '08 from various types of camcorders, including FireWire camcorders and USB camcorders or cameras. You can import video from USB camcorders that record to DVD or hard disk drive (HDD) storage media, or from flash-based devices, including digital still cameras that record video (although you must first import the video to iPhoto for the video to become accessible by iMovie).

Note: If you run into any issues importing your video, read Helpful Tips, Troubleshooting, and Additional Help in the Additional Information section at the end of this document.

The first step in importing video from a camcorder is to determine whether your camcorder connects to your computer with a USB or FireWire cable. Here’s how to determine which your camcorder uses:

FireWire:

If your camcorder has a FireWire connection, also called IEEE 1394 or i.LINK, the cable and connector that plug into your camcorder will look like this:

The cable and connector that plug into your computer will look like this:

USB Connection:

If your camcorder has a USB connection, the cable and connector that plug into your camcorder will look like this:

The cable and connector that plug into your computer will look like this:

Importing video from a FireWire camcorder:

1. Open iMovie '08.
2. Connect your camcorder to your computer with a FireWire cable.
3. Make sure your camcorder is in the proper mode: PC, Computer or VTR. (If you’re not sure which mode to use, refer to the manual that came with your camcorder.)
4. iMovie will detect the camera and open the Import From window.

If this window doesn’t appear, click the camcorder icon in the iMovie window.

5. Click the Automatic switch (1) and then click Import All (2) to import all clips from the camcorder.

Note: If you want additional import options, select the Manual switch in the lower left of the Import From window.

The Import From window now shows the elapsed time and controls that allow you to rewind, fast forward, stop, and play your clip.

6. From the Save to menu, choose a save location and an iMovie Event for your footage.

Choose the hard disk where you want to save your video (if you have more than one hard disk).
Select the option to add the imported footage to an existing iMovie Event or to create a new Event.

7. Click OK.
8. After clicking OK, your movie begins to import.
9. Click Stop. You are returned to iMovie’s main window where you can see your imported video in iMovie’s Event Library. In this example, it’s called “African Safari”.

Importing video from a USB camcorder:

You can import video from USB camcorders that record to DVD or hard disk drive (HDD) storage media or from flash-based camcorders.

Follow these steps to import video from a USB camcorder:

1. Open iMovie '08.
2. Connect your camcorder to your computer with a USB cable.
3. Make sure your camcorder is in the proper mode: PC, Computer or VTR. (If you’re not sure which mode to use, refer to the manual that came with your camcorder.)
4. If you are using a USB camcorder, iMovie will detect the camcorder and open the Import window.

Note: If you’re connecting a DVD camcorder, plugging it into your computer may cause the DVD Player to open. If that happens, you can simply close DVD Player.

5. Set the Automatic/Manual switch at the bottom-left of the import window to the Automatic position if you want all of your clips imported.

To begin the import process, click Import All.

6. If you want to choose which clips to import, set the Automatic/Manual switch to Manual.

7. In Manual mode, you can select a video clip (1) and play that clip in the window by clicking the Play button (2).

Note: This allows your clip to play. The clip is not imported.

8. The checkbox under each video clip determines whether that clip will be imported. If a checkbox is selected (1) the clip will be imported. If the checkbox is deselected (2) the clip will not be imported.

9. Click the Import Checked button to import your video clips.

10. From the Save to menu, you can choose a Save to location, add your clip to a new or existing iMovie Event, and select a size for your imported video clip.

Choose the hard disk where you want your video saved (if you have more than one hard disk).
Select the option to add your imported footage to an existing iMovie event or to create a new event.
Choose a size for your imported video.

11. Click OK.

12. iMovie lets you know when your import is complete.

Click OK to exit the import mode.

Your imported video appears in your Event Library. In this example it is “San Francisco Bay”.

Additional Information:

Helpful Tips:

Make sure your camcorder is compatible with iMovie. For a list of compatible camcorders, see "iMovie '08 Camcorder Support."
Make sure your camcorder is connected properly to your computer.
Make sure your camcorder is in the correct output mode. On some camcorders, this is called VTR mode. On some camcorders you must set the output to DV mode or HDV mode, depending on whether the content is standard (DV) or high definition (HDV). Some camcorders may use different terminology. Check the documentation that came with your camcorder.
If you’re connecting a tape-based camcorder to your computer, make sure you’re using a FireWire cable, also called IEEE 1394, or i.LINK (not a USB cable).
If you’re connecting to a device that records to flash memory, Hard Drive (HDD), or DVD media, make sure you’re using a USB cable (not a FireWire cable).
If you’re importing video from a camera or other flash memory device, make sure the the file format of your video is compatible with iMovie: MPEG-2 or MPEG-4.
If you’re importing from an AVCHD camcorder, make sure you’re using a Mac computer with an Intel processor.
If you’re importing from an AVCHD DVD camcorder, make sure you’ve installed the latest version of Mac OS X.
DVD camcorders require that you "finalize" the DVD disk before importing content into iMovie (unless the "finalize" function is not offered). Refer to the documentation that came with your DVD camcorder for details.
If you’ve enabled Fast User Switching, make sure no one else is trying to use the camcorder from a different account at the same time.

Troubleshooting:
If you still can’t import video after checking the items above, try the following:

Turn the camcorder off and on again.
Disconnect the cable from both the camcorder and the computer, and then reconnect it.
Quit and reopen iMovie.
Restart your computer.
Try using a different cable.
Try using a different computer with iMovie '08 installed.

Additional Help:

For additional information on importing video, open iMovie and choose iMovie Help from the Help menu.

You can also see some great iMovie ’08 video tutorials.

Moving iMovie footage to another drive:

iMovie ’08 stores your project in two parts: the event video (Event files) and the projects (Project files).

Event Files:

The Event file contains all of the video from the camcorder.
This file is usually relatively large.
By default, these files are stored in ~/Movies/iMovie Events.

Figure Events folder:

Project Files:

The Project file contains instructions on how to assemble pieces of video from the Event, as well as any titles, transitions, or audio added to the project.
This file is usually relatively small.
By default, these files are stored in ~/Movies/iMovie Projects.

Figure Projects folder:

You can have multiple project files which reference the same Event video.

Storing Events:

If you begin to run out of hard disk space, you can capture Event video directly to an external drive:

Connect an external hard disk via FireWire.
Make sure the disk is formatted as Mac OS X Extended.
When importing, select this disk as the destination from the pop-up menu in the import sheet.

Figure Import sheet:

Moving Events:

If you need to create space on your internal hard drive, you can move existing Events to the drive without breaking their connection to existing projects. Keep in mind that the external drive needs to be connected when working with a Project that uses this video.

To move Event video to another hard disk, use the iMovie interface (and not the Finder) as follows:

Connect an external hard disk that is formatted as Mac OS X Extended via FireWire.
From the View menu, select Events By Volume, or click the hard disk icon in the Events pane.
Drag and drop the Event from the computer list in the Events pane to the external hard drive icon in the Events pane.

This moves the Event to the external hard disk while retaining the connection to any projects that use this video.

Figure Moving an Event:

Moving Projects:

If you need to move a Project to another computer, copy both the Project file and the Event to the secondary computer. Place them in the appropriate locations before launching iMovie:

~/Movies/iMovie Events/
~/Movies/iMovie Projects/

If there is not enough room for the Event video, move the Event to an external hard disk using the instructions in the Moving Events section above before moving the Project to the other computer. Connect the external hard disk to the computer before opening iMovie.

Warning: Moving Projects or Events to other folders, drives or computers without following the instructions in this article may result in an unusable Project or Event in iMovie.

Importing DVD camcorder movies:

ou can import movies from your DVD camcorder into iMovie ’08 by setting the recording format on your camcorder to "Standard" or "Video" mode.

When you insert a recordable disk into your DVD camcorder you may be prompted to choose either "Standard" (sometimes called "Video") or "VR" formats. To import media into iMovie '08, you should choose "Standard" or "Video" mode on your camcorder. If you select "VR" mode, the camcorder may mount in Finder as a DVD and not a hard disk, which means you may not be able to directly import your media into iMovie '08.

You can choose your recording format with the following DVD camcorders:

Sony DCR-DVD 403
Sony DCR-DVD 505
Canon DC20
Panasonic VDR-D300

Additional Information:

You may find some camcorders will not allow you to choose a format if you use DVD+RW media. Consult your camcorder's manual to determine other media options.

Important: Information about products not manufactured by Apple is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute Apple’s recommendation or endorsement. Please contact the vendor for additional information.

Exporting:

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Export Settings:

You can customize the export settings when you export a movie to QuickTime.

To customize these settings:

Choose File > Export.
Choose Expert Settings from the Formats pop-up menu.
Click the Export button.
Choose Movie to QuickTime Movie from the Export pop-up menu.
Click the Options button.
Click the Settings button in the Video panel to see the compression, frames per second (frame rate), and key frame settings.
Click the Size button in the Video panel to customize the frame size.

In general, choose settings that give you the best trade-off between file size and video playback quality. Before you use the Expert Settings option, consider the following:

Codec options:

MPEG-4 is the standard codec (compressor/decompressor) used for Internet movies. To get the MPEG-4 codec option, you must have QuickTime 6 or later.
For movies that will be viewed on earlier computer systems, you may want to use the Motion JPEG codec.
The Sorensen codec is good for viewing movies on later systems. For earlier systems, use Cinepak or Motion JPEG.

Frame size, Keyframes, and Frame rate:

Pick a movie frame size first. Primarily, frame size determines the movie's file size.
Set the number of key frames next. If the number of key frames is high, the movie will play back at higher quality, but the file size will be larger. With lower keyframe numbers, the video quality may be lower, but the file size will be smaller.
Set the frame rate last. You may get choppy video playback if you set the frame rate to less than 12 frames per second. But higher frame rates create larger file sizes.

Exporting a movie from iMovie HD to iPod:

Want to put your own movies on your iPod? You can with iMovie HD and an iPod with video compatibility (currently Fifth Generation iPod). You also need to have QuickTime 7.0.3 or later and iTunes 6 or later installed—they're both free downloads! If you're not sure what iPod model you have, click here.

Find out which version of QuickTime you have here or download the latest version from here.
Find out which version of iTunes you have here or download the latest version from here.
You can also download and install the latest iMovie, QuickTime, and iTunes updates using Software Update.

To export a movie from iMovie HD 6 to your iPod:

In iMovie HD 6, open the movie you want to transfer.
If you only want to transfer a portion of your movie, select the clips you want to transfer in the timeline viewer.
From the Share menu, choose iPod.
Click to select the "Share selected clips only" checkbox if you only want to share clips you selected.
Click Share.
iMovie HD compresses your movie and saves it to your iTunes library. The time it takes to save the movie depends on the movie's length.
Open iTunes 6.0 or later, and then sync with your iPod.
For more information about syncing, see the documentation that came with your video-compatible iPod.

To export a movie from iMovie HD 5 to your iPod:

Open iMovie HD and create a movie, or open an existing movie in the application.
From the File menu, choose Share.
Click the QuickTime tab.
From the Compress movie for pop-up menu, choose Expert Settings.

Click Share.
From the Export pop-up menu in the resulting dialog, choose Movie to iPod (320X240).

Click Save to start the export process. Depending on the length of your movie, this can take a long time. iMovie uses H.264 compression to create the movie file (video iPod format), which will appear on your hard disk in the location you saved it when iMovie is done. Open the new file in QuickTime Player and play it to make sure it looks as you expect.

Open iTunes 6 and drag your new movie file icon to the iTunes library in the Source list. To learn how to browse and view videos in iTunes, click here. Note: iTunes won't let you drag the movie to the Video playlist, but once you drag it to the Library, it will automatically appear in the Video playlist. You can also drag the video file to a playlist you create or directly to the iPod in the Source list.

To copy the movie onto a Fifth Generation iPod, either sync it with your iPod or manually copy it. To learn how to sync video to your iPod click here, check out the iPod tutorial, or check the Features Guide that came with your iPod.

Additional Information:

A note about copyright: This software may be used to reproduce materials. It is licensed to you only for reproduction of non-copyrighted materials, materials in which you own the copyright, or materials you are authorized or legally permitted to reproduce. If you are uncertain about your right to copy any material, you should contact your legal advisor.

Exporting your movie for viewing in PAL or NTSC format:

When you first create a new project in iMovie HD, you can select a video format for the project. The video and images you later add to the iMovie are converted to this format. However, if you need to format your movie to be viewed on a VCR or DVD player that uses another format, you can use the expert export options to convert your movie.

NTSC is a format commonly used in North America and Japan. PAL is a format commonly used by devices in Europe. There are also different versions of these two formats, such as DVCPRO-PAL and DVCPRO50-NTSC, so determine the precise format you need before exporting.

To export a movie in NTSC or PAL format:

Choose Share > QuickTime.
Choose Expert Settings from the "Compress movie for" pop-up menu, and then click Share.
Type a name for your movie and choose where you want to save it.
Choose "Movie to QuickTime Movie" from the Export pop-up menu, and then click Options.
In the Video pane, click Settings to open the Compression Settings dialog.
Choose a format from the pop-up menu (DV-PAL or DVCPRO-PAL for Europe, DV-NTSC or DVCPRO-NTSC for North America and Japan).
Choose a value from the Frames Rate pop-up menu (25 for PAL and 29.97 for NTSC)
Drag the Quality slider to the desired quality. Best is recommended.
Click OK.
Click Size to open the Export Size Settings dialog, and then click "Use custom size."
Type a value in the Width field (720 for both PAL and NTSC) and in the Height field (576 for PAL and 480 for NTSC), and then click OK.
Click Settings in the Sound pane.
Choose Stereo (L R) from the Channels pop-up menu in the Sound Settings dialog.
Choose 48.000 from the kHz pop-up menu (or type it in the Rate field).
Choose 16 from the "Sample size" pop-up menu, and then click OK.
Click OK in the Movie Settings dialog.
Click Save.

Exporting movies with expert settings:

The export options provided in iMovie HD will work in most cases if you plan to use a QuickTime format. If you want to use a different format, such as MPEG-4, and have some experience with custom settings, you can create your own export settings.

For example, if you want to share your movie with someone who uses an older Windows computer, you can export your movie as an image sequence, then choose the JPEG option.
iMovie HD supports exporting in the following file formats:

3G
AVI
BMP
DV Stream
FLC
Hinted Movie
Image Sequence
MPEG-4
Picture
QuickTime Movie
Sound to AIFF
Sound to System 7 Sound
Sound to Wave
Sound to uLaw

iMovie also supports many video, audio, streaming, and compatibility options associated with the compression of these file formats. For example, when saving your movie as a QuickTime movie, you can choose among video compression formats such as Cinepak, DV-PAL, DV/DVCPRO -NTSC, JPEG 2000, MPEG-4 Video, Planar RGB, PNG, Sorenson Video, TGA, and more.

iMovie also supports many sound compression formats, such as 24-bit Integer, 32-bit Integer, 64-bit integer, Alaw 2:1, AMR NarrowBand, IMA 4:1, MACE 3:1, Qualcomm PureVoice, and many more.

So if you're fairly expert at understanding video file formats and compression characteristics, use the expert settings to set up your files the way you want.

To export your movie with expert settings:

Choose File > Export.
Choose Expert Settings from the "Compress movie for" pop-up menu, and then click Share.
Choose the type of export format you want, and then click Options.
Set the compression format (known as a "codec"). Sorenson Video, DV-PAL, and Motion JPEG A are examples of codecs. Depending on the type of export you choose (such as "Sound to AIFF" or "MPEG-4"), you see different codecs and compression options.
Set the frame size. This setting affects the overall file size of your movie. Better quality creates a larger file size.
Set the key frame number. A low number (such as every ten frames) creates a better-quality movie with a larger file size.
Set the frame rate last. You may get choppy-looking video playback if you set the frame rate to less than about 12 frames per second.

Exporting a movie to iDVD:

Once your movie is ready for viewing, iMovie HD can automatically export it to an iDVD project that you can burn on a DVD. You can then view your DVD on a television using a DVD player or on your computer screen using the Apple DVD Player.

Note: Before you export your movie to iDVD, you can add chapter markers to it so that viewers can quickly review different sections of the movie on DVD. If you've added chapter markers, they are exported with your movie, and you can use them to add scene selection menus to your iDVD project.

Not all computers support iDVD. See your computer's manual to find out if your computer does.
To export your movie to iDVD:

Choose Share > iDVD.
Click the "Share selected clips only" checkbox if you only want to share clips you selected.
Click Share.

iDVD opens and your movie appears in a new project in iDVD.

For more information about using iDVD, choose Help > iDVD Help when iDVD is open.

Tip: You can automatically export video to iDVD from your camcorder using the Magic iMovie feature.

Exporting your movie for viewing on Apple TV:

You can watch your movie on Apple TV by exporting it from iMovie HD to your iTunes library, and then using iTunes to stream the movie to Apple TV or sync your Apple TV with your iTunes library.

IMPORTANT: To export a movie for viewing on Apple TV, you must have QuickTime 7.1.5 or later and iTunes 7.1 or later installed on your computer. For the latest versions of these applications, open System Preferences, click Software Update, and then click Check Now.

Before following these instructions, make sure you set up Apple TV for streaming or syncing video. For more information, see the documentation that came with Apple TV.

If you export a movie for viewing on Apple TV, you won't be able to watch it on an iPod. To learn how to transfer your movie to an iPod, see Related Topics below.

To export your movie for viewing on Apple TV:

In iMovie HD, open the movie you want to export.
Choose Share > QuickTime.
Choose Expert Settings from the "Compress movie for" pop-up menu.
Click Share.
In the "Save exported file as" window, choose "Movie to Apple TV" from the Export pop-up menu.
Choose a location for the movie you're exporting from the Where pop-up menu, and then click Save.
Open iTunes.
Drag your exported movie to the iTunes Movies library.
Use Apple TV to view your movie.

For more information, see iTunes Help or the documentation that came with Apple TV.

IMPORTANT: Do not delete the exported file from the location you chose in step 6 unless you have iTunes set up to copy files to the iTunes Music folder when you add them to iTunes. To see if this option is turned on, open iTunes, choose iTunes > Preferences, click Advanced, and then click the General tab. If the "Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library" checkbox is selected, you can delete the exported file from the location you chose in step 6.

Customizing your QuickTime export:

If you want to set your own QuickTime settings for your exported iMovie projects, use the QuickTime expert export settings.

To use the expert QuickTime settings:

Select your project in the Project Library and choose Share > Export Using QuickTime.
Type a name for the movie in the Save As field and choose a location to save the file from the Where pop-up menu.
Make your selections for format, compression, and other variables, and then click Save.

Exporting your movies to a Finder folder:

When you share your project with iTunes or the Media Browser, iMovie renders it and makes the rendered versions accessible only through iTunes or the iLife Media Browser.

If you make further edits to your project after you’ve prepared it for sharing or sent it to iTunes, the title bar indicates that your project is out of date and needs to be rendered again. Old versions of the movie in the iTunes or the iLife Media Browser are deleted and replaced by new ones when you render it again.

If you want to save the current version of your movie before you edit it, or if you simply want to create a copy you can access on your desktop or any Finder folder, you need to export it as a movie. Exported movies are identical to the movies that are rendered when you share with iTunes or the Media Browser, but they are accessible through the Finder and can be used by any application that doesn’t have access to movies in iTunes or the Media Browser, such as Mail.
When you export your movie, iMovie gives you four size options:

Tiny: Always 176 by 144 pixels.
Mobile: Always 480 by 272 pixels.
Medium: Varies in size from 640 by 480 pixels (standard aspect ratio) to 640 by 360 pixels (widescreen), depending on the size of the media in your project.
Large: Always 960 by 540 pixels (widescreen). No large size is rendered if your original video isn’t high definition (HD).

H.264: The standard video compression that's used in the movie.
fps: The frame rate of the movie in frames per second.
Kbps: The maximum rate at which the movie can be streamed over the Internet in kilobytes per second.
MB: The size of the movie file in megabytes.

To export your project to the Finder:

Choose Share > “Export Movie.”
Type a name for the movie in the Export As field, and then choose the location where you want to save it in the Where pop-up menu.
Select the size that best matches what you’ll be using the video for.
Click Export.
To find your exported movie, navigate to the folder that you chose in the Where pop-up menu.

Exporting a presentation from Keynote to iMovie:

With Keynote you can export your presentation to a number of file formats.

Follow these steps to create a file that you can use in iMovie:

Open your presentation in Keynote
Choose File > Export.
Select QuickTime as the file format.
Select "Fixed Timing" for playback. Do not select the manual advance option; the resulting file may not import into iMovie.
Select "Full Quality Large" for the format setting.
Click Next.
Name and save your movie.

Follow these steps to import this file into iMovie:

Open iMovie
Choose File > Import Movies.
Locate your movie, saved in step 7 above.
Click Import.

Tip: You can also export your presentation from Keynote to other iLife applications by selecting File > Send To... in Keynote.

Customizing:

2009-01-26T01:41:00.001-08:00

Using analog/FireWire converter devices with iMovie:

You can convert video in 8 mm, Hi8, VHS, or SVHS format to digital video (DV) format, using a special converter box (sometimes referred to as AV adapters), such as the Sony DVMC-DA2 or the Synchrotech Formac Studio.
If you use a converter to import non-DV video, you can't control your camera or deck with iMovie. However, you can manually control the camera to import video clips and use all of iMovie's editing features, then export your video through the converter back to your video recorder or camera.

A converter of this kind will generally have standard S-video and RCA input/output ports for video and audio, and a FireWire or iLink (IEEE 1394) input/output port. Make sure you have the appropriate cables for your configuration.

To ensure compatibility with third-party video devices, check the iLife Camcorder Compatibility page, the Apple Store, and/or vendor websites for compatibility information.

For more information, check the documentation that came with your converter.

Capturing Analog Video From a Converter Box Into iMovie:

Follow these steps to import video from an analog-to-FireWire converter device.
While this specific order may not be necessary with all converters, it will help ensure proper initialization between the hardware and software:

Start up your computer, turn on the converter box, and connect the computer to the converter with a FireWire cable.
Connect the video cable from the video output of the video source (for example, a VCR or video camera) to the analog video input of the converter box. A video camera should be in playback or VTR mode. Connect the audio source, too.
The converter box will typically have a switch or button that tells the device which direction to convert the video, analog to DV or DV to analog. For capturing analog video, you will want to press the button labeled "Analog In" or something similar.
Connect a 4-to-6 pin FireWire cable from the DV out port on the converter box (sometimes labeled FireWire, IEEE 1394, or iLink with Sony devices) to a FireWire port on the computer.
Open the iMovie application program.
Make sure the Mode Switch under the iMovie monitor is set to Camera Mode, as shown here:
Some converter boxes have a green status light, to indicate a good connection. If this light is amber or red at this point, try turning the device off for several seconds and then back on again. You may also try quitting and opening iMovie again.
Press play on the VCR or analog camera. You should see the video signal in the iMovie monitor. If you have speakers or headphones connected to the VCR you can monitor the audio.
Use the controls on the video source to manually cue the video tape to the desired spot, and click Import in iMovie. iMovie will create a new clip for about every nine minutes of video. You can join all the clips later by dragging them into the timeline.

Sending Video From iMovie to the Converter Box:

Follow these steps to export video to an analog-to-FireWire converter box.
While this specific order may not be necessary with all converters, it will help ensure proper initialization between the hardware and software:

Start up your computer, turn on the converter box, and connect the computer to the converter with a FireWire cable.
Connect the video cable from the video output of the source (for example, a VCR or video camera) to the analog video input of the converter box. A video camera should be in playback or VTR mode. Connect the audio source, too.
The converter box will typically have a switch or button which tells the device which direction to convert the video, analog to DV or DV to analog. For exporting analog video, you will want to press the button labeled "Analog In" or something similar.
Connect a 4-to-6 pin FireWire cable from the DV out port on the converter box (sometimes labeled FireWire, IEEE 1394, or iLink with Sony devices) to a FireWire port on the computer.
Open the iMovie application program.
From the iMovie menu, choose Preferences (or File menu in Mac OS 9).
Click the Advanced tab.
Make sure the checkbox for "Video Play Through to Camera" is selected.
Choose Export Movie from the File menu, or press Command-E on the keyboard.
In the Export Movie window, select the pop-up menu for "Export to Camera", even if you're exporting to a VCR through the converter.
Press record on the VCR and click Export in iMovie.
When finished, press the stop button on the VCR and Stop in the iMovie monitor.

Preparing a movie created in iMovie HD to work with iDVD:

If you’ve created a movie using iMovie HD, you can export the movie from iMovie HD directly to an iDVD project. Using iMovie HD, you can also export your movie as a QuickTime movie for later use in an iDVD project.

Here are ways to prepare your iMovie for iDVD:

To export your iMovie directly to an iDVD project, within iMovie HD choose Share > iDVD. The iDVD application opens, with your project in the iDVD window. If you’ve added chapter markers to your iMovie, iDVD uses them to create a scene selection menu automatically.
When iDVD opens, it selects a default theme, which appears in the iDVD window. If the iMovie you shared has chapter markers, you see two buttons on the iDVD menu, one that says “Play Movie” and another that says “Scene Selection.” If the movie does not have chapter markers, you see one button with the name of the movie you added. From here, you can begin editing your iDVD project, including selecting a different theme if you want.
To save your iMovie as a QuickTime movie that you can import into an iDVD project later, choose File > Export in iMovie HD. Click QuickTime, choose Full Quality from the pop-up menu, and then click Share.

Your movie is saved as a QuickTime movie in your Movies folder, making it available in the Media pane of iDVD. The movie is self-contained (it includes all the source files). Chapter markers are not preserved, so iDVD cannot create a scene selection menu for a QuickTime movie.

Important: If you add an iMovie HD movie with chapter markers to your iDVD project, be sure that all chapter markers are placed at least two seconds before or after a transition. (You should verify this in iMovie HD before adding the movie to your project in iDVD.) Otherwise, when you use the movie in an iDVD project, you may get an error message that says, "Burning Complete, errors were found during burning process" when you try to burn the project to disc. You will be unable to burn a disc until you fix the problem.

Using iMovie with NetBoot or a network user account:

Apple does not recommend using any version of iMovie in a NetBoot environment or when logged in as a user whose home directory is stored on a remote server. iMovie requires reliable data transfer at a high rate, and network latency issues can interfere with it.

Resolution:

You could try the server-based user account (but not NetBoot) if you configured iMovie to store project data on a local volume such as /Users/Shared. However, Apple will not provide technical support for this configuration.

The best solution is to create local accounts for using iMovie, managed via preference settings in Workgroup Manager. To learn more about managed preferences for local users, see page 101 of the Mac OS X Server User Management Guide For Version 10.3.3 or later.

Copying your movie back to tape:

You can record your movie onto a tape in your camera. The time it takes to copy a standard definition movie back to tape is equal to the length of the movie.

IMPORTANT: If you are copying a high definition movie to tape, the recording time can take considerably longer than the length of the movie. iMovie HD must perform steps to encode and perform an audio mixdown before it can copy the data to tape.

If you plan to transfer your movie from tape to a videocassette or a DVD that will be played on a VCR or DVD player that uses another format (such as PAL in Europe or NTSC in North America and Japan), see "Exporting your movie for viewing in PAL or NTSC format" below.

To copy your movie back to tape:

Set your camera to VTR mode (some cameras call this VCR or Play mode) and insert a blank tape. (The tape must be at least as long as your movie.)
Connect your camera to your computer using a FireWire cable.
Choose Share > Video Camera.
Set the number of seconds of black you want to begin and end the movie.
Click the "Share selected clips only" checkbox if you only want to share clips you selected.
Click Share.

If you have trouble recording back to your camera, check to see if your tape is write-protected. Or, you may have a PAL device that has FireWire input disabled. Contact the device manufacturer for more information.

Using Bluetooth wireless technology to share movies:

You can use Bluetooth wireless technology to transfer movies wirelessly to other computers, mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and more. To send a movie to a Bluetooth device from iMovie HD, the device must be compliant with the Third Generation Partnership Program (3GPP) and have an appropriate video application that can display movies.

To set up your Bluetooth device, use Bluetooth Setup Assistant, located in /Applications/Utilities. For more information about Bluetooth technology, choose Help > Mac Help in the Finder, and search for Bluetooth.

Choose Share > Bluetooth.
If you only want to send clips you selected in the timeline viewer or clip viewer, select the "Share selected clips only" checkbox. Don't select this box if you want to send the whole movie.
Click Share to compress the movie.
Choose the type of device from the Device Type pop-up menu and a category of device from the Device Category pop-up menu.
Click Search if you want to search for available Bluetooth devices.
Click a device in the Device window, and then click Select.

To view your movie on a Bluetooth device, check the documentation that came with the device. Usually there is a way to choose the file from a menu, which will then automatically open the video application and play the movie.

For more information about Bluetooth technology, visit Apple's Bluetooth website.

Sending your movie as an email attachment:

You can email a compressed, QuickTime version of your movie to family and friends.

To send your movie as an email attachment:

Choose Share > Email.
Choose the email application you want to use from the pop-up menu.
If you want, type a new name for the movie you're sending.
If you only want to share clips you selected, click the "Share selected clips only" checkbox.
Click Share. iMovie opens a New Message window in your email application with the QuickTime movie attached.
Enter an address, a subject line, and the text of the message, then click Send.

IMPORTANT: If you send a movie that has a large file size, it will take longer for people to download it. It's a good idea to limit the size of the movie you send.

Saving your movie as a QuickTime movie:

When you save your movie in QuickTime format, you can play it on computers or publish it on a webpage, a CD, or your iDisk.

When you export your movie to QuickTime, you can choose one of these settings:

Email: Best for sending over email.
Web: Best for playing on the web.
Web Streaming: Best for posting on a QuickTime streaming web server.
CD-ROM: Best for playback from CD-ROM drives.
Full Quality: Creates a movie with original quality, preserving the most data possible. Use for movies you want to import into other applications, such as iDVD, DVD Studio Pro, or Final Cut Pro, for further editing.
Expert Settings: Use when you want to customize your export or use other formats and codecs.

Important: The viewer needs QuickTime 7 or later to watch your QuickTime movie.

To save your movie as a QuickTime movie:

Choose Share > QuickTime.
Choose a movie format from the pop-up menu.
Click the "Share selected clips only" checkbox if you only want to share clips you selected.
Click Share.
Name your movie, select a location for the file, and click Save.

The time it takes to save the movie depends on the movie's length and the format you choose.

Adjusting the playback quality of your movie:

iMovie HD automatically displays your movie at high quality if the speed of your computer processor allows. As a rule, you shouldn't adjust the playback quality unless you are experiencing problems with playing your movie.

When adjusting playback quality, you can choose one of three settings: Standard, High, or Highest. You may want to display your project in iMovie HD at highest quality if you have a fast hard disk, an upgraded video card, or a very simple project. You may want to choose standard quality if you have a very complex project that skips or stutters when you play it.

To adjust the playback quality of your movie:

Choose iMovie HD > Preferences.
Click Playback.
Select Standard, High, or Highest.

Note: Adjusting the playback quality doesn't affect the quality of your stored movie or your shared movie; these are always at high quality.

Using a TV monitor with iMovie HD:

You can direct iMovie HD to play your movie on a TV monitor connected to your computer to see how it will look. You can edit on the TV screen and preview your editing changes to see how video footage, titles, effects, and transitions will look. To connect a TV monitor to your computer, see the manual that came with your computer for requirements and connection instructions.

Note: You cannot use this feature with high definition video, MPEG-4, or iSight projects. Some operations, such as previewing effects, transitions, themes, and titles, will work more slowly when this feature is enabled.

To set iMovie HD to play a movie on a TV monitor connected to your computer:

Choose iMovie HD > Preferences.
Click Playback.
Select the "Play DV project video through to DV camera."

Using the preview controls:

Before you add a transition, title, effect, or theme element to your movie or the Ken Burns effect to a photo, you can use the preview controls to see how it will look.

To use the preview controls:

Click the Play button (A) to play and pause the preview.
Click the Loop button (B) to make the preview repeat automatically upon completion.
Drag the Preview playhead (C) to display a specific frame in the preview.
Click the Hide Preview button (D) to leave preview mode and display your movie in the iMovie monitor.
Click the Apply button (E) to add the transition, title, effect, theme element, or photo to your movie. (The item is added where the playhead is positioned in the clip or timeline viewer.)

Playing your movie so that it fills the whole computer screen:

To better see the details in your movie, you can play it so that it fills the whole computer screen. This is called "full-screen playback."

To use full-screen playback:

Click the Play Full Screen button (shown above).
Click anywhere in the movie to stop it from playing and leave full-screen view.

Adjusting the playback quality of your movie:

iMovie HD automatically displays your movie at high quality if the speed of your computer processor allows. As a rule, you shouldn't adjust the playback quality unless you are experiencing problems with playing your movie.

When adjusting playback quality, you can choose one of three settings: Standard, High, or Highest. You may want to display your project in iMovie HD at highest quality if you have a fast hard disk, an upgraded video card, or a very simple project. You may want to choose standard quality if you have a very complex project that skips or stutters when you play it.

To adjust the playback quality of your movie:

Choose iMovie HD > Preferences.
Click Playback.
Select Standard, High, or Highest.

Note: Adjusting the playback quality doesn't affect the quality of your stored movie or your shared movie; these are always at high quality.

Showing more detail in the timeline viewer:

Depending on the length of a movie and its individual clips, it may be difficult to edit if the clips appear too small or too large in the timeline viewer. If a clip icon is too large, it may be difficult to reposition; if it's too small, it may be difficult to select, edit, and move accurately. You can adjust the size of clips in the timeline viewer, making them larger or smaller when needed.

To adjust the size of clips in the timeline viewer:

Click the Timeline Viewer button (shown above).
Drag the size slider.

Removing transitions, titles, and effects:

You can easily remove any transition, title, or effect that you've added to your movie.

To remove a transition, title, or effect, do one of the following:

To remove a title or effect, select the clip or clips that contain the title or effect you want to remove in the clip viewer or timeline viewer.
To remove a transition, select the transition's icon (shown above) in the clip viewer or timeline viewer.
If you want to select all your transitions at once, select a transition and choose Edit > Select Similar Clips.
Press the Delete key.

Note: When you remove a title or effect from a clip, you restore the clip to how it looked before you added the title or effect. If a clip was split in two when you added the title to it, iMovie merges the clips back together when the title is removed.