| Like transitions and titles (see the previous two chapters), iMovie's visual effects are accessed from the Editing pane; click the Video FX button to view video effects and the Audio FX button for audio effects (Figure 13.1). Figure 13.1. The Video Effects pane is a similar layout to the Transitions and Titles panes. 
To preview an effect: - Click an effect's name to display it in the Monitor. Using the Preview controls, you can (Figure 13.2):
- Click the Play button to start or stop playback of the preview.
- Click the Loop button to start or stop continuous playback.
- Drag the Preview playhead in the preview's scrubber bar.
- Click the Hide Preview button (marked X) to cancel the effect.
- Click the Apply button (marked with a checkbox) to set the effect; see "Applying Effects," in this chapter.
Figure 13.2. Use the Preview controls to see how the rendered effect will appear. 
To control how an effect begins and ends: 1. | Select an effect's name in the list.
| | | 2. | Move the Effect In and Effect Out sliders (or enter values in their text fields) to control the time it takes for the effect to start and end (Figure 13.3). You can, of course, leave them set at 00:00 to apply the effect throughout the entire clip, but changing these values lets you ease into and out of the effect. For example, suppose you want someone's flashback to appear in black and white, then blend back into color as the flashback merges into the present day.
Figure 13.3. Setting Effect In to 01:00 causes the effect to gradually apply, instead of starting at the beginning of the clip. In this case, the N-Square effect pushes the mirror image into the scene from the left. If we kept the Effect In slider set to 00:00, the first frame would look like the 01:00 frame, above. 
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To adjust an effect's settings: 1. | Select an effect's name in the list. If it features additional controls, they appear below the list (Figure 13.4).
Figure 13.4. Effect-specific controls appear below the list of effects. Changing them updates the preview dynamically. 
| 2. | Move the sliders to adjust the effect's settings. The preview shows your changes immediately, so feel free to experiment.
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To adjust an effect's settings in the preview: - If an effect includes controls in the preview window, click within the window to specify a focus point (Figure 13.5). A yellow crosshair indicates that such a control is available for that effect.
Figure 13.5. Some effects feature controls within the Monitor's preview. For example, clicking in the Monitor with Circle Splash Distortion sets the center of the distortion. 
Tip  | Third-party iMovie plug-in developers have gone wild with effects. In addition to adding "painterly" looks, you can create picture-within-picture effects (as seen on TV newscasts), and even perform some rudimentary greenscreen matting effects (for when you want to make your cat look like she's rampaging through downtown Tokyo!). See Appendix B for a list of plug-in vendors.
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