Transition timing in iMovie 10

I've given up on this software!

Ive tried all the suggestions and if any work properly its news to me. The latest one form Goyg didnt work for me at all and any previous ones seemed incredibly awkward or complicated and at the end of the day it shouldnt be anymore diffcult than the previous release.

If it isnt then its not an improvement.

Apple have done nothing to fix this problem which is very disappointing.

I understand your frustration with the new imovie 10. It's difficult to transition from an older version. This worked for me to change transition times. Highlight the transition then click on the tiny "i" information button in the top right hand corner of the adjustments bar .(If you do not see the adjustments bar hit the "3" button)

Continue to look in the upper right hand area, under the adjustments bar and it will show duration. highlight this to make it turn blue. Now delete this number and type in the transition time you want, ie 0.5, 1.0 or whatever you choose. Finally, click return. This should change the transition. You should also check to make sure that your movie isn't set to add automatic transitions. You can check on this by going to window>movie properties>settings

Good Luck.

An Apple representative with whom I have been discussing this problem for a couple of months phoned me today with a solution which works for me. The process is more complex than both of us agreed it should be but at least it works. These are the steps I follow using a mouse:

1. Click on “Transitions” in the left margin.
2. Choose a transition and drag it to the required location.

Do the following if the transition duration is to be altered:

1. Click on the clip to the right of the transition to select it.
2. From the Menu bar at the top go to Window/Show Precision Editor. The clips before and after the transition icon will now appear above and below it.
3. Click and hold at a point just before the end of the top clip located above the transition icon. Pull to the right until the displayed time (positive value) in the dialog box which appears indicates about half the time required for the new transition duration. Release.
4. Click and hold at a point just after the beginning of the bottom clip located below the transition icon. Pull to the left until the displayed time (negative value) in the dialog box which appears indicates about half the time required for the new transition duration. Release.
5. Close the precision editor by clicking on the “X” above the clips on the left hand side.

Double click the transition icon between the clips and alter its duration time in the dialog box which appears at the top of the screen. Hit return on the keyboard. Using half the time in the two clips for the transition duration “takes away” time equally from the two clips.

I've been trying to put together video for my husband's band...ARGH!!!! I had no problem with old version! Tried all these different tricks because i couldnt get my crossfade transition to work for longer than 1 second. FINALLY the easiest way was this...i deleted and started over. as long as i first put in the movie, then added the transition in the front BEFORE I added a title ahead of THAT, it worked and i was able to adjust. Only after i adjusted the crossfade transition to 8 seconds did i then add a title ahead of it. That is all

I have read all the posts. I've tried all your suggestions without success. Bottom line cant change the transition times. Ive been using imovie for years and I happen to like slower transition times of 4 sec. I like some of the features in the upgrade 10. However, I can't use the new program if I am unable to modify the transition speed. Another important point is the title options. No way to modify the fonts and size- bad news. I will have to use the older version until Apple fixes the problems.

I stuck at it and finally got the transition length to be editable thanks to Goyd, thank you.

However after having spent about 6 hrs creating a new rough cut of a project I decided to see what it was like to add music and voiceover.

I am now convinced this release is the biggest heap of s*** apple have produced!

Yes you can fade in and out but waht happens when you want the music and background sound level to drop down where you place a voiceover....absolutely nothing!

Ive searched various things on the web which claims you can manipulate the soundtarck levels using the audio editor....really cant find that at all!

I've clicked on virtually every place possible and gone through drop down menus time and time again nothing appears.

This software has some good advances but as for usability and user interface it is crap compared to 9!

Amazing!!!Took a break and found what I had been searching for almost straight away!!!!

I feel I can now do waht I have been wanting to do with this software for weeks now and although there are some great steps forward it really isnt as user friendly as previous imovie releases.

Getting to grips with the transition timings and soundtrack editing has been a nightmare...Im going to struggle on and hope things get better as I progress.

One thing I would say is a major improvemnet is the clip stabilisation...that really is good!

If you have experienced frustartions like I have, stick at it and hopefully you will get there but it certainly isnt easy!

Is there a way to be notified when a solution to this issue has been discoverd?

Has this issue been fixed? Is it even being looked at? Anyone from Apple care to give an estimated time for a fix?

May happiness infuse your life. You solved my problem with adjusting transition duration and saved me from a long call to Apple Customer Service. Benn Haynes, Bellingham, WA

Hi Benn. Thank you for your kind words! Glad to hear that my suggestions helped solve your problem with transition durations.

Just as an aside, I haven't used iMovie version 10 much since then, as I've pretty much graduated to Final Cut Pro X for most of my projects. But I'll continue to keep my hand in with iMovie for certain projects (such as Trailers). I still have a soft spot for iMovie as I started my video editing with iMovie version 2 back in 2001 after purchasing my first iMac G3 (the bubble shaped one).

One of the great things about the new versions of iMovie and Final Cut Pro X (FCP X) is that after completing a project (or even midstream) you can send it to FCP X where it works flawlessly. From there, you can make further adjustments to improve the look of the project, utilising the enhanced features of FCP X (such as much greater flexibility with Titles). There are also many 3rd party plugins available for FCP X, complementing the feature set.

John

Yo John,

I started out with the iMovieHD 2006 program prior to my oldest daughters wedding, then, in 2012, upgraded to iMovie '11 (version 9.0.9) prior to converting many (35+) family video tapes from analog to digital, then downloading into iMovie '11. Started having problems with program suddenly cutting off, as well as not being able to "share" with anything - project would process so far and then suddenly quit - this would happen early on in the process or after 90% of the project had been processed. I called Apple Customer Service ( thankfully I have an extended warranty on my computer ) who first checked out the computer, then transferred me to their iMovie expert. After 6-8 hours on the phone (I used up all my monthly minutes) over 3 days, I upgraded my OSX Lion to OSX Maveriks (version 10.9.1) and upgraded iMovie to iMovie 10 (version 10.0.2). I did this because by the expert said that my previous OSX (Lion, version 10.7.5) ran iMovie 11 using the internal RAM in a way that was overwhelming the internal RAM - I had already downloaded several video tapes into the iMovie program. Apple told me that iMovie 10 - the new iMovie program - was not compatible with Lion- only with Maveriks - and that the new iMovie program utilized internal RAM ( I have two 4 G RAM chips in my iMac, purchased in May 2012 - soon after Apple discontinued the iDVD program - another story for another time ) differently than Lion - apparently having the ability to access both RAM chips.

I download my VHS tapes into a LaCie 3T external hard drive to avoid depleting my internal hard drive memory capacity. I periodically copy this external hard drive to another LaCie 3T external drive to avoid the dreaded catastrophe of a failed hard drive destroying many hours of labor ( too paranoid?? ).

So far, so good. Apple Customer Service is excellent. I love the new iMovie program - at least until I experience another "bug". The N.E.D. tutorial on both iMovie 11 and iMovie 10 is very good, but does not discuss how to deal with every problem that can come up. The Missing Manual for iMovie 11 was also very good. The Missing Manual for iMovie 10 comes out in April of this year. It will be interesting to see if they describe how to deal with the various problems that have appeared in iMovie 10.

Please forgive my lengthy diatribe and possible inaccurate use of technical terms ( eg. RAM chip? ) , but maybe this will help someone else having similar problems with iMovie 10.

Hopefully I will be able to use my iDVD program with iMovie 10.

Take care, Benn Haynes, Bellingham, WA

this one worked! haha... cause i want the transition faster! 🙂

What a mess. I am having this same problem. Apple has truly lost its way. Their software is now very buggy and counter intuitive.

Mike

typing in the time field does not work. only goes less than 1.0 not more.