Music Clip Moves in iMovie

I can make what you see happen on my setup when the replacement photo is of longer duration than the one that it replaced. Click on the information button to confirm that the replacement photo and the replaced photo were in fact of the same duration in the timeline. If the duration is longer, shorten the duration of the replacement photo and that should bring everything back into sync.

Except for the above situation, the replacement function works properly in my iMovie 10.1.12 running on Mojave. If you continue to have the same issue, try deleting preferences by opening iMovie while holding down the Option and Command keys and deleting preferences from the box that appears. iMovie will open in a new blank library. Reopen your old library to get back to your projects.

As a workaround, you could try exporting the project as an Audio Only file (an option in the export box) and then import the Audio Only file into your project as one joined-together sound track. Then delete the old sound track. Work with a duplicate project so as to preserve your original work in the original project.

-- Rich

Are you sure that you are not "inserting" rather than "replacing"? If you insert a photo before the place where the audio clip couples to the video clip above it, that will cause the audio clip to move over.

In any event, use your cursor to pull the audio clip down into a lower audio well to pull loose the coupling that joins it to the video clip above it. Then replace your photo. You can then move the audio clip back to the upper well, or leave it in the lower well.

Or, after inserting the photo you can slide the audio clip back to bring it in sync again.

Also, if your iMovie Photo Duration preferences differ from the photo durations in the iMovie timeline, the photo will come in with the iMovie Movie preference duration rather than the duration of the photo that it is replacing.

-- Rich

-- Rich

Great! We didn’t exactly solve it, but at least found something workable.

— Rich