How do I sync iMovie projects with iCloud?

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Level 1

19 points

How do I sync iMovie projects with iCloud?

Hello. I am very new at video editing (did a stint with Camtasia a few years ago) and am now trying to do some basic editing of a clip. I started editing on a MacBook and want to make some changes using an iPad Pro, but the iMovie projects are not synchronizing.

I was expecting iMovie to behave similar to other iCloud apps. If I make a change to a sheet in Numbers on one device, those changes are visible on other devices. If I add something to my calendar on my Mac, those changes are visible on the iPad and iPhone. If I add a contact on my iPhone, the contact is immediately usable on the Mac and iPad. Any photo or video added or edited on one device is magically synchronized to the other devices, and so on.

Does iMovie not operate this way? Do I need to manually wrangle projects back and forth, or is there a way to make it all just work?

Many thanks,

Marty

MacBook Pro 13”, macOS 10.15

Posted on Nov 26, 2019 7:07 PM

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Answer 1

Rich839

Level 8

48,156 points

Nov 27, 2019 1:29 AM in response to martyscholes

iMovie projects on a Mac must reside in an iMovie library. An iMovie library must reside on your Mac’s drive or an external drive, but not in the Cloud. Therefore no syncing.

Projects transferred to or originating on iMovie for Mac cannot be synced or transferred back and forth for further editing between a Mac and an iOS device like an iPad.

While iMovie projects that originate on an iOS device, like an iPad, can be transferred to a Mac for further editing, projects that originate on or have been transferred to iMovie for Mac cannot be transferred to an iOS device for further editing. This is because iMovie for Mac and iMovie for iOS are different applications.

— Rich

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Answer 2

martyscholes Author

Level 1

19 points

Nov 27, 2019 5:12 AM in response to Rich839

Rich, thanks for the quick response. The answer makes sense in that the apps or Mac and iOS are different. Then again, the same could be said for Contacts, Photos, Calendar, Numbers, etc. Even so, sync does not appear to be happening between iOS devices such as iPad and iPhone. Curiously, there is an iCloud sync option for iMovie as shown in the image below. If not the projects, what exactly is iMovie using iCloud to sync?

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Answer 3

Rich839

Level 8

48,156 points

Nov 27, 2019 10:50 AM in response to martyscholes

I am not a heavy user of iCloud nor of iMovie for iOS. I have imported an iMovie for iOS test project into iMovie for Mac where it could be further edited on the Mac. I have not imported iMovie for Mac editable projects into iMovie for iOS. I didn't think that the latter could be done. However, in doing a bit of reading importing an iMovie for Mac project into iMovie for iOS may be able to be done. So I would amend my initial post accordingly. Check this link.

https://help.apple.com/imovie/iphone/2.2.8/#/kna9871175c1?sub=kna1eb936145

I am not sure what the iMovie option represents in the iCloud check list depicted in your screen shot. It might refer only to transferring shared movies, not projects, to the cloud, where the shared movie file could be synced. You would need to try it to see.

I am not entirely sure whether editable projects can be automatically synced in the Cloud between Mac and iOS. I have always believed that they cannot be synced for reasons I gave in my earlier post. However, as I said above, editable projects might be able to be imported back and forth between Mac and iOS. They definitely can be imported back and forth between iOS devices, and from iOS to Mac. If I am wrong about any of this hopefully others on this forum with more direct knowledge will chime in. Meanwhile, you might find it helpful to search the help menus for iOS and Mac for more information.

-- Rich

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How do I sync iMovie projects with iCloud?

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