Before you Begin
- Remember that public computers do not have any means of long-term storage for your files. User files on a computer are not safe from deletion. It is highly recommended to bring an external hard drive or other storage device in which to store all your files. External hard drives are available for purchase at the Computer Showcase.
- It is recommended that you work on your project from your external hard drive.
- iMovie ‘11 natively supports uncompressed SD and HDV, uncompressed HD, RAW camera formats, Panasonic P2, DVCPRO HD, and Sony XDCAM HD.
- There is no manual save feature in iMovie ‘11; everything is saved automatically to your specified locations when you create a new project and event.
- Learn more about iMovie ’11 by using the tutorials at Apple.com. Learn everything you need to know about iMovie ‘11 by using the tutorials at Lynda.com on any designated library computer.
Setting Preferences
1. Open iMovie ‘11 by clicking the icon on the Dock or by searching “iMovie” in spotlight.
2. Click iMovie > Preferences…
3. Under the General tab:
- Make sure the “Show Advanced Tools” box is checked.
4. Under the Browser tab:
- Make sure the “Show Fine Tuning controls box is unchecked.
Note: You can use this feature at any time without having to check this box by holding Command + Option to reveal an orange handle to more precisely add or subtract frames or seconds from a beginning or end of a clip within your project.
- Customize what happens when you click in the Event Browser. (Optional)
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Select “Clicking in Event Browser selects entire clip” for the whole clip to be highlighted by default.
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Select “Clicking in Event Browser selects [#]s” so that only a custom portion of the clip will be highlighted where the yellow handles can be moved to add or subtract from the selection.
5. Under the Video tab:
- Select “Full – Original Size” for “Import HD video as:”
6. Click the red “X” button in the top of the iMovie Preferences window to save and close.
Creating a New Event
1. In the Event Library panel:
- Make sure “Group events by Disk” is enabled by clicking the button (which turns it blue).
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Choose a save location, such as your external hard drive, from the list by clicking on it.
2. In the Tool Bar:
- Click File > New Event.
Note: A new event will be added to the list and an iMovie Events folder will be created on the root of your save location. You can change the name of your event within the Event Library panel. Do not edit or move your event folder in Finder; everything must be changed within iMovie or risk data loss.
Creating a New Project
1. In the Project Library panel, make sure your save location, such as your external hard drive, is selected from the list by clicking on it.
2. Click File > New Project…
3. In the New Project dialogue box:
- Project Themes
- “No Theme” is selected by default, but you can choose a theme that will apply predetermined titles, animations, and transitions to your project.
- Name
- Change the name of your project file.
- Aspect Ratio
- Select “Widescreen (16:9)” if your source footage is 1920x1080 or 1440x1080 (1080p) or 1280x720 (720p).
Select “Standard (4:3)” if your source footage is 720x480 (SD).
- Frame Rate
- Select an fps (frames per second) that most closely matches your source footage (typically “30 fps – NTSC”).
- Click “Create.”
Note: Your project will automatically open up replacing the Project Library panel and an iMovie Projects folder will be created on the root of your save location.You can change the name of your project within the Project Library panel. Do not edit or move your project folder in Finder; everything must be changed within iMovie or risk data loss.
Additional Resources
If this guide did not answer your question or you would like additional info please check out these other recommended resources:
