Posted by Gary Rosenzweig on 9/17/08.
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Gary Rosenzweig looks at how to use iWork’s Keynote program to make animated titles for use in iMovie. You can use the transitions and special effects in Keynote to build an opening sequence, and then export it as a video to import into iMovie.
Video Transcript (Click to Expand)
Hi this is Gary with MacMost Now. Are you frustrated by the very limited number of title sequences you can get out of iMovie? Well, there’s a way to use another Apple application, Keynote, to generate title sequences that you can use in iMovie. Let’s take a look.
Okay, so, in iMovie you can see there’s really only about 12 different title sequences, and you can vary them somewhat. But there’s really not very many that you can use. And it’s not very easy to create like a real set of titles for your movie. But, let’s look at Keynote. So Keynote of course is presentation software that comes with iWare. It’s a competitor for Powerpoint. So it’s got some great transitions in it. So we go ahead and create a simple set of slides that’s actually a title sequence. And we can control all sorts of things about this. So for instance, in the format bar here we can make fonts larger, we can change the color of them. Anything we want to do. We can go ahead and change the font. There we go. And we can add another slide. And we can even delete blocks, add blocks, add graphics. Like that. Now we’ve got two slides that could be an opening sequence. And then we can create a transition between the two of them. Okay, so then when we have two slides, we can go ahead and select the transition pallet here. And select an effect for the transition. So for instance here on this first slide we can effect a way for it to come in, and actually show it to us on this little preview screen. So for instance we can go ahead and do a barn door for the next thing. Or we can go ahead…shwoosh…like that. And let’s try this one here. Now when we play, it does a little effect there. We can also forget about the transition between these, and we can do individual text transition for instance. We can go ahead and do what’s called a build in and do something like flames. And now when we play it, we get a cool video technique like that. Now once you have the effect you want, you can make the sequence as long as you want, you can drag images in, you can add all sorts of builds, and different transitions. All you need to do then, at that point, is say export. File Export. And then you have Quicktime as an option. You can go ahead and do time. So the duration of each slide. Then you can go ahead and select the format. You can do full quality, large. Include the audio if you put any sound in the individual slides or not. And then you go ahead and export it. And once you’ve exported it, you now have a Quicktime movie that you can drop in to iMovie and use as your opening sequence, or closing sequence.
So here I built one. On the first frame I was able to drag the MacMost logo in there. I straightened up the font for this. And I created this second frame here as well. On the MacMost logo, I’ve actually got a transition of a comet from left to right, and then a comet from right to let. Get the most from your Mac. Then I have a transition between the two frames of confetti. And then, Mac most is going to…MacMost is going to build with a flame, and that’ll be my title sequence. So I go ahead and export it, and here’s what I end up with.
Okay so my example’s a little bit cheesy. But you get the general idea. You can use all sorts of cool transitions, fonts, layout options, in Keynote and export a really interesting opening, closing, or middle sequence for your iMove videos.
Okay, so, here’s the thing. I really would like more people to see MacMost now. And the best way to do that is to actually get a nice high ranking in iTunes. Because if you rank high in the iTunes podcast list, you’ll get more subscribers. But it’s a chicken and the egg thing. You see, in order to get a high ranking you need more subscribers in the first place. So here’s where you come in. If you’ve got friends who you think would enjoy the show and get something out of it, tell them about it. Just send them to MacMost dot com slash itunes dot html. There’s a little about the show there, and there’s a link for them to subscribe. And if I get some more subscribers to the show, then we’ll rank a little higher, and we’ll have more people watching.
Till next time, this is Gary Rosenzweig with MacMost now.
Hi this is Gary with MacMost Now. Are you frustrated by the very limited number of title sequences you can get out of iMovie? Well, there’s a way to use another Apple application, Keynote, to generate title sequences that you can use in iMovie. Let’s take a look.
Okay, so, in iMovie you can see there’s really only about 12 different title sequences, and you can vary them somewhat. But there’s really not very many that you can use. And it’s not very easy to create like a real set of titles for your movie. But, let’s look at Keynote. So Keynote of course is presentation software that comes with iWare. It’s a competitor for Powerpoint. So it’s got some great transitions in it. So we go ahead and create a simple set of slides that’s actually a title sequence. And we can control all sorts of things about this. So for instance, in the format bar here we can make fonts larger, we can change the color of them. Anything we want to do. We can go ahead and change the font. There we go. And we can add another slide. And we can even delete blocks, add blocks, add graphics. Like that. Now we’ve got two slides that could be an opening sequence. And then we can create a transition between the two of them. Okay, so then when we have two slides, we can go ahead and select the transition pallet here. And select an effect for the transition. So for instance here on this first slide we can effect a way for it to come in, and actually show it to us on this little preview screen. So for instance we can go ahead and do a barn door for the next thing. Or we can go ahead…shwoosh…like that. And let’s try this one here. Now when we play, it does a little effect there. We can also forget about the transition between these, and we can do individual text transition for instance. We can go ahead and do what’s called a build in and do something like flames. And now when we play it, we get a cool video technique like that. Now once you have the effect you want, you can make the sequence as long as you want, you can drag images in, you can add all sorts of builds, and different transitions. All you need to do then, at that point, is say export. File Export. And then you have Quicktime as an option. You can go ahead and do time. So the duration of each slide. Then you can go ahead and select the format. You can do full quality, large. Include the audio if you put any sound in the individual slides or not. And then you go ahead and export it. And once you’ve exported it, you now have a Quicktime movie that you can drop in to iMovie and use as your opening sequence, or closing sequence.
So here I built one. On the first frame I was able to drag the MacMost logo in there. I straightened up the font for this. And I created this second frame here as well. On the MacMost logo, I’ve actually got a transition of a comet from left to right, and then a comet from right to let. Get the most from your Mac. Then I have a transition between the two frames of confetti. And then, Mac most is going to…MacMost is going to build with a flame, and that’ll be my title sequence. So I go ahead and export it, and here’s what I end up with.
Okay so my example’s a little bit cheesy. But you get the general idea. You can use all sorts of cool transitions, fonts, layout options, in Keynote and export a really interesting opening, closing, or middle sequence for your iMove videos.
Okay, so, here’s the thing. I really would like more people to see MacMost now. And the best way to do that is to actually get a nice high ranking in iTunes. Because if you rank high in the iTunes podcast list, you’ll get more subscribers. But it’s a chicken and the egg thing. You see, in order to get a high ranking you need more subscribers in the first place. So here’s where you come in. If you’ve got friends who you think would enjoy the show and get something out of it, tell them about it. Just send them to MacMost dot com slash itunes dot html. There’s a little about the show there, and there’s a link for them to subscribe. And if I get some more subscribers to the show, then we’ll rank a little higher, and we’ll have more people watching.
Till next time, this is Gary Rosenzweig with MacMost now.
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Excellent show! Had no idea I could use Keynote that way in iMove.
Very useful tip, Thank you.
Like all of Gary’s video podcasts, this is a terrific tip. This one makes it possible to create amazing opening and closing title sequences giving your audience a wow reaction at the beginning and end of your iMovie masterpiece! Thanks, Gary.
Gary! Thanks ever so much… I have a BIG presentation that I have to get done in a few days. I am new to Keynote and have found the learning cure a little frustrating! For example, trying to get the whole presentation to export to Quick Time. The project would freeze-up in certain parts of the presentation. Some of the video slides would not play or they would play only for a second and then it would transition to the next slide with out playing the whole video? you have given me a new insight into how to skin this Big elephant! thanks!
Francis