- Turn your videos into movie magic. With iMovie for iOS and macOS, you can enjoy your videos like never before. It’s easy to browse your clips and create Hollywood-style trailers and stunning 4K-resolution movies. You can even start editing on iPhone or iPad, then finish on your Mac.
- IMovie isn't installed on your iPhone or iPad by default, but you can pick up the iMovie app for free on the Apple App Store. There is a version for the iPad and iPhone, and the file size is.
Edit in iMovie on iPhone or iPad
From the first scene to the last. Whether you’re using a Mac or an iOS device.
After you add video clips and photos to the timeline of your project, you can make a clip longer or shorter, change the sequence of clips, or split a clip into two separate clips.
Make a clip shorter or longer
You can trim a video clip or a photo so it appears for a shorter or longer period of time in your project.
- With your project open, tap the video clip or photo in the timeline. A yellow highlight appears around the selected clip.
- To zoom in on the clip, pinch open in the center of the timeline. When you zoom in, you can see more detail in the clip, which can make it easier to edit.
- Drag the beginning or end of the clip to make the clip shorter or longer:
- To make the clip longer, drag the edge of the clip away from the center of the clip.
- To make the clip shorter, drag the edge of the clip towards the center of the clip.
If you can't drag the edge of the clip, there might not be additional video at the beginning or end of that clip. For example, if you added a video clip that’s 20 seconds long, you can’t make it longer than 20 seconds. It might also mean the clip is at the shortest length allowed by iMovie, which is 0.3 seconds. If you still want to change the duration of a clip, you can try slowing down or speeding up the clip.
Change the sequence of clips
You can change the sequence of clips in the timeline to change when a particular clip appears in your movie. With your project open, touch and hold the video clip or photo in the timeline until it rises off the timeline, then drag and release where you'd like the clip to appear in your project.
Split a clip into two separate clips
When you split a clip, you can adjust the duration of each section, remove unwanted sections, or add different titles to each section.
- Scroll in the timeline to position the playhead (the white line) where you want to split the clip.
- If necessary, pinch open in the center of the timeline to zoom in on the clip.
- Tap the clip, tap the actions button , then tap Split. Or tap the clip, then swipe down over the playhead on the clip, as if you were slicing through the clip with your finger.
iMovie places a None transition (also known as a cut) between the two newly created clips. You can change this transition to a cross-dissolve or other transition.
Edit in iMovie on Mac
After you add video clips and photos to the timeline of your project, you can make a clip longer or shorter, change the sequence of clips, or split a clip into two separate clips.
Make a clip shorter or longer
You can trim a video clip or a photo so it appears for a shorter or longer period of time in your movie.
- With your project open, scroll the timeline to locate the clip you want to trim.
- To zoom in on the clip, choose View > Zoom In, or press Command–Plus sign (+) or pinch the trackpad. When you zoom in, you can see more detail in the clip, which can make it easier to edit.
- In the timeline, hover your pointer over the beginning or end of the clip that you want to trim until your pointer becomes the clip trim tool . The arrows indicate which directions you can trim the clip:
- To make the clip longer, drag the edge of the clip away from the center of the clip.
- To make the clip shorter, drag the edge of the clip toward the center of the clip.
If you can't drag the edge of the clip, it means there is no additional video at the beginning or end of that clip. For example, if you added a video clip that’s 20 seconds long, you can’t make it longer than 20 seconds. It might also mean the clip is at the shortest length allowed by iMovie, which is 0.1 seconds. If you still want to change the duration of a clip, try slowing down or speeding up the clip
Add or remove frames with the clip trimmer
For more precise editing, you can use the clip trimmer to add or remove individual frames from a video clip. You can also see how much of your clip is being used in your movie.
- In the timeline, select the clip you want to trim.
- Choose Window > Show Clip Trimmer. The selected clip appears in the clip trimmer, above the timeline. The part of the clip that is visible in your movie appears between the two white lines, and the parts of your clip that don't appear in your movie are dimmed and outside the white lines.
- Hover your pointer over the line at the beginning or end of the clip until the clip trim tool appears, then make the clip longer or shorter:
- To make the clip longer by adding frames, drag away from the center of the clip.
- To make the clip shorter by removing frames, drag toward the center of the clip.
You can use a different portion of the same clip while maintaining its length in the project:
- In the clip trimmer, hover your pointer over the clip until the clip trimmer tool appears.
- Drag the selected portion of the clip left or right.
- To close the clip trimmer, Press Return.
Change the sequence of clips
You can change the sequence of clips in the timeline to change when a particular clip appears in your movie. With your project open, click the video clip or photo in the timeline, then drag the clip left or right depending on where you want the clip to appear in your movie:
- If you want the clip to appear earlier, drag the video clip to the left, then release.
- If you want the clip to appear later, drag the video clip to the right, then release.
You can also move multiple clips at once:
- Hold the Command key as you click each clip you want to select, drag a selection rectangle around the clips, or hold the Shift key as you click each clip.
- Drag the clips to a new location in the timeline.
Split a clip into two separate clips
When you split a clip, you can adjust the duration of each section, remove unwanted sections, or add different titles to each section.
- Scroll in the timeline to position the playhead (the white line) where you want to split the clip.
- If necessary, choose View > Zoom In or press Command–Plus sign (+) to zoom in on the clip.
- To split the clip, choose Modify > Split Clip or press Command–B .
After you split the clip, add a transition like a cross-dissolve between the clips.
Learn more
You can add sounds to your iMovie project—in addition to or in place of the sound recorded with your video clips—to create a fun and professional finished video.
Add sound to an iMovie project on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
You can add a variety of audio files to your iMovie project:
- Built-in soundtrack music and sound effects included with iMovie.
- Songs you've downloaded to your device in the Music app.
- Your own custom songs created in an app like GarageBand or custom sound effects stored in iCloud Drive, on your device, or in another location.
And if you want to add voiceover narration, record it right into the timeline of your iMovie project.
Add songs to iMovie on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
- With your project open in the timeline, tap the Add Media button .
- Tap Audio, then tap an option:
- To browse the built-in soundtracks, tap Soundtracks.
- To browse songs you've downloaded to your device in the Music app, tap My Music.*
- To browse songs stored in iCloud Drive or another location, tap My Music, then tap Files.
- Tap a song to preview it. You might be prompted to download the song to your device before you can preview it.
- To add the song to your project, tap the plus button next to a song. The song is added at the bottom of the project timeline, starting at the beginning of your project.
When you add a song, it automatically adjusts to fit the length of the project. You can change the length the song like you would any other clip. You can also use multiple songs in a project. For example, if you want to change the mood of the music over the course of your project, you can shorten the first song in the timeline, then place a different song after the first song.
If you add a song or other audio file that’s less than 1 minute long, it behaves the same as a sound effect in the project.
Add a sound effect in iMovie on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
With a sound effect, when you move a video clip the sound effect below it moves with the video clip, unlike songs, which are independent of video clips.
- With your project open, scroll the timeline so that the playhead (the white vertical line) appears where you want to add the sound effect.
- Tap the Add Media button , then tap Audio, then tap an option:
- Tap Sound Effect to browse the built-in sound effects.
- Tap My Music to access sound effects in your music library
- Tap Files to access songs stored in iCloud Drive or other locations.
- Tap a sound effect to preview it.
- To add a sound effect to your project, tap an effect’s plus button .
Record voiceover in iMovie on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
- With your project open, scroll the timeline so that the playhead (the white vertical line) appears over the location where you want to add your voiceover.
- Tap the Voiceover button , then tap Record. Recording begins after a three-second countdown.
- When you’re finished, tap Stop, then tap one of these options:
- To listen to the recording, tap Review.
- To keep the recording and add it to your project, tap Accept.
- To redo the recording, tap Retake.
- To delete the recording and close the recording controls, tap Cancel.
If you want to reuse a voiceover recording or browse other recordings you’ve made within iMovie, tap the Add Media button , tap Audio, tap My Music, then tap Recordings.
Adjust the volume of a clip in iMovie on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
After you add sound to your iMovie project, you can adjust the volume of audio clips to get the sound mix just right. You can also adjust the volume of video clips that were recorded with sound.
To adjust the volume of an audio or video clip, tap the clip in the timeline, tap the Volume button at the bottom of the window, then adjust the slider to increase or decrease the volume. When you turn the volume of a clip all the way down, a Mute icon appears on the clip in the timeline.
Imovie And Mac
You can also make other adjustments, such as fading the volume of the clip or changing its speed. Learn how on iPhone and iPod touch, or learn how on iPad.
Add sound to an iMovie for Mac project
In iMovie for Mac, you can drag audio files right into your timeline from the Finder. You can also use songs or other audio files from your music library and other locations using the media browser within iMovie. And if you want to add voiceover narration, record it right into the timeline of your iMovie project.
Drag audio files into the iMovie project timeline on Mac
You can drag audio files like .mp4, .mp3, .wav, and .aif files from the Finder and the Desktop right into the timeline of your iMovie project. Audio files dragged into the timeline behave differently depending on where you drag them:
- If you want an audio file to stay with a particular video clip even if you move the video clip, drag the audio file just below the video clip so a bar connecting the clips appears. Use this to add sound effects or voiceover audio that you want to connect to a specific video clip in your project, no matter where the clip is in the timeline.
- If you drag an audio file to the music well, indicated by the musical note icon in the timeline, the audio clip won’t move if you move any video clips in the timeline. Use this to add background or theme music that plays throughout the entire project.
Add music and sound effects using the iMovie browser on Mac
You can browse and add content from your music library and built-in sound effects from within iMovie.
- With your project open, click Audio at the top of the window, then choose an option:
- To access your music library, click Music (or iTunes if you’re using macOS Mojave or earlier) in the Libraries list, then browse selections.*
- To access built-in sound effects like footsteps or rain, click Sound Effects in the Libraries list.
- To preview a song or sound effect before you add it to the timeline, click the play button next to each song or sound effect. You can also select a song or sound effect, click in the waveform at the top of the media browser, then press the Spacebar to preview.
- When you’ve found the song or sound effect you like, drag it from the media browser to the timeline:
- For background or theme music for your movie, drag songs to the music well.
- To attach music or sound effects to a specific video clip, drag it under the video clip so a bar connecting the clips appears.
If you want to use a song you’ve created in GarageBand and access it from the iMovie browser, share your GarageBand project to the media browser in GarageBand.
Record voiceover in iMovie on Mac
You can record your own narration for your iMovie project without leaving the iMovie app.
Adjust the volume of a clip in iMovie on Mac
After you add video and audio to your movie, you can adjust the volume of clips and fade the audio of clips in and out.
Imovie Ios To Mac
Learn more
* If you've imported a song purchased from the iTunes Store into a project and there is no sound, or you can't import a particular song, the song is likely an iTunes Digital Rights Management- (DRM) protected music file and cannot be used in your project.