Crop Clips In IMovie On Mac - Apple Support (CA)

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iMovie Table of Contents

iMovie User Guide

• Welcome
• What is iMovie?
• Get started with iMovie
  • The first time you open iMovie
  • Add media from your photo library
  • Other ways to import media
    • Import from iPhone or iPad
    • Import from file-based cameras
    • Import from tape-based cameras
    • Record video into iMovie
    • Import media from your Mac
  • Play or skim video
  • Sort and search for clips
  • Rate clips
• Create movies
  • Create a new movie project
  • Work with projects
  • Add or change a movie theme
  • Select clips
    • Select clips
    • Select part of a clip
  • Add clips
  • Trim clips
  • Move and split clips
  • Adjust Cinematic mode video clips
  • Add and modify transitions
    • Add transitions
    • Modify transitions
    • Turn off automatic transitions
  • Add and edit titles
    • Add titles
    • Modify titles
  • Add maps and backgrounds
  • Add music and sound clips
    • Add music and sound clips
    • Record a voiceover
    • Add audio from a video clip
    • Change audio volume
    • Fade audio
    • Correct and enhance audio
    • Add audio effects
• Create trailers
  • Create a new trailer project
  • Add video
  • Add titles
  • Convert a trailer to a movie
• Add video effects
  • Automatically enhance clips
  • Adjust a clip’s color
  • Crop and rotate clips
    • Crop clips
    • Rotate clips
    • Add the Ken Burns effect
    • Modify crop, rotation, or Ken Burns effects
  • Stabilize shaky clips
  • Add video effects
  • Add freeze frames
  • Create effects with multiple clips
    • Create a cutaway effect
    • Create a green-screen effect
    • Create a split-screen effect
    • Create a picture-in-picture effect
    • Change the connected clip effect
  • Change clip speed
  • Add an instant replay
  • Copy effects between clips
• Share video clips and projects
  • Email a movie, trailer, or clip
  • Share to social platforms
  • Export an image
  • Export a movie, trailer, or clip as a file
  • If you’re looking for iMovie Theater
• Create app previews
  • Create an app preview
  • Edit app preview titles
  • Export an app preview
• Work smarter
  • Customize iMovie
    • Change iMovie settings
    • Change project settings
    • Change the window layout
    • Adjust clip appearance
  • Organize your media
    • Organize media and events
    • Lines marking event clips
    • Work with multiple libraries
    • Consolidate projects and events
    • Locate source files for clips
  • Update projects from earlier versions
  • Import projects created on iPhone or iPad
  • Send projects to Final Cut Pro
  • Memory cards and cables
  • Keyboard shortcuts and gestures
    • Intro to keyboard shortcuts
    • Keyboard shortcuts
    • Multi-Touch gestures
    • Force Touch trackpad gestures
• Copyright

You can crop photos, freeze frames, and video clips in your movies to get a close-up of a subject of interest, or to eliminate unwanted areas.

Cropping is also useful if you have photos or video clips that don’t fit within your movie’s aspect ratio (for example, if you have footage converted from an old standard-definition video camera that you want to mix with high-definition footage from today’s cameras). In such cases, you can crop the photos or video clips so that they fit.

Crop a clip or photo in the timeline

1. In the iMovie app on your Mac, select a clip or photo in the timeline.

2. To show the cropping controls, click the Cropping button.

   

3. Click the Crop to Fill button.

   An adjustable frame appears on top of the clip in the viewer.

   Note: This frame is constrained to a 16:9 aspect ratio.

   

4. Move and resize the frame until you’re satisfied with the result.

5. To apply the crop, click the Apply button in the cropping controls.

   The area within the crop frame fills the viewer.

   To reset all crop and rotation adjustments, click the Reset button.

   If you applied a crop to the clip in the browser before adding the clip to the timeline, that crop is reset as well.

   Tip: To quickly get back to the original source clip in the browser, press Shift-F.

Crop a clip or photo in the browser

You can crop a clip or photo in the browser, before adding it to your movie.

1. In the iMovie app on your Mac, select a clip or photo in the browser.

2. To show the cropping controls, click the Cropping button.

   

3. Click the Crop button.

   

   An adjustable frame appears on top of the clip in the viewer.

   

4. Move and resize the frame until you’re satisfied with the result.

5. To apply the change, click the Apply button in the cropping controls.

   To reset all crop and rotation adjustments, click the Reset button.

Restore a clip’s original aspect ratio

If you add 4:3 standard-definition video to a 16:9 high-definition project, iMovie automatically crops the video to fit the full 16:9 frame. You can restore the clip’s original 4:3 frame.

1. In the iMovie app on your Mac, select a clip or photo in the browser or timeline whose aspect ratio you want to restore.

2. To show the cropping controls, click the Cropping button.

   

3. Click the Fit button.

   The clip’s original aspect ratio is restored.

   Note: If you restore a clip that has a 4:3 aspect ratio, black bars appear to the left and right of the clip.

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