Apply an effect to part of a clip

There may be times when you want to apply an effect to only part of a clip. For example, in a movie about your dog, you might want to use the earthquake effect only when your dog walks across the floor. Use the crop markers, below the timeline in the Preview area, to select part of the clip. Then select the effect you want to add, and click the Apply button. The effect will be added to the selected portion of the clip.

Apply multiple effects to one clip

With iMovie, you can apply multiple effects to one clip. For example, you can give your movie an older look by applying both the Sepia Tone and Aged Film effects. Select a clip that already has an effect and apply another effect. The additional effects are permanent only after you save your project or empty the iMovie Trash.

Apply one effect to multiple clips

There may be times when you want to apply one effect to multiple clips, such as changing a series of clips to black and white. To do this, select the first clip in the series. Then hold down the Command key and select every other clip in the series. Then click Apply to apply the same effect to all the selected clips.

Look for effect-specific options

Some effects have additional options you can adjust. If available, these options appear below the effects list. For example, with the Aged Film effect, you can adjust the amount of jitters and scratches that appear onscreen. You can even set the amount of wind and rain in your computer-generated storm.

Don’t overdo it with effects

Although effects can be a lot of fun, they can easily distract your audience from the subject of your movie. When adding effects to your movie, think about the purpose of each effect and whether applying it enhances or distracts from the story you’re trying to tell.