iMovie 10.2.2 Big Sur: how to find/show clip names?

It is really a nuisance that we can only see the thumbnail of the video clip and not the more relevant filename in the Media library. It is much too slow to find anything, if we have to hover the pointer over the icon to show the filename. When I need to see the filenames, I select the clip and use the shortcut ⇧⌘R to reveal the clip in the Finder and browse clips there. when I find the clip I want I copy and paste the filename into the search field in iMovie to show it in the library.

Try to search for "Part2", "Conclusion" to find your clips quickly.

And you may want so send feedback with a feature request. The feedback form is here: Feedback - iMovie - Apple. there really should be a list view, where we can see our clips with filename, duration, and the file format, without having to revert to the Finder. I have switched to Photos for Mac to organise the video clips. In Photos I can see the filename below the thumbnails and use PowerPhotos as a second browser to give me a list view.

As léonie mentioned, you can also reveal the file name by moving your cursor over the clip in the media browser. You first need to go to the View menu and place a check mark next to Show Skimmer Info to activate that feature.

Each of us has different preferences and work flow for editing. For my editing purposes, about the only time that I need to know the clip name is to reveal the title of an audio clip in the media browser. Otherwise I just identify a video clip by looking at the thumbnail display. When I need to know the name of a clip I use one of the methods that I described. If I need to retrieve a clip from the library, and I don't know where it is, I click on the library name in the side bar and type in the file name in the search box at the top of the screen. All clips with the typed in file name will be revealed in the media browser screen.

However, I agree with léonie that it would be very nice to have the clip name displayed below the thumbnail. Hopefully, Apple will do that in a future iteration.

-- Rich

Select the clip. Then click on the little icon that is a circle with an “i” in it, in the toolbar at the top of the screen. The file info should appear above the preview screen.

— Rich