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Like Magic! Easy Editing With iMovie Magic Movie

By Gretchen Siegchrist Gretchen Siegchrist Writer New York University Suffolk University Gretchen Siegchrist is a professional videographer who enjoys helping amateurs master the basics of desktop video. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on February 11, 2020 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Design Animation & Video 3D Design Graphic Design "Magic Movies" are a recent feature seen in consumer video editing software, and the latest version of iMovie is no exception. 01 of 10

Open iMovie

Before you begin, connect your camcorder to your computer so that it is ready to import video. Open iMovie on your computer, and select “Make a Magic iMovie”. You will then be prompted to name and save your project. 02 of 10

Choose Your Magic Movie Settings

After you’ve saved your iMovie Magic Movie, a window will open allowing you to make the appropriate selections that will help iMovie put together your project. 03 of 10

Give Your Movie a Title

In the “Movie title” box enter the title for your iMovie Magic Movie. This title will appear at the start of the video. 04 of 10

Tape Control

The iMovie Magic Movie is so hands off that you don’t even need to rewind the tape before starting to make the movie! The computer will do it for you if you check the “Rewind tape” box. If you only want to use part of a tape in the Magic iMovie, select the length that you want the computer to record. If you don’t select this box, it will record to the end of the tape. 05 of 10

Transitions

iMovie will insert transitions between the scenes in your Magic iMovie. If you have a preferred transition, select it. Or, you can select random to get an assortment of transitions throughout your Magic iMovie. 06 of 10

Music

If you want music in your Magic iMovie, make sure the “Play a soundtrack” box is checked, then click “Choose Music…” 07 of 10

Select the Soundtrack For Your Movie

In the window that opens, you can browse through sound effects, Garage Band music, and your iTunes library to choose a soundtrack for your video. Drag the chosen files to the box on the right. You can choose multiple songs to use in your iMovie. If the video runs longer than the chosen songs, the run-over video will not have any music playing under it. If your songs run longer than the video, the music will stop when the video does. 08 of 10

Music Settings

After selecting the songs for your iMovie Magic Movie, you can control the volume at which they'll play. Your options are: “Soft Music,” “Full Volume Music” or “Music Only.” “Soft Music” will play subtly in the background of the video, making it easy to hear the audio from the original footage. “Full Volume Music” will play loudly and will compete with the original audio. The “Music Only” setting will only play your selected songs, and will not include any of the original audio from the tape in the final Magic iMovie. All of the songs must use the same music setting. When you’re done, click OK. 09 of 10

DVD

If you want the project to go straight to DVD after it is created by the computer, select the “Send to iDVD” box. If you don’t select this box, the Magic iMovie will open in iMovie, and you’ll have the chance to view it and make any necessary editing changes. 10 of 10

Create Your iMovie Magic Movie

When you’ve adjusted all of the settings, click “Create” and let your computer start its magic! Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Create an iMovie Project How to Import Video to iMovie How to Add Text to a Movie in iMovie 10 Editing Video Clips in Windows Movie Maker Tutorial for Adding Music and Fade Effects in iMovie 11 Using Titles in iMovie 10 How to Splice and Edit Video on the iPad Transitions and Effects in iMovie 10 14 Best Places to Listen to Free Music Online How to Identify Songs in YouTube Videos Start Editing an iMovie Project How to Watch Movies on YouTube How to Sync Movies to Your iPad How to Watch Movies on iPhone 14 Best Places to Get Free Music Downloads Legally How to Add Music to TikTok Videos Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies