Apple iMovie HD User Manual download pdf (Page 13)

Step 4.

Locate the song you want to import.

You can choose a speciﬁc

playlist from the list of

sources.

You can sort the list of songs

by clicking on a column head

ing. Drag columns left and

right to move them. Resize

columns by dragging the

vertical line between their

headings.

Use the Search box to quickly

locate a song based on its

name or its artist’s name.

To play a song, select it and

click this button, or simply

double-click the song’s name.

Step 5.

Click the Place at Playhead button.

iMovie HD adds the music to the

timeline’s second audio track.

Tip: As an alternative to clicking

Place at Playhead, you can also

click and drag a song to any

location on the timeline.

Use the media browser to bring in music from your

iTunes library or GarageBand.

Step 1.

Position the playhead where you

want the music to begin playing.

Step 2.

Click the Media button and then the

Audio button.

Step 3.

Select iTunes or GarageBand in the

list of audio sources.

Note: In order to be able to preview a GarageBand

project in the media pane, or add the song to the

iMovie timeline the project needs to be saved with an

iLife preview.

For details, see page 347.

Importing Music from Your

iTunes Library or GarageBand

Adding Audio to Movies

In movie making, sound is at least as

important as the picture. An audience will

forgive hand-held camera shots and poor

lighting—The Blair Witch Project proved

that. But give them a noisy, inaudible

soundtrack, and they’ll run for the aspirin.

Poor quality audio is a common ﬂaw of

home video and amateur movies. One prob

lem is that most camcorders don’t have very

good microphones—their built-in mikes are

often located on the top of the camera

where they pick up sound from the camera’s

motors. What’s more, the microphone is

usually far from the subject, resulting in too

much background noise. And if you’re

shooting outdoors on a windy day, your

scenes end up sounding like an outtake

from Twister.

If your camcorder provides a jack for

an external microphone, you can get much

better sound by using one. On the follow

ing pages, you’ll ﬁnd some advice on

choosing and using microphones.

If you’ve already shot your video or you

can’t use an external mike, there is another

solution: don’t use the audio you recorded.

Instead, create an audio bed consisting of

music and, if appropriate, narration or

sound effects (see page 245).

iMovie HD provides several features that

you can use to sweeten your soundtracks.

Take advantage of them. And if they don’t

do the job, consider bringing your movie

into GarageBand for additional sonic sea

soning (page 362).

spread M12

Recording an

Audio Narration

If you connect a microphone to your

Mac, you can record narration directly

within iMovie HD.

To begin recording, click the red button

next to the volume meter in iMovie

HD’s Audio pane. To stop recording, click

the red button again.

As you record, iMovie HD adds your nar

ration to the ﬁrst audio track, positioning it

at the playhead’s location and giving it the

name Voice 01.

Tip: For the best sound, you want to

record loud, but not too loud. At its loud

est, your voice should illuminate the yellow

portion of iMovie HD’s volume meter. If

you illuminate the red portions, your

sound will be distorted.

Good

Bad

Also, position the mike carefully to avoid

the “popping p” syndrome—bursts of

breath noise. Record the phrase “pretty

poppies” as a test, and back off if the

results sound like a hurricane. (Audio

trivia: those breathy, percussive conso

nants are aptly called plosives.)

iMovie HD: Making Movies

Adding Audio to Movies

iMovie HD: Making Movies

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