Trim clips in iMovie on Mac You can fine-tune the duration of a clip in your movie by moving the clip's start point or end point, or by changing the duration of a range selection. Fine-tuning start and end points and changing clip durations is called trimming. Extend or shorten a clip in the timeline by dragging.
- Open the iMovie on the Mac, and click the 'Project' tab and continue to select 'Create New' 'Movie' from the pop-up. Select 'File' 'Import Media' to import the video file you want to cut into the iMovie.
- Sep 09, 2019 You can move the playhead in your movie Timeline and then trim an audio clip to that exact spot. Once you move the playhead, do one of the following. Click Modify Trim to Playhead from the menu bar. Right-click the audio clip and select Trim to Playhead in the shortcut menu.
Let's face it: iMovie's audio library kinda sucks. In this short tutorial, you'll learn how to add music to iMovie — on both Mac and iPhone — and make better videos as a result.
With iMovie, Apple offers a world of opportunity to anyone interested in making videos.
The software allows you to cut clips, add transitions, overlay titles, and much more — all for free. But if you've ever used it, you likely know that iMovie's seven-song music library is… shall we say, underwhelming?
The good news is you're not stuck with that tiny, trite collection. Adding other music to your videos in iMovie is a breeze. Let's walk through the short steps for both Mac and iOS devices now.
Recommended reading: How to Create a Quicktime Screen Recording with Audio »
1. Download music for iMovie
In a perfect world, you'd be able to add any song you want to your video. But in reality, it's usually not that straightforward.
To adhere to copyright laws, all major video platforms — including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Vimeo — enforce certain music policies. Here's YouTube's, for example.
If you violate these policies, your video may be removed or monetized through ads (to pay the copyright holders). And here's the kicker: This applies for both commercial and personal use.
So, even if you're just sharing a photo slideshow of your nephew's bar mitzvah (mazel tov!) on Facebook, your video may be removed if it contains protected music.
The simplest solution? License copyright-cleared music.
Copyright-cleared music isn't copyright-free (a common misconception). It just means it's been approved for use on various platforms. As a result, videos with copyright-cleared music don't get flagged, taken down, or penalized in any other way.
All of the music I offer on this website is copyright-cleared. So you can safely license any of my songs or — if you want to dramatically increase your musical options —become a Music for Makers Unlimited customer. When you do, you'll get instant access to hundreds of exclusive tracks that you can then import into iMovie.
But I digress.
Regardless of where you decide to source your music, go ahead and download your song of choice on your computer and open it in iTunes. (If you're going to be working on iOS and don't want to use iTunes for some reason, you can alternatively upload the file to your iCloud Drive.)
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2. Import music to iMovie
Get your music handy. It's time to bring it into iMovie and make some magic.
How to add music to iMovie on a Mac
Open your iMovie project and click the 'Audio' tab in the top left. (Make sure 'iTunes' is selected in the left panel.) You should then see your entire iTunes library. Search for the song you'd like to use — the one you just added to iTunes in the previous step.
Pro tip: On a Mac, you can also simply drag and drop audio files into iMovie's media folder (or import by clicking the down arrow button in the top left side of the window) and skip the whole iTunes bit entirely.
How to add music to iMovie on iPhone / iOS
Open your iMovie project, tap the '+' button, and select 'Audio.' On the following menu, tap 'Songs,' and then find the song you'd like to use. (Can't locate it? Make sure you've synced your iTunes library since adding the song on your computer.)
If you uploaded the song to your iCloud Drive rather than iTunes, select 'iCloud Drive' instead of 'Audio,' and navigate to the song file.
3. Add music and edit as necessary
Once you've found your song, drag it to the very bottom of the editing timeline component. (On iOS, just tap the song to have it automatically added.) This will anchor the track, ensuring it doesn't get affected by any cuts or edits you make to other audio and video files.
Now, the odds are good that your background music won't be the perfect length for your video. If it's too long, grab the right side of the track and drag left. Then, click the fade handle (i.e., the small circle on the right edge of the track — I believe this is available on the Mac version of iMovie only) and drag it left to create a fade out.
If the track is too short, you'll probably need to loop it. For tips on that, check out my beginner's guide to audio editing.
Get your groove on
Ready to add music to iMovie and make some awesome videos? License a track from our library of royalty-free, copyright-cleared music.
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iMovie is a built-in app for iOS and macOS. You can use it to edit your video in a simple way. This app is not for pro users, but it's enough for family users. Below are some useful tips for you to edit your video in iMovie.
How to cut a video in iMovie
How To Cut With Imovie X
To adjust the clip's time-length by moving the starting/ending point or changing the length of the clip is called trimming. Trimming is a way to cut a video in iMovie. Here's how…
Cut a video
How To Cut With Imovie
- Open iMovie and click the + button to create a project.
- Input your video.
- Drag the video into the timeline.
- Put the cursor in the place you want to split the video and press Command + B together. Or right-click your mouse and choose cut.
Extend, shorten or keep the same length of the clip
- Select the clip you want to change.
- Drag the edge of the clip away from it to extend the clip.
- Drag the edge of the clip to shorten the clip.
- Click inside the clip and drag left or right to change the content in the clip.
Bonus: Use a VPN to Upload your video to YouTube
VPN can not only help you bypass restrictions in your region but also reduce video buffering and help you upload faster in speed.
Most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) make a promise to users about their unlimited, high-speed internet services. While if you are an average user you will have a good internet speed. But if you're a heavy streamer, you would be affected by bandwidth throttling.
Even if you are an average user, you may meet YouTube buffering issue while watching live streams. The buffering you encounter from live steam is caused by server overload of the corresponding channel.
The two situations can be fixed with one method–get a good VPN (Virtual Private Network). Through VPN, your ISP doesn't know what you are streaming. VPN can lead you directly to the server without passing by the ISP to reduce the speed loss and avoid the restrictions. Using a VPN helps you in securing your privacy as well.
You can use the VPN you already have, if you don't have one, it's recommended to use NordVPN.
NordVPN can bypass geo-restrictions to get all add-ons desired, keeps you protected from snooping eyes, and secures your data to keep your online activity private. It's safe and easy to use!
- Download NordVPN in your device.
- Run NordVPN and open it.
- Connect to a server in a chosen location.
How To Cut A Clip With Imovie
Hope you find this post helpful. If you want to know more tips or you have suggestions, please leave your comment below.
