Working with

iMovie

North Syracuse Central School DistrictEnhancing Teaching Through Technology

December 2010

Step 1: Preparing Your IngredientsPreparing to put together an iMovie begins before you even open the iMovie application. An iMovie is made up of various ingredients (component parts) such as pictures, video and music. To make the final construction of your iMovie easier, each of these ingredients should be put into iPhoto and iTunes.

iPhoto: Importing Images from Flash Drive, U-Drive, CD/DVD

• Open iPhoto - Click YES to Location and Digital Camera screens if they appear.

• Insert CD/DVD, attach Flash Drive or open U-Drive• Find the folder or pictures you want to add to iPhoto• Click on the picture folder or picture you want to import

and drag to the large gray area of the iPhoto screen.• You can view the imported photos in either the Event

View or the Photo View. • iPhoto accepts various photo formats but iMovie

accepts jpg/jpeg and png easily.

iPhoto: Importing Video from Flash Drive, U-Drive, CD/DVD

• Click on the video clips you want to import and drag to the large gray area of the iPhoto screen.• iPhoto accepts various movie formats but iMovie accepts mpeg4/mp4 and .mov filesSO: Images/videos that you placed in iPhoto might not show up when you begin putting them in iMovie if they are the incorrect format.

iTunes: Importing Music from Flash Drive, U-Drive, CD/DVD

• Open iTunes -- The iTunes store is disabled. Do not attach an MP3 player or phone to the computer.

• Click on the music/audio clip and drag to the iTunes screen. Only drag the songs you plan on using. iTunes also has built in

SO: Some music might transfer to iTunes but will not show up in iMovie. There are proprietary restrictions on songs.

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Step 2: Creating your new iMovie Project• Open iMovie - The application window appears.

✴ If you have already imported video into iPhoto, iMovie will want to create Thumbnails of your video into the program. These thumbnails appear in the Event browser.

Project Browser: Build your iMovie into this window.

Viewer: View your iMovie as you build with graphics, video, transitions, titles and music.

Event Library: displays footage by date or event Event Browser: View all clips stored in each event

Toolbar: Runs through the middle of the window

• Go to FILE menu and select NEW PROJECT. Give your movie a title.

• Follow your teachers directions on Choosing a Theme or None and whether to click off Automatically add a particular transition.

• If you add a theme you will not be able to add transitions manually.

• Click CREATE

Your project can include various forms of media such as photos, scanned items, video clips, movies, music, sound effects and voice over.

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Step 3: Adding Photos to your iMovie • Click the Camera icon in the toolbar running through the middle of your screen• iPhoto opens in the lower right part of screen.• Find your photos and drag to the Project Browser• Re-arrange your photos by clicking on a photo > a yellow

box appears > drag photo until green line appears > release mouse button

• Delete a photo > click on photo > yellow box appears click delete.

Step 4: Adding Video to your iMovie • Take a minute to look at your video clips. You can “skim” across the clips to review the footage. • Click on a clip and then press spacebar to play the

footage. Edit footage:• Click on the point you want to start deleting and drag

until you are in a place you want to keep. • A yellow highlight should appear in the selected region. Click the reject button (X) in the toolbar. • Your video is clipped/edited• DRAG video clips to the Project Browser - position or re-arrange just as photos above.

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Step 5: Adding Titles to your iMovie Titles are added between clips or on top of clips for titles, subtitles, descriptions, and identifiers • Click on a the Title (T) button in the tool bar. • Scroll the mouse pointer over theTitle to

see its effect.• Choose the right Title for your purpose. • Titles can be added between clips or

placed over a clip. • Drag the Title either between a clip and/or

on top of a clip. • When a Title is added - it appears as a blue

title above the clip. You also have the choice of changing colors or texture when you add a Title between clips.

• Add text to a Title > Double Click on the clip or title in the Project Browser > it appears in the Viewer window (upper right) TYPEIf you add a lot of text to a title the text gets smaller and might not be readable. Plan carefully.

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Step 6: Adding Transitions to your iMovie Transitions are added between the clips to make your iMovie flow smoothly.

• Click on a the Transition button in the tool bar. • Scroll the mouse pointer over the Transition to see its effect.• Drag the Transition to the space between the clip.• Add additional transitions between clips.• View your iMovie

• Click on first clip in Browser Window and touch spacebar.• Delete a transition

• Click on a transition in the Browser Window and Delete.

You want to make your iMovie look polished and smooth. Title slides and Transitions can add to your presentation. Be careful not to overdo the effects because that can distract from your content instead of enhancing it.

Step 7: Adding Music and Sound to your iMovieAdding the right sound effect or song to your iMovie adds another dimension to your iMovie so choose wisely.

• Access the music in your iTunes by clicking the music notes in the toolbar.

• First - there are built-in iMovie Sound Effects• Scroll down to find iTunes - access the music

you added. Drop the audio in the gray area in the Project Browser (do not drop on a clip)

• Music appears in green around the clips. The Music now surrounds all the clips.

Multiple Songs: A bit tricky!• Drag the music next to a clip and

release the mouse when the green screen turns into a green bar.

• You can adjust the length of the song by sliding the green music bar

• Drop another song next to another clip.Be careful not to overlap the music clips or multiple songs will play at the same time. Click on the little gear in the upper left corner of the green music bar. The Inspector screen appears with Clip and Audio controls.

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Step 8: Adding VoiceoverYou can add narration or commentary to your iMovie.

• Click on the clip where you want to begin recording• Click the Voiceover button which is a microphone• Click to start recording into the built-in

mic located at top/middle of the monitor.

• Be sure to have a script ready to read and practice reading before you begin recording.

• Click to begin > a 3-2-1 countdown > then begin recording.

• To stop - click on any key.

Step 9: Final Review• Replay your final product and make any necessary adjustments before you make that

final export..

Step 10: Share and ExportThe final step is to export the movie.

• Go to Share on the Menu Bar and select Export Movie

• Check your project name• Save to Flash Drive or U-Drive• SIze to Export > Medium• Click Export

Export USing Quick Time.• Go to Share on the Menu Bar and

select Export Using Quick Time• Check your project name• Save to Flash Drive or U-Drive• SIze to Export > Medium• Click Export

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