iMovie 6 & iDVD: The Missing Manual

Chapter 9. Still Pictures and QuickTime Movies

The DV camcorder is the source of iMovie material you’ll probably use the most often, but it’s not the only source. You can also bring in still images and existing QuickTime movies from your hard drive. In addition, you can export still frames from your movie, a much more direct method of producing still images than having to use your camcorder’s built-in “digital camera” feature.

Importing Still Images

You might want to import a graphics file into iMovie for any number of reasons. For example:

• You can use a graphic, digital photo, or other still image as a backdrop for iMovie’s titling feature (Chapter 7). A still image behind your text is less distracting than moving footage.

• You can use a graphics file instead of using the iMovie titling feature. As noted in Chapter 7, iMovie’s titling feature offers a number of powerful features, including animation. However, it also has a number of serious limitations. Namely, you can’t specify any type size you like, you can’t use more than one font per title, and you have only rudimentary control over the title’s placement in the frame.

  Preparing your own title “slides” in, say, Photoshop Elements or Photoshop gives you a lot of flexibility that the iMovie titling feature lacks. You get complete control over the type size, color, and placement, for starters. You can also add graphic touches to your text or to the “slide” on which it appears (see Figure 9-1).

• One of the most compelling new uses ...