Selecting Clip Ranges In iMovie

In the past it has been tricky to select an entire clip or a range inside a clip in iMovie. With the latest version of iMovie, just clicking on a clip gives you the entire clip, and holding down the R key allows you to select a precise range from within the clip. This works in the timeline as well. The i and o keys can be used to adjust a range start and end.

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Video Transcript: One of the frustrating things about using iMovie is creating these selections. You need to select something from a clip, bring it into your Timeline, and then maybe select something in the Timeline. In the past is hasn't worked very well. You click on a clip and it kind of selects a range around where you clicked. 
Now it's all been taken care of. In the latest version 10.1.7 it's much clearer what happens when you select something. When you click a clip you get the entire clip. Notice this entire clip was selected. I click here and the entire clip is selected. There's never just a range that's selected and you've got to adjust the start and end points. 
Now you still can adjust the start and end points here to select less of the clip than the entire thing. But the keyboard shortcut that's new, that really makes things great, is just holding the r key. Hold the r key by itself and click and drag and you can select a range in any clip. So I want to select like this portion here. I click, drag, this is all with the r key being held down, and now I've got that part selected and I can drag it in. 
The same thing works in the Timeline. So let me drag this clip here in the Timeline and I'll select and drag this clip here in the Timeline. Now if I click this clip in the Timeline the entire thing is selected. But if I hold the r key down, click and drag I'm selecting an exact range. This is much nicer to use. You really know what you're going to get when you start making a selection. You get the whole thing by clicking. You get a selection by holding the r key for range and dragging. You can drag in either direction. 
Now you also have the i and the o key. What the i key and o key does is the i key selects the in point. So if you have this entire clip here and you say I want the clip to start there. Hit i and you get the selection from that point to the end. 
Likewise the o key gives you the exit point, the out point. So with the entire thing selected or none selected hitting the o key gives me from the beginning to that point. Same thing with the i key. It gives me from that point to the end. If I already have a range selected the o key will simply adjust the end of the clip. The i key adjusts the beginning. 
So you can click and drag this handle here but you don't need to. You can do i and o to make adjustments. You can hold r and drag to make a new selection.

Comments: 2 Responses to “Selecting Clip Ranges In iMovie”

Shirley Putschoegl

8 years ago

Thanks for the lesson. I like making home movies and this will help a great deal with the editing. Great!

John Melito

You are absolutely amazing! Not only in your knowledge, but also in the way you teach and explain things! Thank you for your help!

Comments Closed.

Selecting Clip Ranges In iMovie

Comments: 2 Responses to “Selecting Clip Ranges In iMovie”

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