Using 4:3 ratio files in IMovie 10

Not so much a question more of a solution. On earlier community chats on this subject it can sometimes appear that it is not possible to export 4:3 out of Imovie 10 or at the very least it is all very complicated and requires third party software. For anyone new searching for an answer please don't feel there is no hope, as I did, the process is actually very simple.

Import your 4:3 file into the browser. Move the sections you want to the timeline in the normal way. Then select CROP then FIT and it will change from 16:9 back to 4:3 in the viewer and is ready for export. The 4:3 image will sit within a 16:9 ratio with black bars either side.

Posted on Sep 7, 2020 9:11 AM

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Rich839

Level 8

48,168 points

Posted on Sep 7, 2020 10:42 AM

Thank you for posting that, Daveyj001.

You have got it exactly right. If after exporting you want to get rid of the black bars, do the following: After sharing the movie to your desktop, play the movie and do a Command-Shift-5 and use the tool bar that appears at the bottom of your screen to do a screen recording and outline just the video part (eliminating the black bars) to record. Then save the recorded movie. That will crop out the black bars.

-- Rich

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Using 4:3 ratio files in IMovie 10

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