iMovie 11 - set duration for still pictures in project

A transition borrows frames from the photos or video clips on either side of a transition. There is a general rule that a transition cannot be longer then half the length of the shortest adjacent clip or photo.

Also, check the setting for EDIT/TRANSITION OVERLAP.

I copied the following from iMovie Help...

Whether transitions are added to your project automatically or manually, you can set how much they overlap with the clips they’re adjacent to. This setting, which applies to all transitions in your project, affects the duration of your project.

Double-click any transition icon in your project. In the inspector that opens, choose an option from the Overlap pop-up menu:

All - Maintain Clip Range: The two clips are made to overlap by the length of the transition, and the transition is placed over the overlapping region. In this case, no additional content from clip ends is added. The total duration of your project decreases by the length of the transition.

Half - Maintain Project Duration: The transition is placed so that it spans the clips; one half of the transition overlaps each clip. In this case, additional content from the end of each clip is added to fill out the transition. The total duration of your project remains the same.

I "thought" I understood what you said in the previous post. When I "try" to set a duration whether its 5 seconds / 2 seconds / 10 seconds - the duration changes to anything but what I set it for. I've been using iMovie for a while and don't know what is happening now. I've not had this problem before.

Why wouldn't a program allow you to change the transition and clip durations to what ever you want them without having to calculate one half of this and that. Frustrating.

I understand that the transition can not before more than 1/2 the length of the shortest adjacent clip. I set the transition to 1 sec and the clip to 3 seconds throughout the movie. Wouldn't you think that that is what the program would allow you to do - but no, all of the transitions are 1 sec, but the clips range from 2.5 seconds to 4 seconds randomly. When I attempt to change it back to 3 seconds, but changes it anything but 3 seconds.

I did an iMovie last week with the transition at 3 seconds and the clip at 1 second (very nice effect) ... and ... it worked.

Tell me again ... what I am doing wrong.

I'm having exactly the same problem and it's driving me nuts! I set a photo for 2 seconds, move on to the next and iMovie automatically changes the value. I can't synch in my soundtrack or even establish my pacing/editing properly.

Has anyone found an answer to this?

+Someone else posted about this issue a little more recently than you and I have offered the same suggestion. I have posted it here again in case you don't see it on the other thread.+

"problems setting duration for still photos and transitions in iMovie '11"

A number of people have experienced the same problem and written about it on discussions. Lots of different solutions as well. If you search using the title quoted above, you can read the solution I found. It's more complicated than it should be. I never had to fiddle as much with duration times for transitions and still photos in previous versions of iMovie. Nevertheless, the steps I have described work for me. You will also find the steps another reader offered that may work for you if all of your transitions are set for the same durations and all of the still photos are set for the same duration as well.