Tutorial for Adding Music and Fade Effects in iMovie 11 Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Software & Apps > Design

How to Add Music and Fade-in and Fade-out Effects in iMovie 11

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 May 29, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Design Animation & Video 3D Design Graphic Design

What to Know

Fade: Menu > Preferences > Show Advanced Tools > click Waveform Editor to display music and audio.Music: Click music note icon > drag song into timeline. Click i button to open Audio Inspector and adjust volume. This article explains how to add music and fade-in and fade-out effects in iMovie 11. 01 of 05

How to Fade-In and Fade-Out Music

Turn on the advanced tools by going to Menu > Preferences > Show Advanced Tools. This will give you access to the Waveform Editor, which appears at the bottom of the Project Browser window as a button with a squiggly waveform image on it. Click the Waveform Editor button to display the music and audio in your video clip.
In the Waveform Editor timeline, position the pointer over the audio clip. This will bring up the fade handles. Drag the fade handle to the points in the timeline where you want the music fade to start, and then drag the handle to the point you want the music fade to stop. If you drag the handle to the beginning of the clip, you will get a fade-in, while dragging to the end will create a fade-out. 02 of 05

How to Add Music in iMovie 11

In iMovie, you can access music and sound effects by clicking on the music note in the center-right part of the screen. This will open up the iMovie music and sound effects library, where you can access your iTunes library, Garage Band songs, as well as music and sound effects from iMovie and other iLife applications. You can sort music by song title, artist, and song length. You can also use the search bar to find particular songs. 03 of 05

How to Add Background Music to a Project in iMovie 11

When you've selected a song, drag it from the music library to the timeline. If you want the song as background music for the entire video, drop not on a clip but on the gray background of the project editor window. 04 of 05

How to Add Music to Part of a Project in iMovie 11

If you only want the song included for part of the video, drag it to the spot in the sequence where you want it to begin. The musical track will appear underneath the video clips. Once it is placed in a project, you can still move the song by clicking and dragging it elsewhere in the timeline.​ 05 of 05

How to Edit Music With the Audio Inspector

Open the Audio Inspector either by clicking on the i button in the middle bar of iMovie or by clicking on the tool wheel in the music clip. In the Audio Inspector, you can adjust the volume of the song in your iMovie project. Or, with the Ducking button, adjust the volume of the other clips that play at the same time as the song. The Enhance and Equalizer tools can be used in a song, but usually aren't necessary for professionally recorded music. The Clip Inspector in the other tab in the Audio Inspector window offers tools for adjusting the song's volume and adding audio effects to it. 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 Splice and Edit Video on the iPad Transitions and Effects in iMovie 10 How to Create an iMovie Project Editing Video Clips in Windows Movie Maker The 7 Best Music Editors of 2022 How to Burn Music to CDs in iTunes How to Add Text to a Movie in iMovie 10 How to Add Music to TikTok Videos 4 Best Free Video Editors for YouTube in 2022 Create an iMovie Magic Movie with Titles & Transitions How to Add Music to a Facebook Story How to Play Music on Twitch Start Editing an iMovie Project iMovie 10 Video-Editing Tools How to Speed up and Slow Down Clips in Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 How to Import Video to iMovie 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