Add video clips and photos in iMovie on iPhone

1. With your project open, scroll the timeline so that the playhead (the white vertical line) appears where you want to add a video clip.

   The new clip is added either before or after the existing clip, whichever is closest to the playhead.

2. Tap the Add Media button , then tap Video.

3. Tap to select a video category from the list.

4. To preview a clip before adding it to your project, tap to select the clip, then tap the Play button .

   You can also swipe left and right over a clip to manually preview it, which can help you identify exactly which part of the clip you want to use.

   If you use iCloud Photos, some media may be stored in iCloud but not on your device. If a Download button appears when you tap a clip, tap the button to download the media to your device.

5. Do one of the following:

   • Add an entire clip to your movie project: Tap the clip, then tap the Add to Project button .

   • Trim the clip before you add it: Tap the clip, drag the yellow trim handles to select just the portion of the clip you want to add, then tap the Add to Project button .

     

     You can also trim a video clip after you add it to a project.

The added portion of the clip appears in the media browser with an orange line at the bottom to indicate that it’s already being used in the project. You can use any portion of video as many times as you want in a project.

You can add photos—those in your photo library or synced to your device from your computer—to any iMovie project.

To learn how to take photos directly into iMovie, see Record video and take photos in iMovie on iPhone.

1. With your project open, scroll the timeline so that the playhead (the white vertical line) appears over the location where you want to add the photo.

   If the playhead is over a video clip, the photo is added either before or after the clip, whichever is closest to the playhead.

2. Tap the Add Media button , then tap Photos or Albums.

3. Tap an album, then tap the photo you want to add.

   Note: If you use iCloud Photos, some media may be stored in iCloud but not on your device. If a Download button appears when you tap a photo, tap the button to download the photo to your device.

   To preview a photo before adding it, touch and hold the photo until it appears in the pop-up viewer.

4. Tap the photo, then tap the Add to Project button .

The added photo appears for a duration of 3 to 6 seconds, depending on the length of the transitions that appear before and after the photo, but you can shorten or extend the duration using trim handles. A Ken Burns effect is also applied to the photo, which means the camera appears to sweep across and zoom in on the image. To adjust this effect, see Adjust zoom effects in iMovie on iPhone.