Apple iMovie '08 - Manual (Page 38)

38 Chapter 2 Learn iMovie
To adjust a clip’s duration, one frame at a time:
1 Move the pointer close to the end of the clip you want to adjust and then do one of
the following:
 Hold down the Command (x) and Option keys. When the orange selection handle
appears at the end of the clip, drag the selection handle right or left to extend or
reduce the clip duration by one-frame increments.
 Hold down the Option key while pressing the Left Arrow or Right Arrow key to
extend or reduce the clip duration by one-frame increments.
Adding Transitions Between Clips in Your Project
To add variety and interest to your iMovie project, you can insert transitions that
smooth the movement between video clips. For example, you can make the images
from the last frames of one clip fade into the first frames of the following clip, or you
can create the appearance that one scene is pushing the previous scene off the screen.
iMovie comes with several handsomely styled transitions that can add flair to your
project.
Previewing Edits Quickly
After you’ve adjusted the duration of a video clip or made another change to your
project, you may want to preview the change by playing just a few seconds of video
and then make further adjustments. iMovie provides keyboard shortcuts to make this
quick preview easier.
To see a short preview of your edit:
m Make sure your pointer is placed at the point where you’ve made the edit, and then
do one of the following:
 Press the left bracket key ([) to play one second of video ahead of where the
pointer is placed, and one second beyond. If the pointer is resting within a
selected frame range, the pressing the left bracket key will play only one second
of video, either starting at the beginning of the selection or finishing at the end
of the selection, depending on which side of the selection the pointer is nearer
to.
 Press the right bracket key (]) to play three seconds of video ahead of where the
pointer is placed and three seconds beyond. If the pointer is resting within a
selected frame range, the pressing the right bracket key will play only three
seconds of video, either starting at the beginning of the selection or finishing at
the end of the selection, depending on which side of the selection the pointer is
nearer to.
For additional keyboard shortcuts that can help you work more efficiently, search for
“keyboard shortcuts” in iMovie Help.