Cool Effects in iMovie for Beginners

In this video we show you how to create cool effects in iMovie using green screen footage. This video is for beginners looking for training on how to create movie-like effects in the free version of iMovie that comes on all Apple computers in 2020.
If you are interested in creating movies or videos but don't have a huge budget then iMovie is perfect for you. We wanted to provide a tutorial for people just starting out that will help people get started making great videos with quality special effects. Adding special effects to videos don't have to take hours and we show you how to create a very believable effect in less than 10 minutes.
If you are interested in making movies or videos with special effects like green screens, but don't have a huge budget then watch this video. We hope it helps inspire people and show them you don't need the best equipment or software. We make this with the free version of iMovie on a 2011 iMac in 2020.
Thanks for watching my channel and if you are interested in Apple videos or PC videos then please subscribe.

[@getbaked420]

That poor lil Chicago theater stood no chance!

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching.

[@brian3551]

Thank you, Craig for this excellent insight into what is possible in iMovie. You have inspired my 8 year old who within minutes of watching your video, was making his own :)

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for the feedback and nice words.

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for feedback and for nice comments.

[@grandcrevette]

Thanks Craig for posting this video! Very helpful, short and professional. Greetings from Germany. Hope to be back in Chicago in the near future.

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching. I have been to Germany many times and will head back after all this blows over. I love Munich and Nuremberg but also venture to some of the smaller cities also. I think I have been there 6 times. I have a video if you check my channel on Munich Beer gardens.

[@cnrmoose]

This is amazing and works so easily. You can even flip the video on it's side and it will be the right aspect ratio for an instagram story. Thank you.

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for the nice feedback

[@MrKilled1]

Dude.... thank you. Im so excited now to get working today. Definitely gonna link this in my channel as a shout out.

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching and the nice words on the iMovie video. I made another one recently, about a movie trailer, that you can watch with special effects. It is under the tech part of my channel. Thank you.

[@Yanneslot]

Qual nome do app?

[@davemcdonald8790]

Great video and good teaching! Thank you!

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for the nice words and for supporting the channel. I hope the iMovie effects video helped.

[@ramonvillaster609]

This is super awesome!!! Thanks so much for sharing.

[@craigneidel]

Thanks Ramon. I hope it helps and thanks for supporting the channel.

[@Raynecandunk]

Very good speaking! Your easy to understand! Your channel is great thanks for the tutorial!

[@craigneidel]

Thanks MrFries. I like that name. I appreciate the nice words.

[@jasminemich]

Thanks for the tutorial! So helpful!

[@craigneidel]

Thank you for the nice feedback Jasmine.

[@blackhands301]

Immediately subscribed because your video was well organized and to the point. I was searching all night for something like this. Thank you

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching and feedback.

[@ChrisCreats]

Cool thanks for the green screen advice had no clue I could do this now I’ll probably do this on most of my videos

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching Chris.

[@MIZZNIGHTINGALE]

Hi thanks for the tutorial and tips for finding cool effects. Do you know how I could do a page curl in imovie for ipad? Is there a way to import additional transitions to make this happen? I'm trying to do a book and need a page curl effect after reading. Also how do I stop the zooming in and out? It still happens even if I turn the Ken Burns effect off. I need the pages stationary so I can read before adding the page curl to take me to the other page. I'm using imovie for ipad. Don't have an iMac.

[@flightless1111]

Just what I need!

[@craigneidel]

I hope it helps.

[@bees2knees]

AWESOME vid, thank you!!

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching and nice comment

[@andyml1]

Very clearly explained…thanks so much..liked. 👍

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching Andy.

[@kellymccartney659]

i want to learn this, you make it look so easy

[@craigneidel]

Thanks. It is easy and once you do it a few times you can create special effects in iMovie in 10 minutes. Thanks for watching.

[@907Ronald]

Freaking sweet. Thanks!

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching Ronald

[@vintagejukeboxorchestra1747]

Great tutorial video and thanks for the tips! Question: how do you download a youtube video into your Mac? What additional software do you need to do that? Thanks!

[@craigneidel]

You can use a screen capture program and then run it full screen. That is the easiest way to capture this. There are also programs you can find in the App store or websites online that convert but you always take slight risk with that. So I just take me own screen shots and can use the screen capture built into Quicktime also which works well. Thanks for watching the new video on iMovie effects.

[@vintagejukeboxorchestra1747]

@@craigneidel Thank you! I just tried with Quicktime which does the job! I have also downloaded Airy and it worked as well!

[@craigneidel]

@@vintagejukeboxorchestra1747 Yes, Airy is another good option for sure. I have used that before and thanks for reminding me.

[@dakotaplayz3914]

This video is super helpful because it’s not like some 20 minute video where they talk about every single little bit of it

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching and the nice words.

[@dakotaplayz3914]

@@craigneidel could you do a video for iPhone iMovie RUclips

[@stefanhefner7822]

Great tutorial, thanks!

[@craigneidel]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Stefan.

[@r8oscar]

Thanks for the video! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@craigneidel]

You bet!

[@harveyperry69]

Love this bro I don’t usually comment on videos but this one definitely deserves a subscrib💯

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for the nice words Jay and the Sub. I'm glad you like the video.

[@harveyperry69]

What website you use to download the videos from RUclips?

[@LloydMajor]

Thanks for the class!

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching and leaving a nice comment.

[@charmsports]

This is great! Thank you !

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching and supporting the channel.

[@a1fiaalii]

Awesome, thanks heaps

[@craigneidel]

Your welcome and thanks for watching. I hope it helps.

[@ashantin76]

thanks for the video!!!!!!

[@craigneidel]

Your welcome and thanks for watching Ashanti.

[@gabicreightonbooksetc.]

That’s pretty cool…but scary. Thanks for sharing.🙏🏼

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching Gabi.

[@KrewzKinqszYunq]

Thank you for the tutorial, really helped me bro

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for the nice comment and feedback.

[@user-ij3lk4xt8f]

cool bro...thanks very helpful.

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching and the nice comment.

[@ApurvPugalia]

Thanks! Helpful!

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching and the nice comment.

[@mhinit2196]

Thank you!!!

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching.

[@MoJoSluiceTheGoldWolf]

thanks for your advice

[@craigneidel]

Thanks Mojo for watching.

[@DianaAdamsJedi]

Wow, thank you!

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching Diana.

[@islamicinsights101]

Thanx for the information

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching and the nice feedback.

[@ladyfermenter-ThanksAPint]

Fun! Thanks for sharing

[@craigneidel]

Thank you.

[@mosaicmonk4380]

Dude you’re a God. Seriously.

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching and the nice words.

[@phyllisblive7614]

Thank you so much as a small you tuber this is so informative and very useful. Thank you

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for the feedback Phyllis.

[@phyllisblive7614]

@@craigneidel my pleasure wish we well

[@Zeuz34]

THIS STUFF WORKS THANKS I SUBBED

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching and subbing.

[@Zeuz34]

😄

[@zocus8546]

Thank you this really worked my video is gonna be out soon that I edited 😀

[@craigneidel]

Thanks Star Motion. Please post a link to your video (link to youtube) once it comes out.

[@zocus8546]

@@craigneidel idk how to add link on mobile but the video is lightsaber battle part 4k HD pls watch till the end thx

[@zocus8546]

@@craigneidel got it!
ruclips.net/video/gS4Ku5gCmbg/видео.html

[@ssf4video]

Great! cut to the meat..... successfully created version 2.0 of it in downtown nyc...lol ... Awesome result. Thanks for sharing...

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching Andy and for supporting the channel.

[@footballnerdj589]

thanks super handy

[@craigneidel]

Thank you for watching the video.

[@footballnerdj589]

@@craigneidel no probs thanks for making such a great vid

[@chrisaburn509]

Thank you

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching

[@mosaicmonk4380]

Yaaaaay I’m from Chicago too. State n lake doors open on the right at state and lake.

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching.

[@pralhadshetye8863]

You are amazing

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for the nice comment and for watching.

[@luisamedina1]

What effects (besides zoom in and out), can you do to still photos for instance on iMovie? Thanks a lot, Craig!

[@craigneidel]

Hello Luis. I normally use Keynote to make animations on a green screen and then import into iMovie as I can do quite a bit more that way with animations etc.

[@JayDubTripping]

Hey love your vids. I’m looking in to creating some content soon what pc would you suggest to use to simplify as much as possible

[@craigneidel]

If it's just simple RUclips videos I would actually suggest using a Mac like a MacBook M1 Air with 16 GB. If a PC I'll need to think about it. Sometimes you can get a deal on a gaming Laptop for under $1000 that has a mid-range graphics card to help with the editing. I would start looking there since that would be needed on a PC. Thanks for watching and the nice words.

[@JayDubTripping]

@@craigneidel Thank You Sir

[@touchedbywoo6693]

This was very helpful. Thank you 😊

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for the nice words and for watching.

[@Itz-Self]

Nice 👍

[@craigneidel]

Thanks ✌

[@timeallen6900]

What if you wanted to move the meteor trail coming down on top of the light post to the right and explode on top of it could that be done? Look like your at the mercy of always being about centered with the green screen effect.

[@sircolossus6438]

Yeah that’s what I was wondering

[@BigDanWestmont]

Great stuff, thanks for sharing! Of course, you're aware that Mayor Lightfoot will bill you for creating a virtual pothole if she gets wind of this video, but still...definitely worth sharing with the world!

[@craigneidel]

Funny, don't get me started on her or I might get banned. Yes, I hear you and wish I could say what I really think:)

[@danijeljaman]

Great video! Can you do these effects on iPhone?

[@craigneidel]

Thanks. These are made for iMovie so wherever you can use iMovie these should work the same.

[@GrimAlmightyy]

“Im from chicago so i thought it would be funny a meteor strikes chicago” 😂😂😂

[@craigneidel]

Yeah sometimes I think it might help too. Funny.

[@sportsshortsandclips362]

Great video. Trying to make me a good intro video. My only question. What if it didn't hit the street where it looked so realistic?

[@craigneidel]

The key to this video is searching for parts that fit and working around that. With iMovie you are limited to where things can move etc. but you can use something like Keynote also to create your own greenscreen images and then move objects around. Not sure if that makes sense but you are limited with iMovie and effects but it's possible if you plan out the scenes to fit with what you have on Green screen. Thanks for watching.

[@sportsshortsandclips362]

@@craigneidel That makes total sense. Thank you!!

[@superguy842animations6]

thx

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching and the nice words.

[@superguy842animations6]

@@craigneidel this helped me a lot in rain effects

[@CasperDLgOffical]

Can you make a video of doing these type of effects on iMovie for iPhone

[@craigneidel]

That was iMovie

[@miichaaelv91]

Is there a link to download RUclips vids

[@kolemakeek6826]

how do I move the green screen effect? I'm trying to reposition it, but I can't.

[@craigneidel]

Hello Michael. iMovie is limited with this but you should be able to move it if you go to Cropping and then Crop to Fill and move that around. The only issue is it makes it much larger when you move it with Crop to Fill. I would say experiment with it and it just takes some fooling around with. Thanks for watching.

[@christophermurphy3489]

How do you save these videos on youtube to edit them though? I can download them but idk how to get it from youtube to imovie. Im trying to do a glitch overlay but idk how to get the vids from youtube to imovie.

[@craigneidel]

I just open up RUclips and take a screen video capture using quicktime. Then I have the screen screen effect. Just make sure there is no copyright etc.

[@hzleyes7087]

Can you add iMovie special effects into a presentation like keynotes or ppt?

[@craigneidel]

Yes, you can - support.apple.com/guide/keynote/add-video-and-audio-tan63d61519a/mac . Thanks for watching.

[@dancewithml]

I'm sure it's simple, but do you have a video showing how to do the camera shot of you over your screen image.

[@craigneidel]

I'm not sure exactly what you are asking. I used Quicktime to just capture my full screen when running the video to grab it. That is not the best way but I was more showing people about the green screen than where to get the videos. Thanks for watching.

[@dancewithml]

@@craigneidel you were showing your screen with face in the little bubble. I was wondering how to do that picture in picture effect.

[@Codiggity369]

I did with an explosion (trying to put it on exactly where my nephew makes a tackle in his football video) but the explosion is right in the middle of the screen. How do I move just the explosion?

[@craigneidel]

That's the hard part in iMovie. You need to pick the green screen effect that is close to the correct spot. By increasing or decreasing the size of the green screen shot it will move it around the frame. But, it can be hard to place it exactly where you want it. Also, when you shrink the size of the green screen frame it will move depending what corner you shrink it from which is very complicated. If you are doing very precise green screen effects it's best to get something like the free version of Capcut for Mac desktop and it will make the editing much easier.

[@Theonlyangiluzz]

Can you do this on your iPhone too?!

[@craigneidel]

If it has iMovie you can do this.

[@little_c24]

What did u use to download from RUclips

[@craigneidel]

I actually just went full screen in RUclips and recorded the screen using Quicktime. Not the best but for the video I wanted something simple. There are a number of programs out there to capture the screen. Here are a few ways - www.wikihow.com/Download-RUclips-Videos-on-a-Mac

[@Keisha956]

How do you get videos with green screen already in it though?

[@craigneidel]

Hello Mallory. You can get them right on RUclips (use software to download movies) and just make sure the users allow you to use the videos. It should say in the description. Or the easier way is to just pay for a service like Videoblocks.com which is what I use. They in green screen and you get tons. It's like $200 for unlimited downloads per year so worth it if you make a ton of videos but maybe not if you don't. Thanks for watching.

[@theparkershow2536]

Does this only work on computers, or can it work on other devices?

[@craigneidel]

It can work on anything that can run iMovie.

[@theparkershow2536]

Thanks!!

[@retrorobot9670]

Even iPad Pro?

[@kabirprakash]

Does 4K clips also comes in green screen on storyblocks ?

[@craigneidel]

You can go on there an browse but you just can't download. Then you can see what videos it has so you know it fits your needs. Thanks Kabir.

[@kabirprakash]

@@craigneidel thank you so much 🙏

[@MEE-go6px]

Could this work on iPad?

[@craigneidel]

If it runs iMovie which is should then yes you can do the same thing.

[@ohjay7962]

My preview screen is smaller than yours! How to a make my preview screen bigger without hiding the editing tools?

[@craigneidel]

You should be able to drag the box/window down to resize (not side to side but down). It moves the other items around etc. I could also depend on the size of your screen.

[@nusrathsweet5732]

Hi can anyone please tell me...how to add special effects to video using iphone bcoz we cant download effects in iPhone?

[@craigneidel]

You can copy green screen effects on our computer and then email or copy to your iPhone. Then use iMovie on the iPhone to create the effects.

[@PancakesandPrayer]

where did you download the sound effects from?

[@craigneidel]

I made that video a while ago and the sound was either with the effect or I got it from youtube sound effects that are free. Thanks for watching.

[@PancakesandPrayer]

@@craigneidel thank you so much 😊

[@d4ni3l90]

Hi. Are there any others websites where you can get such Videos for free? :)

[@craigneidel]

Not that I'm aware of

[@liverskins]

hi craig

[@fishlegend2536]

But how do you save the youtube videos?

[@craigneidel]

You can screen capture a full screen video or use other tools out there. - www.tomsguide.com/us/youtube-download-videos-mac,review-6014.html - or something like airy etc.

[@colorblind0522]

How do u remove the story book logo after u download the video?

[@craigneidel]

You need to get a subscription to storyblocks or videoblocks to use those videos.

[@colorblind0522]

@@craigneidel thank u 👑

[@Ayaz_Qais]

Can this be made on iPad

[@craigneidel]

Yes, since an iPad can run iMovie you can do the same thing for sure.

[@rfracing964]

Thanks for the tutorial! I'm not nearly from Chicago and don't think it's funny to throw an Asteroid on the city... 😜 cheeRS from 🇨🇭

[@craigneidel]

If you are making an action movie it's par for the course. Just showing how the effects can be pretty convincing in about 5 minutes and with little effort. Imagine when people take a few hours to get an effect right. Today's tech is pretty crazy. Thanks for watching.

[@noahmalme2537]

How do you download a RUclips vid on home screen?

[@craigneidel]

I actually just went full screen and then used quicktime to do a video capture of it. That is not the best way and there are a number of programs you can download to grab youtube videos. I just have not used them but may do a video on that someday. Thanks for watching Noah.

[@noahmalme2537]

@@craigneidel thanks i’m subscribing you for that.

[@lanigavet5760]

Can you resize it?

[@craigneidel]

You can by using the built in features in iMovie but it's kind of crazy how it works. I would just recommend experimenting with it and you will see what I mean. It's not easy to resize so I generally find a greenscreen movie that is close to the size I need.

[@jordankrane7494]

I hope it works!

[@craigneidel]

I should. Thanks for watching.

[@leonaharper4693]

how do you save

[@craigneidel]

You need to save it using iMovie - there are some good videos on RUclips or Google if you look iMovie tutorial up.

[@DEFKONSIXTYSIXlml]

How do you d/l from RUclips?

[@craigneidel]

I just took screen recording of it full screen.

[@deadly4u253]

How can I download VFX from RUclips?

[@craigneidel]

I actually just took a screen shot of the youtube effect (full screen) using Quicktime screen capture. Not the best way but effective. Here is a link also to help but I have not tried all of those - pdf.wondershare.com/macos-10-14/download-youtube-video-free-on-macos-10-14.html

[@powerupproductions5801]

how do you download the youtube videos

[@craigneidel]

You can either get software to do that or I just used quicktime to record my screen in full window mode and that worked good also.

[@powerupproductions5801]

@@craigneidel could you make a tutorial on how to download youtube videos

[@djnw1894]

Your joke about Chicago being in so many disaster movies? It use to be New York until 9/11.

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching DJ.

[@saltmonster1273]

69th comment

[@thesoulmaiden2604]

I 👁 Ya lol

[@quirkytheqwertydg2587]

I don’t know why, but I thought this guy was Elon musk

[@dpajc056]

Question for y’all: why do you pronounce it as SHIcago (she-ka-go) when it’s written as CHIcago (chee-ka-go)..?

[@craigneidel]

Just the way we say it and has something to do with the accent I guess.

[@n0vares]

That's not a cool hollywood effect...

[@craigneidel]

Ok, not sure what I can say. Just trying to help people with the technique and then they can do what they want with what they learned.

[@n0vares]

@@craigneidel I'm just saying. Hollywood doesn't use shittily rendered animations from youtube and overlay them into existing footage. The title is a bit misleading.... But it's nice that you're teaching. No disrespect.