A.3. Edit MenuThe Edit menu contains all of the editing commands described in Chapter 5. In fact, along with the various drag-and-drop editing techniques described in this book, the commands in the Edit menu are the only tools you need to build your movies. A.3.1. UndoIn iMovie, you can take back not only the last editing maneuver, not only the last ten, but an infinite number of steps, all the way back to the last time you saved your document (or created it, depending on which came most recently). The ability to change your mind, or to recover from a particularly bad editing decision, is a considerable blessing. The wording of this command changes to show you which editing step it's about to reverse. It might say Undo Import, Undo Move (after you've dragged a clip), Undo Split (after you've chopped a clip in half), and so on. Keyboard shortcut: -Z. Tip: Remember, saving your project or emptying the project Trash command wipes out iMovie's memory of your last steps. You'll no longer be able to undo your previous editing actions. A.3.2. RedoWe're only human, so it's entirely possible that sometimes you might want to undo your Undo. For example, suppose that you've just used the Undo command a few times, retracing your steps back to a time when your movie was in better shape, and then decide that you've gone one step too far. That's when the Redo command is useful; it tells iMovie to undo your last Undo, so that you can step forward in time, redoing the steps that you just undid. (If you haven't yet used the Undo command, then Redo is dimmed.) Keyboard shortcut: Shift- -Z. A.3.3. Cut, Copy, PasteYou can use the Cut, Copy, and Paste commands in three different ways:
The Paste command produces different results, depending on what's highlighted:
Cut, Copy, Paste, and Clear also work when you're editing text , such as the names of your clips or the text for your credits and other titles. Tip: To get an interesting "instant replay" effect, try this trick. Copy a short bit of interesting video, such as your friend tripping over his shoelace and hitting the ground. Paste the snippet twice, so that you wind up with three copies of the same short snippet all in a row. Now select the middle copy and apply iMovie's Reverse effect (Section 6.7.7). Play through this sequence to see your friend fall down, bounce back up again, and then fall down again, for hours of family entertainment. (Of course, there are many other ways to use this technique that aren't quite so reminiscent of America's Funniest Home Videos .) A.3.4. ClearThe Clear command is identical to Cut except that it doesn't keep the deleted material on the invisible Clipboard. Instead, it simply removes the highlighted clip or selection without affecting what was already on the Clipboard. Keyboard shortcut: the Delete key. A.3.5. Select AllThis command highlights all of the clips in the Clips pane, all of the footage in the Movie Track, or all of the text in a box, as described here:
A.3.6. Select Similar ClipsThis intriguing command highlights all of the clips that are the same kind as the one you've currently selected in the Clips pane or the Movie Track. For example, if you click a title clip and then choose this command, iMovie highlights all the other title clips, too. The same trick works to select all black clips, all photos, all transition effects, all clips that were chopped from the same original piece of footage, and so on. This command can be a quick, efficient way to delete, move, consolidate, or modify a lot of similar material en masse. Keyboard shortcut: Option- -A. A.3.7. Select NoneMemorizing this command (or better yet, its keyboard equivalent, Shift- -A) is an excellent idea. It comes into play quite often; for example, every time you wrap up editing a particular clip and then want to watch your entire movie in progress. You can play back the entire movie only when no clip is selected. Tip: You can also deselect all clips by clicking anywhere on the metallic-looking surface of the iMovie background. You can also use Select None after you've been fiddling with the crop handles under the Scrubber bar. Select None makes them disappear, so that none of the footage is highlighted. A.3.8. CropUse the Crop command to trim excess ends off a clip after you've isolated a portion of it using the triangular handles under the Scrubber bar. Keyboard shortcut: -K. A.3.9. Split Video (Audio) Clip at PlayheadIt's often convenient to chop a clip in half; this command does the trick. Drag the Playhead, or press the right and left arrow keys, to position it precisely at the location where you want the split to be made. After you choose Edit Split Video Clip at Playhead, you wind up with two clips. If the original clip was called "Great shot," iMovie names the resulting clips "Great shot and "Great shot/1," for example. If an audio clip is selected in the Timeline viewer, and the Playhead is parked somewhere within it, the command says Split Audio Clip at Playhead instead, and it chops the audio clip in two. Keyboard equivalent: -T, just as it is in GarageBand. A.3.10. Create Still FrameThis command adds, to your Clips pane or Movie Track, a new still-image clip created from the frame in the Monitor window. See Section 9.5.1 for details. Keyboard equivalent: Shift- -S. A.3.11. Special CharactersYou're creating a subtitle for an interview with the CEO of "I've Got a " Productions. But how the heck do you type the symbolor the symbol? Easy one. You choose this command and double-click the symbol you want from the palette arrayed before you. Keyboard equivalent: Shift- -S. |