Add video overlay effects in iMovie on iPhone
In movie projects, you can add video clips and photos as overlays, which appear on top of the main clip in the timeline. Overlays can be arranged in the same way as any other clip. There are four overlay options:
Cutaway: Adds the clip so that, during playback, the movie “cuts away” from the main clip in the timeline and shows the cutaway clip instead. The audio of the main clip is still heard.
Picture in Picture: Adds the clip so that, during playback, the clip appears in a smaller window, superimposed on the main clip in the timeline.
Split Screen: Adds the clip so that, during playback, the clip appears next to the main clip in the timeline. By default, the two clips appear side by side, equal in size, but you can swap the orientation of the clips so that one clip appears above the other.
Green/Blue Screen: Adds the clip so that, during playback, the clip appears with the green-screen or blue-screen parts of the clip removed, and the remaining parts of the clip are superimposed on the main clip in the timeline.
Use the viewer controls to adjust how your cutaway, picture-in-picture, split-screen, or green-screen or blue-screen clips appear during playback.
Add a video clip or photo as an overlay
In the iMovie app
on your iPhone, open a movie project.Scroll the timeline so that the playhead (the white vertical line) appears where you want to add the overlay clip.
Tap the Add Media button
, then do one of the following:Add a video clip: Tap Video, tap to select a video category, then tap a video.
Add a photo: Tap Photos or Albums, tap an album, then tap a photo.
Tap the More button
, then tap an overlay option.
Adjust video overlay effects
In the iMovie app
on your iPhone, open a movie project.Tap to select the overlay clip in the timeline.
The overlay clip becomes outlined in yellow, and additional controls appear in the viewer.
Do any of the following:
Reposition or resize a picture-in-picture clip in the viewer: Tap the Position Control button
, then drag to reposition the overlay clip or pinch to resize it.Remove or add a border around a picture-in-picture clip in the viewer: Tap the Border button
.Swap the orientation of split-screen clips in the viewer: Tap the Swap button
.Remove or add a line between split-screen clips: Tap the Line button
.Set the viewing area within the clip: Tap the Zoom Control button
, then pinch to zoom and position the viewing area within the overlay clip.Change the amount of green or blue removed from a green-screen or blue-screen clip: Tap the Adjust button
, then drag the Strength slider left or right.Choose a different color to be removed by the Green/Blue Screen effect: Tap Reset, then tap a color in the clip.
Automatically select the blue or green color to be removed by the Green/Blue Screen effect: Tap Reset, then tap Auto.
Exclude parts of a green-screen or blue-screen clip overlay: Tap the Mask button
, then drag the corners.Reset all adjustments: Double-tap the Zoom Control button
, or tap Reset.
To preview your adjustments, tap the Play button
.
Change the overlay type
After you add an overlay to a project, you can change the overlay to a different type.
In the iMovie app
on your iPhone, open a movie project.Tap to select the overlay clip in the timeline.
The overlay clip becomes outlined in yellow, and additional controls appear in the viewer.
Tap the Overlay button
, then tap the overlay type you want to change to.