can i set picture in picture in imovie to be the same for every picture i add to the video

As regards the automatic transitions, click on Settings at the bottom right of the iMovie interface and deselect the Automatic Content box.

For the other features you need a more pro app like Final Cut Pro.

There is a completely free, no strings attached 90 Day FREE Trial........

Final Cut Pro - Free Trial - Apple (UK)

Alternately the FREE version of DaVinci Resolve will do what you need.

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/uk/products/davinciresolve

Hi,

Regarding the transitions, you can set the default transition duration in the iMovie preferences box that appears when you click on iMovie/Preferences in the main menu bar. Set the default before creating the ;project.

Regarding the overlay settings, make your settings on the first overlay picture in the upper timeline. Then select it by clicking on it and do Edit/Copy. Then place your second picture in the upper timeline that you want to overlay and select it, and do Edit/Paste Adjustments/Video Overlay Settings. That will adjust your Picture in Picture settings in the second picture to identically match the settings of the first picture. Or, you can place several additional pictures in the upper timeline, select them all as a batch, and do Edit/Paste Adjustments/Video Overlay Settings. That will then make all of the video overlay settings identical in every selected clip in the batch.

-- Rich

xx

Thanks for that extra information Rich.

Just one minor point, the Preferences have now changed their name to Settings, the same as is now used in FCP.

I don't know when the name changed as I only noticed it over the past week or so.

The interesting thing is that if you hold down command and option as you launch iMovie or FCP you will see they are still called Preferences!

It has been suggested that FCP will be updated to 10.7 later this month and this remaining bit of the past may change . . . so iMovie will probably do the same.

"Settings" is the more generic term, whereas "preferences" are only those settings that you "prefer". So deleting preferences returns everything to the default settings that you may not have preferred. It's a little like "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" :)

-- Rich

Hi, Ian,

You are right. I keep forgetting that the newer versions have changed the Preferences nomenclature to Settings.

-- Rich