In iMovie how do i make the pictures stand still and not move

Glad it helped! Thanks for the reply. My original post was from almost 4 years ago, so the method I outlined may be a little different in the latest version of iMovie. I now use Final Cut Pro X (almost exclusively), so am not as familiar with the current iMovie version.

John

The default setting for still images in iMovie is the Ken Burns effect which shows panning and zooming on the image. This is probably what you are seeing when you add stills to your project.

In iMovie's menu click on File>Project Properties (the short-cut is Command-J) then change the selection in the item labelled "Initial Photo Placement" to "Fit in Frame". You have a choice between Fit in Frame, Crop and Ken Burns. This action will allow all stills that are subsequently added to the current project to remain stationary, that is, with no panning and zooming (Ken Burns) effect.

For those stills already in your project, you will need to change the setting using another method as the method I've described only applies to new stills added to the project. To change the setting for the existing stills, click on the gear icon on the thumbnail in the timeline and choose "Cropping, Ken Burns & Rotation" from the pop-up menu. In the Viewer you will see 3 items at the upper left, named Fit, Crop and Ken Burns. Choose Fit (unless you wish to crop the picture - if so, select Crop).

To change the setting on multiple stills, select all the stills so that they are enclosed in a yellow border (from the menu choose Edit > Select > Photos). Now click on the gear icon on one of the stills and follow the procedure I outlined above. This will change the setting on all the images to your preference, that is, Fit or Crop.

Note that whenever you start a new project, it is best to change the preference setting before adding any stills, unless of course you want the Ken Burns effect to apply to the stills. The preference you set is only applicable to the current project - it is not a universal setting for all projects.

TIP: As well as using the gear icon I mentioned above, there are other ways to access the Fit, Crop and Ken Burns items in the Viewer. Select the still clip (or clips) in the timeline, then press the C key on the keyboard - this will show the selections in the Viewer. Or click on the Crop icon in the centre toolbar (directly to the left of the Inspector icon) to bring up the selections in the Viewer.

John

Press the SPACE BAR?

Ciao.

It does when I watch them, but that was a guess. I suggest that you pose this question on the iMove forum where there are people well versed in this application as opposed to me.

Ciao.

Thank you so much this really helps!