Shooting and editing a movie is now easier than ever, and you no longer need expensive equipment and software to create a flick that the whole family can enjoy. In this tutorial, I will show you how to create and edit a short movie with iMovie and then share it with your friends and family via social media.
Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jan 23, 2014 • 7 min readShooting and editing a movie is now easier than ever, and you no longer need expensive equipment and software to create a flick that the whole family can enjoy.
In this tutorial, I will show you how to create and edit a short movie with iMovie and then share it with your friends and family via social media.
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Even if you have your own footage for your video, it's sometimes useful to include extra stock footage. For a business video, for example, you could use this footage of people working in a call center. Or you could use this fire footage as a metaphor for energy, power, danger, or whatever else fits with your video.
You can include all kinds of effects in your video, from infographics to overlays and more. Check out all the options on Envato Market.
Sometimes you just need an image to slot into your video at a particular time. Envato Market has thousands of stock images to illustrate everything from food to health, technology and more.
iMovie is a video editing application developed by Apple. With iMovie, you can import images, video and audio to create professional-looking movies at a fraction of the cost of a Hollywood blockbuster.
Marketed as part of iLife ’13 along with iPhoto and GarageBand, the latest iteration of iMovie is currently available to purchase for £10.49 in the App Store, and comes free of charge with every Mac purchased after 1st October 2013.
First, I'll show you how to create a new iMovie project and help you choose a theme.
Click Create.
Click Movie.
Choose a theme. Every Apple-designed theme includes an opening title, end title and a transition between each clip to give your movie a professional finish. For the purpose of this tutorial, however, I have chosen No Theme in order to demonstrate exactly what iMovie is capable of.
Next, I will show you how to import image, audio and video into iMovie.
Click Import Media.
Highlight the file(s) you wish to import and then click Import Selected. Importing may take several minutes depending on the size of each file.
Imported media is stored in your iMovie library, ready to be inserted into your timeline.
Your iMovie timeline is where you will piece together your movie, clip by clip. Once you have decided on a basic premise for your movie, you can begin to insert your imported media into your timeline in the correct sequence.
I am going to create a movie about Archie, a scruffy-looking terrier cooling off on a hot summer's day at the animal shelter where he resides.
Consult the Preview window located in the right-hand corner of the screen to preview imported media and the movie that you are creating.
Select and highlight the media you would like to insert into your movie.
Drag and drop your chosen media into your timeline.
Media inserted into your timeline is identified by an orange line running along the bottom of each clip in your library.
Here, I will demonstrate how to remove pre-existing audio from your movie and then mask it with a soundtrack of your own.
Right-click the clip and then select Detach Audio.
As you can see, the detached audio is now displayed directly below your inserted media.
Highlight the detached audio and then press the Delete key on your keyboard.
Click iTunes to display the contents of your iTunes library.
Drag and drop your chosen audio into your timeline and adjust the length of the track to suit your movie.
Introduce your creation to your audience by adding an opening title. An opening title can be placed directly over a video clip or background of your choice.
Click Maps & Backgrounds.
Select and highlight a background. I have chosen Curtain.
Drag and drop your chosen background into your timeline.
Click Titles.
Select and highlight a title style. I have chosen Drifting.
Drag and drop your chosen title style into the beginning of your timeline.
Double-click the title element to edit the text, font and size.
Adding a transition between clips ensures that each one merges seamlessly into the next to avoid appearing choppy.
Click Transitions.
Select and highlight a transition. I have chosen Cross Dissolve, Spin In, Circle Open, Ripple and Cross Blur.
Drag and drop your chosen transition into your timeline and then repeat for each additional transition.
Close your creation with an end title listing the cast of people starring in your movie. Like opening titles, an end title can be placed directly over a video clip or background of your choice.
Click Maps & Backgrounds and then select and highlight a background. I have chosen Black.
Drag and drop your chosen background into the end of your timeline.
Click Titles and then select and highlight a title style. I have chosen Scrolling Credits. Drag and drop your chosen title style into the end of your timeline.
Double-click the title element to edit the text, font and size.
iMovie includes a whole host of sound effects for you to choose from, such as Dogs Barking, Door Squeak, Pinball Machine and more.
Click Sound Effects.
Select and highlight a sound effect. I have chosen Bubbles.
Drag and drop your chosen sound effect into your timeline. Gradually fade out your sound effect and accompanying audio by dragging the Fade Handle to the point in the clip where you want the fade to begin.
Click the Volume icon to adjust the volume of your sound effect and then move the slider until satisfied.
iMovie includes a number of features designed to automatically improve the appearance of your movie.
Click Enhance to enhance the Colour Correction, Colour Balance and Volume of your movie.
Highlight a video clip, click Adjust and then Stabilisation to stabilise shaky video. Move the slider up or down to adjust the amount of stabilisation needed.
Once you have finished editing your movie, you are ready to share it with friends and family.
Click Share.
Select an option from the menu and then follow the on-screen instructions. I have chosen to share my movie via YouTube.
How to Create a Movie From Start to Finish With iMovie
In this tutorial, I have shown you how to create a short movie with iMovie and share it with your friends and family. Are you unsure about anything in particular? If so, leave a comment below.
