Apple's iMovie allows you to build a project from the pre-downloaded trailer templates, or make a new movie to compile videos from a family vacation or birthday party. To save an iMovie project to your Mac, you can select the "Files" option after clicking "Share Project" in the "Projects" tab. You can access this same pop-up from within the iMovie project.
Starting and selecting your project
Select an ongoing project from the "Projects" tab. In the Projects browser, tap the iMovie project that you want to share, then tap the Share button. If you’re editing a project, click the Share button. From the Projects browser, select the iMovie project you want to send, click the More button, then choose Share Project.
Exporting a project as a file
To save a project as a file, you can go to the "File" option after clicking "Share Project" in the "Projects" tab. Select "File" from the bottom of the list. This will open a pop-up with options to customize your saved video. You can add a description and tags, along with adjusting the resolution and quality. iMovie will then prompt you to choose a file name and location.
Choosing settings for the saved video
In the pop-up, you can adjust the resolution and quality, and add a description and tags to help organize your library. The default resolution is based on the media included in your video, but you can choose other resolutions depending on your needs: to produce a smaller file that uploads to the web more quickly, choose a lower resolution; to produce a larger file suitable for viewing on a Mac or on a high-definition television through Apple TV, choose a higher resolution. You can also choose a file name and a specific location on your Mac to save the video.
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Saving and accessing the exported file
Choose a location to save the video file, then click Save. To add the movie to your photo library, drag the exported movie file into the Photos app. If you want to further edit your video, open the saved project in iMovie, make your changes, then share it again when you’re ready. You can also export via AirDrop or directly to the Photos library, depending on your workflow.
Additional tips for reliable saving on Mac
Yes, iMovie projects save automatically-there's no Save button, as all updates are made as you go. However, it's always a good idea to back up your iMovie Library, especially when working on big projects. There’s not enough disk space in iMovie because projects can take a surprisingly large amount of space, even if the video you started with was small in size. The best way to transfer audio from iMovie to GarageBand is to export it as a file: in iMovie, go to File > Share > File, then choose Audio Only as the format.
- Ensure sufficient disk space before exporting large projects.
- Back up your iMovie Library to prevent data loss.
- Use a descriptive description and tags for easier management.
When you share a video, you send it to others in a format that allows them to view the video without needing iMovie. If you’re exporting for social media, you may adjust the resolution (1080p often provides a good balance of quality and size; 720p can be faster to upload). If you want to export to another device or service, choose the appropriate destination in the Share options.