How to Add Transitions, Effects and Titles in iMovie

Follow the steps below to add final touches to your iMovie.

Instructions

Adding Transitions

1. Locate the two clips you want to transition between.

2. Select both clips by holding down the "Shift" key and clicking on both clips.

3. Click on "Editing."

4. Click on "Transitions" at the top of the Editing window.

5. Click on a transition from the list. You will see a preview in the monitor area. You can continue to click on transitions to see previews.

6. When you find the transition you want, you can use the speed slider to adjust how long the transition will take. (The preview will adjust as you move the slider.)

7. Click "Add" when you have selected the transition and speed you want.

8. Repeat between each clip (video and/or photo) that you want to transition to.

Adding Effects

1. Click on the video clip that you want to add an effect to. (If you only want to add an effect to a portion of a movie clip, you can use the pointers to select a portion of the video. The part in yellow is the part that will have the effect applied to it.)

2. Click on "Editing."

3. Click on "Video FX" at the top of the Editing window.

4. Click on an effect from the list. You will see a preview in the monitor area. You can continue to click on effects to see previews.

5. When you find the effect you want, you can optionally use the Effect In and Effect Out sliders. (This changes the speed at which the effect fully starts and fully ends. Try different speeds to see which one you like.)

6. Click "Add" when you have selected the effect and speed you want.

7. Repeat on additional video clips as needed.

Adding Titles

1. Click on "Editing."

2. Click on "Titles" at the top of the Editing window.

3. Select a title style from the titles list. You will see a preview of the title in the monitor area.

4. Type the text you want in the text fields. Some title styles have + (add) and - (delete) so that you can add or delete extra text boxes.

5. Use the editing tools to change the size, font and color of the title text.

6. Use the speed and pause sliders to change the length of time the text stays on the screen.

7. To add a title over black, check the "Over Black" box. (Some titles cannot be used over black. The check box will be grayed out on those title types.) Drag the title from the Title's List to where you want it to appear in your movie. The clips will move out of the way.

8. To add a title over a clip (video or still), make sure the Over Black box is unchecked. Drag the title from the Title's List to the left of the clip you want the title to go over.

Tips & Warnings

• It usually is best to use fewer rather than more transitions for a smooth finished product.

• To delete a transition, click on it (from the Editing region) and press "Delete" on your keyboard.

• You also can follow the above steps to add effects to stills. However, depending on the still, the effects do not always look the same as they do on videos. If you apply an effect you don't like, use "Edit" > "Undo Apply Effect."

• Like transitions, it is best to use effects sparingly.

• To remove an effect, click on the clip that has the effect and press the "Delete" key.

• You can split your video if you want titles in a place other than the beginning.

• If the title is shorter than the clip you add it to, the clip will automatically split into two parts-the title part and the untitled part.

• To remove a title, click on the clip that has the title and press the "Delete" key.

• You might get an error that states, "The clip following the transition is too short." This means your transition is too long. You can either use the speed slider to shorter the transition or you can add time to your still clips. (You cannot add time to a video clip.)

• Your clip will have to render after you add an effect. You will see a red line on your clip as it renders. This can take several minutes depending on the effect and the length of the clip.