Changing Playback Speed

Creating sped-up or slow-motion imagery previously involved changing a camera's shutter speed (the faster the film moved, the more individual pictures could be shot, creating slow motion, for example). In iMovie, all you have to do is move a slider.

To speed up or slow down video:

1.	Select the clip you wish to alter.
2.	Select the Fast/Slow/Reverse effect.
3.	Move the Speed slider toward Faster or Slower to change the speed (Figure 13.12). Figure 13.12. I've used the Fast/Slow/Reverse effect to speed up the original clip up to five times faster. Normal speed Twice as fast Maximum speed Speed comparison in Clip Viewer
4.	Click the Apply button.

iMovie's Speed slider can make a clip five times faster or five times slower than the original speed. If you need a clip that's faster or slower than that, follow these steps.

To make clips super fast or super slow:

1.	Speed up or slow down the footage in your movie as described above.
2.	Export the footage to a DV-formatted QuickTime file (see Chapter 16).
3.	Re-import that footage into iMovie. Since it's regular footage now, iMovie considers its speed to be normal.
4.	Apply the Fast/Slow/Reverse effect to change the speed of the imported clip.

Tips

• You can also simply click a portion of the slider's scale to adjust the speed, instead of moving the slider knob.

• Changing clip speed is especially helpful on clips of scenery or backgrounds. Draw out scenes you shot too quickly, or speed up long pans to improve pacing.