iMovie Basics

In this tutorial you will get started with iMovie, easy-to-use video editing software for Macintosh. iMovie comes (for free) as a part of Mac OS X. This tutorial is designed for version 6.

Start New Project

When you start iMovie, click Create New Project, choose a location and name for your project file; the project file contains all video, sound, images and editing information you use and can thus become fairly large. Video captured from a camcorder takes up 13GB per hour, so make sure to have enough space on your hard-drive.

Import Video

In order to edit video, you first need to import it from your camcorder or from your computer.

Import from Camcorder

Before you start importing any video from your camcorder, check your video import settings:

• Click on iMovie in the menu bar, choose Preferences and click on the Import tab
• Check Limit Scene Length to 3 minutes
• Close the Preferences window

This will ensure that your project file will not grow bigger than necessary.

• Make sure to have an iMovie project open
• Connect your camcorder to your Mac using a FireWire (aka IEEE-1394, iLink) cable
• iMovie will switch to the Import Mode
  
• Rewind your camcorder using the Replay Controls if necessary
  
• Click Import
• When the video you intend to edit has finished importing, click on Import again and switch iMovie to the Edit Mode.

Import from Computer

Warning: iMovie lets you import clips in different formats into one project, but may become unstable while editing such a project; if you experience problems, convert your clips to QuickTime before importing them into iMovie (using QuickTime Pro).

• Click on File > Import…
  
• Locate your clip file
• Click Open

Bring in Clips

From the right-hand (Clips) Pane, you can preview clips in your project and bring them into your movie

• Select and drag a clip from the Clips Pane to the Timeline
• The order of clips can be changed anytime by dragging clips within the Clip/Timeline View
• If you decide not to use a clip in your movie for now, you can drag it back to the Clips Pane or you can delete it if you do not plan on using it at all.

Split/Trim Clips

As you place imported clips in the timeline of your movie, you may wish to cut some parts out or just split a clip into two.

• Switch to Timeline View
  
• You may want to change the zoom level for optimal accuracy
  
• Click on the Timeline Ruler right above the clip to place the Playhead and drag it where you wish
• Go to Edit > Split Video at Playhead
• Now you can edit both parts separately (delete, move around, split…)

Transitions

Transitions can make your movie more interesting when used carefully. Use a single type of transition in one movie. Fade-outs and Fade-ins along with titles on black background add a professional look to your project.

• Click on Editing > Transitions
• Drag chosen transition between two clips
• To remove a transition, simply click on it on the timeline and press Delete

Media

Images

You can use still images in your movies from either your iPhoto library or from any folder

• For iPhoto: Go to Media > Photos and drag any image to the timeline of your movie
• For images in folders: locate the image in Finder and drag it to the timeline of your movie

Audio

In your movies you can use sound files from either your iTunes library or directly from the hard drive. iMovie allows you to work with the original soundtrack and two additional ones, that can be used to add background music and/or commentary.

• Go to Media > Audio
• For iTunes: drag any song to the Sound Track of your movie (below the Video Track)
• For sound files in folders: Simply drag the file from Finder to the Sound Track of your movie
• You can also directly record a commentary from the Audio Pane

Titles

iMovie offers many different types of titles including rolling credits.

• Go to Editing > Titles
• Place the Playhead where you want to create the title
• Select the type of title, for most purposes Centered Title is most suitable
• Type in the text of the title
• If needed, adjust the formatting and duration
• You can choose to display the title over black background by checking the Over Black checkbox
• Preview the title and click Add

Chapter Marks

If you intend to make a Video DVD out of your iMovie project (in iDVD), you need to specify where chapters start in order to ease navigation of the finished disk. Chapter marks can be linked to from the Video DVD menu and allow you to "jump" by chapter.

• Click on Chapters
• Place the Playhead where you want to delimit a chapter (this will usually be the beginning of a clip)
• Click on Add Marker

Share

There are a number of options for exporting your iMovie project, click on Share in the menu bar and try what works best for you. iDVD allows you to make a commercial-like DVD with navigation that will play on any DVD player. Keep your iMovie project if you plan on making any changes.