iMovie picture upload issue

It sounds like you're trying to get your entire picture to fit the view window in iMovie on iPad. At this point, the image you add to iMovie on iPadOS must fit the widescreen/16:9 ratio. If you're okay loosing the top or bottom of your photo, you can disable the Ken Burns effect and adjust. If you need the entire picture, one idea would be to place on a widescreen Keynote slide and export as an image. Both options are visually outlined below:

Adjust the Ken Burns effect

iMovie automatically applies the Ken Burns effect to any photos added to an iMovie project. You can adjust the effect or turn it off altogether.

--from Use effects in iMovie page

Export Keynote slide as image

• • Open Keynote on iPad
  • Tap on + to start a new deck
  • Choose the black template "widescreen"
  • Delete text boxes
  • Go to the + menu in the upper right > tap on the Media tab > tap on Photo or Video

1. 1. 1. Select your picture to add to the slide
      2. Tap on the (●●●) More menu
      3. Tap on Export
      4. Tap on Images and select options for export

> Save image to Photos, then add to iMovie

Hi, is the photo you are hoping to use taller than it is wide? If that is the case iMovie automatically zooms in so that tall photos fill up the whole frame, and this does leave parts of the top and/or bottom cropped out of the frame. Here are three different strategies that might help you achieve your stylistic goals:

1. If possible retake the photo holding the camera landscape instead of portrait. (so the resulting photo is wider than it is tall)
2. Open a wide Keynote template and add your existing photo to the slide making sure the entire part of the photo you wish to appear in iMovie stays within the boundaries of the slide. Export that slide as a JPEG, and use this new JPEG in iMovie.
3. Use the Ken Burns effect to highlight different parts of the photo as the photo plays.