Keep the pointer in the middle when skimming in iMovie
05/09/2013
In iMovie, press and hold Option-Shift when skimming over a project or event to keep the pointer in the middle of the row.
Mark a video clip with a comment in iMovie
04/18/2013
In iMovie, to mark a video clip in your project with a comment, Control-click the clip, then choose "Add Comment Marker" from the pop-up menu.
Fade a clip to sepia in iMovie
04/07/2013
In iMovie, to make a clip fade to sepia, select a frame range in a Project, then choose Clip> Fade to> Sepia.
Fade a clip to black and white in iMovie
03/31/2013
In iMovie, to make a clip fade to black and white, select a frame range in a Project, then choose Clip> Fade to> Black and White.
Make title text bigger in iMovie
03/24/2013
In iMovie, when editing title text, press Command-Plus sign (+) to make the selected text bigger.
Remove all keywords from a selected clip in iMovie
03/13/2013
In iMovie, to remove all keywords from a selected clip, press 0 (zero).
Group events by month in iMovie
02/11/2013
In iMovie, to view events in your Event Library by the month the event was recorded, choose View> Group Events By Month.
Apply slow motion in iMovie
01/11/2013
In iMovie, to apply slow motion to a selected clip in the Project browser, choose Clip> Slow Motion, then choose a percentage to slow the clip.
Automatically align titles and audio clips in iMovie
12/17/2012
In iMovie, to automatically align titles and audio clips with the ends of video clips when dragging them in the Project browser, choose View> Snap to Ends.
Organize projects into folders in iMovie
12/03/2012
In iMovie, to organize projects into folders, open your Project Library, choose File> New Folder, name it, click Create, then select a project and drag it to the folder.
Speed up playback in the Event browser in iMovie
11/12/2012
In Movie, when playing an event in the Event browser, to speed up playback from 1x to 2x or 4x, press the Right Arrow key one or two times, respectively.
Move a project, Event, or Event clip to the Trash in iMovie
10/26/2012
In iMovie, to move a project in the Project Library, Event, or Event clip to the Trash, select it, then press Command-Delete.
Change the aspect ratio for a project in iMovie
10/01/2012
In iMovie, to change the aspect ratio for a selected project, choose File> Project Properties, then choose an option from the Aspect Ratio pop-up menu.
Make title text smaller in iMovie
09/17/2012
In iMovie, when editing title text, press Command-Minus sign (-) to make the selected text smaller.
Use Full Screen in iMovie
08/27/2012
When editing a movie in iMovie, press Control-Command-F to enter or exit Full Screen mode.
Open the video adjustments pane in iMovie
07/28/2012
In iMovie, after selecting a clip, press V on the keyboard to open the Video Adjustments pane of its inspector.
Play a selected event or project from the beginning in iMovie
07/17/2012
In iMovie, to play a selected event or project from the beginning, press the Backslash (\) key.
Adjust the date and time of a video clip in iMovie
06/20/2012
In iMovie, to adjust the date and time of a video clip, select it in the Event browser, then choose File> Adjust Clip Date and Time.
Change the name of a project in iMovie
06/08/2012
In iMovie, to change the name of a project, double-click its name in the Project Library, type a new name, then press Return.
Play a video clip backwards in iMovie
05/15/2012
In iMovie, to play a video clip backwards, double-click the clip in the Project browser, then select the Reverse checkbox and click Done.
Open or close the Keywords window in iMovie
04/26/2012
In iMovie, press K on your keyboard to open or close the Keywords window.
Play the next clip in your Event Library in iMovie
04/17/2012
In iMovie, when playing Event video, press the Down Arrow key to jump forward to the next clip in your Event Library.
Apply an instant replay effect in iMovie
04/09/2012
In iMovie, to apply an instant replay effect to video, select a video clip in the Project browser, then choose Clip> Instant Replay and select a percentage.
Loosen character spacing in a title in iMovie
03/17/2012
In iMovie, to loosen the space between characters in a title, select the text then press Command-Option-Right Arrow.
Open the audio adjustments pane in iMovie
02/28/2012
In iMovie, after selecting a clip, press A on the keyboard to open the Audio Adjustments pane of its inspector.
Jump forward when playing an Event video in iMovie
02/19/2012
In iMovie, press Shift-Down Arrow when playing an Event video to jump forward three seconds.
Change the duration of a transition in iMovie
02/03/2012
In iMovie, to change the duration of a transition added to a video, double-click the transition's icon in the Project browser.
Reclaim space on your hard disk in iMovie
01/16/2012
In iMovie, to reclaim space on your hard disk by moving rejected clips to the trash, choose File> Space Saver.
Split an Event in two in iMovie
01/09/2012
In iMovie, to split an Event in two, select the clip in the Event Browser where you want the divide to occur, then choose File> Split Event Before Selected Clip.
Duplicate a project in iMovie
12/27/2011
In iMovie, to duplicate a project, click the project in the Project Library to select it then choose File> Duplicate Project.
Reduce background noise in a clip in iMovie
12/16/2011
In iMovie, to reduce background noise in a clip, double-click it, then click Audio at the top of the Inspector and select "Reduce background noise by".
Combine Events in your Event Library in iMovie
11/29/2011
In iMovie, to combine Events in your Event Library, select two or more Events by Command-clicking each one, then choose File> Merge Events.
Turn off the sound in all clips in a project in iMovie
11/02/2011
In iMovie, to turn off the sound in all clips in a project, select a project clip and choose Edit> Select All, then choose Clip> Mute Clips.
Print images of video clips in a project in iMovie
08/29/2011
In iMovie, to print images of video clips as they currently appear in a project, click anywhere in the project then choose File> Print Project.
Jump back when playing an Event video in iMovie
08/17/2011
In iMovie, press Shift-Up Arrow when playing an Event video to jump back three seconds.
Convert a movie trailer into a project in iMovie
06/16/2011
In iMovie '11, to convert a movie trailer into a standard, editable project, open the trailer and choose File> Convert to Project.
Use a larger font in the Project and Event Library list in iMovie
05/17/2011
In iMovie, to increase the font size used in your Project and Event Library list, choose iMovie> Preferences> Browser> Use large font in Project Library and Event Library.
Tighten character spacing in a title in iMovie
04/29/2011
In iMovie, to tighten the space between characters in a title, select the text then press Command-Option-Left Arrow.
Apply the same adjustments to multiple clips in iMovie
04/18/2011
In iMovie, copy an edited project clip then select another clip and choose Edit> Paste Adjustments, to apply the copied clip's audio and video adjustments to it.
Duplicate a video clip in an iMovie project
04/07/2011
In iMovie, to duplicate a video clip in the Project browser, Option-click the clip and drag it where you want the copy to appear.
Reveal the source event for a clip in iMovie
03/30/2011
In iMovie, Control-click a clip in a Project and select "Reveal in Event Browser", to go to its original source video in Events.
Analyze video for the presence of people in iMovie '11
03/17/2011
In iMovie '11, to analyze video for the presence of people, select an Event then choose File> Analyze Video> People.
Display the duration of every clip in iMovie
02/27/2011
In iMovie, to display the duration of every clip in an Event or Project, choose iMovie> Preferences> Browser> Always show clip durations.
Play a frame range or a clip in a loop in iMovie
02/20/2011
In iMovie '11, to play a frame range or a clip in a loop, select it in the Project or Event browser and choose View> Loop Selection.
Add an audio effect to a clip in iMovie
02/13/2011
In iMovie '11, to add an audio effect (Robot, Echo, Multi-Tune, etc.) to a clip, double-click the clip then press the Audio Effect button in its inspector window.
Specify team info for the Sports theme in iMovie
02/06/2011
In iMovie ’11 projects using the Sports theme, to specify your team's info (player names, stats, player photos, team logos, etc.), choose Window> Sports Team Editor.
Fade a clip to dream in iMovie
01/29/2011
In iMovie, to make a clip fade to dream, select a frame range in a Project, then choose Clip> Fade to> Dream.
Keep black borders when cropping still images in iMovie
12/28/2010
When cropping a still image in iMovie '11, click the "Allow Black" button in the Viewer window to keep black borders in images when cropped.
Quickly add content to iMovie '11 directly from the Finder
12/19/2010
To add content to iMovie '11 directly from the Finder, drag and drop it into ~/Movies/iMovie Events/iMovie Drop Box, then reopen iMovie.
Change the default duration for still clips in an iMovie project
12/10/2010
To change the default duration for all stills in an iMovie project, double-click any still and enter a duration, then select "Applies to all stills".
Organize event clips in iMovie by the day they were recorded
12/02/2010
In iMovie, to organize clips within the Event Browser by the day each clip was recorded, choose View> Show Separate Days in Events.
Duplicate the last title created in an iMovie '11 project
11/22/2010
In an iMovie '11 project, to duplicate the last title created so that it can be reused elsewhere in the same project, choose Clip> Duplicate Last Title.
Play a clip when double-clicked on in the iMovie browser
10/18/2010
To set iMovie to play, not edit, a clip when double-clicked on in the browser, choose iMovie> Preferences> Browser, and set "Double click to" to Play.
Add a still frame from an iMovie event to the project timeline
09/26/2010
To add a still frame from an iMovie event clip to the project timeline, Control-click the event's frame and choose "Add Still Frame to Project" from the menu.
Place a title over a background in an iMovie project
09/19/2010
To place a title over a colored background in iMovie, drag and drop the title before the start, after the end, or in between clips in the project timeline.
Set the start and end location for maps in iMovie
09/09/2010
To set the start and end location for a map placed into the timeline of an iMovie '09 project, double click it to show its Inspector.
Freeze the playhead position when panning in iMovie
08/18/2010
To freeze the position of the playhead when panning over movie clips in an iMovie '09 project, press and hold the Control key.
Trim a clip to the playhead in an iMovie project
08/09/2010
In iMovie, to trim a clip from the point closest to its nearest border, Control-click the clip in the project timeline and choose "Trim to Playhead”.
Split a clip in an iMovie project
08/02/2010
In iMovie, to split a project clip into two separate parts, Control-click on the clip where you want the split to be and select "Split Clip" from the pop-up menu.
Quickly move an iMovie project clip within the timeline
07/26/2010
When running iMovie '09 on a Mac with a multi-touch trackpad, do a 3-finger swipe across a selected project clip to move it within the timeline.
Reveal in the Finder a clip from an iMovie project
07/12/2010
In iMovie, to go to the location on your Mac where a clip in a project is stored, Control-click the clip in iMovie and choose "Reveal in Finder" from the pop-up.
Show audio ducking settings for images in iMovie
07/03/2010
When viewing the Inspector settings for an image which overlays audio in iMovie '09, press "a" to show the image's audio ducking settings.
Show iMovie projects in full-screen
06/19/2010
In iMovie '09, press Command+6 to show the currently-selected project in full-screen. To exit full-screen, press the Escape key.
Quickly add iMovie event clips to the project timeline
06/11/2010
In iMovie '09, click on an event clip to select it, then press "e" on the keyboard to automatically place the clip into the project timeline.
Show the date when events in iMovie were recorded
05/15/2010
Show the date when clips in your iMovie Event Library were recorded, via iMovie> Preferences> Browser> Show date ranges in Event list.
Extract a still image from a video frame in iMovie '09
05/05/2010
In iMovie '09, to extract a still image from a video frame, Control-click the frame in the project timeline and choose "Add Freeze Frame" from the pop-up.
Select an entire clip in the Event Library in iMovie
04/25/2010
In iMovie '09, Option-click on a clip in your Event Library to select the entire clip all at once, instead of just selecting a part of it.
Show detailed info about a clip in iMovie
04/09/2010
In iMovie '09, to show detailed info about a clip as you pass the playhead over it, choose View> Playhead Info, or press Command-Y on your keyboard.
Easily extract audio from an iMovie movie clip
03/17/2010
To separate the audio from video in a movie clip in iMovie '09, Control-click the clip and choose "Detach Audio" from the pop-up menu.
Customize the iMovie Font Panel
03/03/2010
In iMovie '09, customize the default fonts and font colors displayed in the iMovie Font Panel by changing the settings in iMovie>Preferences>Fonts.
Browse photos from a specific timeframe in iMovie
02/16/2010
In the iMovie photo browser, check on the "Show photos within" option to only display photos taken around the same time as your selected events.
Quickly adjust the Viewer window size in iMovie
02/12/2010
In iMovie '09, use the keyboard shortcut Command-8, 9, or 0 to make the Viewer (preview) window small, medium or large; or use the menu, Window>Viewer.
Adjust the duration for all photos in an iMovie project
01/21/2010
To adjust the duration of every photo in an iMovie project all at once, choose File> Project Properties> Timing then Photo Duration.
