How to Add a Video on iMovie

Co-authored by Travis Page

This wikiHow teaches you how to add a video clip to an iMovie project or media library on your Mac or iPhone/iPad.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

1
Open iMovie. It's a purple star-shaped app with a white movie camera icon.
2
Click the Media tab. It's at the top of the window.
3
Click File in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
4
Click Import Media….
5
Click the Import to: drop-down at the top of the window.
6
Click a destination for the new video. You can save it directly to a project or add it to your iMovie Media Library to use later.
7
Select the location of the video. Use the menu on the left side of the window to select the folder or location where your video(s) are saved.
- Click a camera in the "CAMERAS" section to record a new video.
8
Click the video(s) you want to add. They'll be listed on the right side of the window after you've selected the folder or location where the videos are saved.
- Hold the ⌘ key while you click to select multiple videos.
- Alternatively, click Import All in the lower-right to import all the media from the folder or location you selected.
9
Click Import Selected in the lower-right. The selected video(s) will be imported to the destination you selected in iMovie.
- To add the video to another project, double-click a project under the Projects tab, then click My Media in the upper-left, and drag the new video down to your project's timeline.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

1
Open the iMovie app. It's a purple app with a white star and a movie camera icon.
2
Tap the Projects tab. It's at the top of the screen.
- If iMovie opened into a video or different tab, tap the "back" link in the upper-left corner of the screen until you see three tabs at the top of the screen: Video, Projects, and Theater.
3
Tap a project to open it.
- Alternatively, tap ➕ to start a new project. You'll be prompted to select a video from your photo library.
4
Tap the round Edit button. It's near the bottom of the screen.
5
Select the location to insert the video. To do so, scroll through your project's timeline along the bottom of the screen.
6
Tap +. It's on the left side of the side of the screen, under or next to the preview of your video project.
7
Tap Video near the top of the screen.
8
Tap the location of the video. Use the menu to select the album, app, or location where your video(s) are saved.
9
Tap a video. Doing so will highlight the video and open a dialog box below it.
10
Tap ⊕ in the box below the video. The video you selected will be added to your iMovie project in the location you specified.

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