iMovie '09 & iDVD: The Missing Manual

A Long Discussion of Transition Lengths

In iMovie HD and previous editions, you specified how long each transition effect lasted before you even put it into your movie. iMovie '09 thinks that that—choosing durations each time—is a nuisance. Every transition you insert starts out with the same length (which you can specify in the project properties). iMovie is not a complete tyrant, however; it does let you set individual transition lengths.

There are three ways to adjust the durations of your transitions. Two of these involve a visit to the Project Properties dialog box (see Figure 5-4). Here, you'll find a Transition Duration slider (whose settings range from .5 seconds to 4 seconds) and several options that affect it:

• Change all transition durations at once. If you select "Applies to all transitions," then the Duration slider affects all transitions simultaneously. Taking this road ensures consistency and minimizes the amount of effort you have to expend. For best results, choose something between 1 and 2 seconds.

Note

If you've manually set the durations of individual transitions, as described in the following paragraphs, be careful. Using "Applies to all transitions" wipes out all of the handwork you've done.

• Change transition durations from here on. The weird little option labeled "Applies when added to project" actually means "Whatever duration you choose on the Duration slider applies to the next transition you drop into the storyboard—and all future ones."

  Figure 5-4. Choose File ...