To see a short preview of your edit:
m
Make sure your pointer is placed at the point where you’ve made the edit, and then
do one of the following:
 Press the left bracket key ([) to play one second of video ahead of where the
pointer is placed, and one second beyond. If the pointer is resting within a
selected frame range, the pressing the left bracket key will play only one second
of video, either starting at the beginning of the selection or finishing at the end
of the selection, depending on which side of the selection the pointer is nearer
to.
 Press the right bracket key (]) to play three seconds of video ahead of where the
pointer is placed and three seconds beyond. If the pointer is resting within a
selected frame range, the pressing the right bracket key will play only three
seconds of video, either starting at the beginning of the selection or finishing at
the end of the selection, depending on which side of the selection the pointer is
nearer to.
For additional keyboard shortcuts that can help you work more efficiently, search for
“keyboard shortcuts” in iMovie Help.
Chapter 2
Learn iMovie
39
To add a transition between two clips:
1
Choose Window > Transitions, or click the Transitions button in the iMovie toolbar.
In the Transitions pane, you can preview the available transition styles by letting the
pointer rest over each one.
2
Select the transition you want and drag it between two clips in your iMovie project.
A black transition icon appears.
To preview the transition in your project:
m
Double-click anywhere in the clip just in front of the transition to play through it,
or skim through it by dragging the pointer across the transition as quickly or slowly as
you want.
If you don’t like the way it looks, you can drag another transition over it to replace it,
or delete it and add a different transition at any time.
To delete a transition:
m
Select the black transition icon, and then press the Delete key.
Try out different transitions to see how they look at different points in your project.
To close the Transitions pane:
m
Click the Transitions button in the iMovie toolbar.
The length of time between one clip and the next through a transition is called the
transition’s duration. A transition can never have a duration that’s greater than half the
duration of the shorter clip on either side of it. So, for example, if you have a transition
between one clip that’s four seconds long, and another that’s six seconds long, the
transition cannot be more than two seconds long.
By default, all the transitions in your project are set to one half of one second. You can
change the duration of transitions in the project properties window or by choosing
Edit > Set Duration. For more details, search for “transition duration” in iMovie Help.
You can also have iMovie automatically insert the same transition between every clip in
your project. To learn more about this, search for “automatic transitions” in iMovie Help.
Transition icon
40
Chapter 2
Learn iMovie