IMovie 11 Duration of photos and transitions

After much experimenting I found that transistions between two still clips no longer behave like they used to. The options "Half - Maintain Project Duration" is set and grayed out. A transition between a video and a photo fragment (or two video clips) can be set to "All - Maintain Clip Range" but after replacing the videoclip by a photo iMovie invariably reverts to "Half - Maintain Project Duration". All my previous projects suffer from the same problem now.

This wasn't the case a couple of days ago and I suspect a recent software/OS update is causing this.

Repairing priviliges and deleting preference list didn't help.

The result is that iMovie has become useless to me because if I cannot vary the length of photo's and transitions independently I have no idea on how to sync a movie containing photo's with background sound.

Extremely frustrating. Any solution anyone ?

iMovie version 9.0.4(1634), OS 10.6.8

You are absolutely right Karel. This seems to be specific to iMovie 9 as this was not the case with the previous versions. The only workaround that comes close to giving me control over exact timing is to avoid automatic transitions and add them one by one after the photos and clips are added. Then I can go back and at least adjust the timing of the photo to what I want. It adds countless needless steps. Nor does this version of iMovie link to iDVD in the same way as in the past. Indeed, it is extremely frustrating and more time consuming to create a movie with iMovie these days.

I figured out how to change the duration.

Right click or control click on a photo in the project.

Click "project properties"

Adjust your transition duration and photo duration accordingly.

Select Applies to all photos

Click OK

The project properties will set durations, initial photo placement, aspect ratio etc for new project. However, it does not solve the problem of setting for individual transitions and slides as I work on the project, at least as far as I can see. The problem remains that changes to individual photos cannot be made. Exact timing of each slide or transition is next to impossible. In the old versions of iMovie I could easily adjust a slide to 5 seconds, the transition to 3.2, next slide at 3.3 seconds, transition at 2 seconds, etc. Resetting the timing of an individual transition did not effect the slides on either side. I could adjust the timing of an individual slide to exactly 3.3 without it effecting everything around it. That is impossible to do with the current version of iMovie.

Try EDIT/TRANSITION OVERLAP/HALF

Unfortunately, this does not allow the setting of individual timings which is the problem presented in this forum and in several other forums across the community. Yes I can set transition overlap but I do not want to maintain project duration. I want to set the duration of the individual photo. And when I change the timing of a transition, I do not want the photo to change. i.e. I have originally photo 3.7 Transition 0.4 photo 3.7 and project duration 8:35. (Don't get me started on the fact I don't want 0.4 transitions to begin with and it is iMovie setting these when I want 0.5)

Set at Half: When I change the transition to 1.0, I end up with photo 3.5 Transition 1.0 photo 3.5 and project duration 8:35. When I insist that I want that photo at 3.7 NOT 3.5, then changes are photo 3.5 Transition 1.0 photo 4.1 and project duration 8:36. NOT what I want. If I wanted the photo at 4.1 or 3.5 I would set it at that.

When I attempt to change the Transition Overlap in the Edit menu, I do not get that choice when I attempt to change an individual transition. You will note that when you open the Inspector the choice is greyed out to Half. I can set Transition Overlap to ALL and when I make a transition change to 1.0 my original settings of photo 3.7 Transition 0.4 photo 3.7 and project duration 8:35 THEN become photo 3.5 Transition 1.0 photo 3.5 and project duration 8:35. Change that 3.5 photo back to 3.7 like I want I get 4.1 like I don't want. And the use of videos is even worse!

I suspect this is confusing but maybe people can replicate it and give me an answer to my original thoughts. It is impossible to adjust the exact timing of my slides in iMovie. I am not the producer, Apple is.

I've run into this issue as well and was able to reproduce it on multiple computers all running iMovie 9.0.4. My example looks like this:

Dragged in 3 slides all with the duration of 4s. Added 1s transitions in between each one, resulting in the slides duration being 3s.

Now if I try to adjust a 3s slide to 2s, by going into the clip settings and typing in 2s, nothing happens, it stays at 3s. If I type in 1s, then the result ends up being 2s. It's as if I have to do 1 second less then I would normally for it to work properlly.

If I want to raise the time from 3s to 4s, I type in 4s first making it 5s, then I have to type in 3s for the result to be 4s. This is of course with simple numbers, if I get decimals involved then it I'd have to be doing some math.

This is the only workaround I've found so far which has stayed consistent. I encourage everyone to leave feedback on this issue in hopes for a more streamlined solution.

Thanks theungodlytac, you have discovered an answer to something a deranged Apple programmer must have thought up. In order to achieve the 3.5 slide, 3.0 transition, and 4.0 slide sequence, I need to fiddle and enter 2.0 slide, 3.0 transition and 2.0 slide. Is this assine or what? This is going to be loads of fun the next time I create an iMovie. Thanks for the tip. Maybe next time I do a movie, I will see more of a pattern and be able to contribute more to this solution. In the meantime, we can hope Apple gets the message and corrects this problem.

Well, it brings small comfort that others are having the same difficulty.
HOW ANNOYING!!

How difficult would this be to update/fix? And what other movie editting software is recommended?
I've never used anything other than imovie.

Anyway, thank you so much the ungodlytaco for your tireless efforts. I guess I too will adjust incorrect durations in order to achieve the correct ones. INSANE!

Thank you to everyone on this thread for sharing your frustrations.

I figured something out that works for me. It's not quite as bad as it could be I guess, and I'm able to get the timing the way I want it. I'm using video clips, but I think it would be the same for photos. I start with a clip that is bigger than I want to use. In my most recent scenario, I'm using 1 sec. of slow motion video. I insert about 3 or 4 seconds worth of clip. Most important step then is the insert the next transition and then begin to trim my clip down to the time and actual footage I want to use for my 1 sec. I simply drag one or both ends down to one second and then move it to the desired range. Once the range and time are good, I just right click and select "trim to selection". My transitions stay at .5 like they always are and my selection stays at 1.0 seconds like I want it. If you don't put the next transition in behind your clip, this won't work. I agree that apple still needs to address this issue though!

Thanks for the help. I am new to iMac. Photoshop Elements for Windows is simple and flexible and I have used it to make many slide shows with individually timed slides and transitions. I am beginning to think I made a mistake moving to Apple. I am amazed that Apple does not have software to create custom slide shows! Doing a limited number of things very well is a good stategy for iPhone and iPad, but a computer needs to be able to do a broad array of things, not just what Apple thinks you want to do. I am an unhappy customer - my iMac simply will not do what a cheap PC will do.

i also would really like to be able to adjust the duration of clips & transitions independently. Sometimes when i want to shorten a clip (image) but it will not because it just 'borrows' from the transition duration, i copy the clip, paste it in again next to the orginal, then delete one of them, ending up with 1 that is shorter. & other such methods like some of You have written on this question, but i hope Apple with improve the issue. Until they do i will probably use other software.

Thanks for the ideas.

Here is the best way i have found to work with clip & transition durations in iMovie (11):

To make a transition longer, select it to edit, then type in the length of duration You actually want, then (because that usually does not work) make the clip before it longer, so the transition will 'borrow' time from it to reach the length You typed in. Then to shorten the clip back to it's intended duration, select it to edit, type in the duration You want, then (unless that somehow works for You) copy it, paste it right after the original, then delete the longer of the 2. For some reason this leaves the clip that is shorter, with the transition keeping it's duration (or very near). silly extra steps but at least i was able to finish my project.

Thanks jefforig - this was helpful but the whole thing is so frustrating. I've just changed to Apple and trying to make my first movie with imovie. I've made so many great ones with MS movie maker, and am so disappointed to find that imovie isn't as good. I thought it would be much better. Your hint at least gave me some help.

Come on Apple live up to your reputation and do something about this. I've paid for a programme which doesn't do what it should.