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iMovie Theater Thumbnails/Posters

iMovie appears to be picking a random frame from a project that it assigns as the Thumbnail/Poster for the final video that is shared via iMovie Theater. How does it choose this frame, and is there a way to change this? I cannot find this anywhere.

iMovie 10-OTHER, OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Oct 25, 2013 4:47 PM

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21 replies

Jun 5, 2017 7:58 AM in response to lutzg

Hi,


The random project icon thumbnail issue has been raised by others on this forum. I haven't seen any answer that consistently works. Someone observed that iMovie seems to choose the clip/photo where the midpoint of the movie occurs, and makes that the thumbnail. So, try adding a black background to the end of your movie large enough in duration to change the midpoint that might be occurring in the thumbnail clip. I tested that method on a project and it actually did change the thumbnail in the test that I did. Another way might be to put the clip or still frame you want in the middle of the movie and see if that works.


Also, you can share out your movie, put it in your Photos app, and change the thumbnail (poster frame) there. To do that, click on the video in Photos to open it (but don't play it), scroll to the desired frame, and then click on the little gear icon to the right and a drop down menu will give you the option to change the poster frame to the one you scrolled to.


User uploaded file


Best,

Rich

Feb 4, 2017 1:42 PM in response to lutzg

Hi,


There have been several posts that have raised the issue you mention. The iMovie app does not have a function that would allow you to change the thumbnail poster pic. Several users have proposed workaround solutions but none have worked reliably.


One suggestion made is that iMovie selects a still or frame in the exact middle of the video for the thumbnail. One user said he/she was able to substitute a different still or frame for the default middle frame and thus obtain a different thumbnail. I have tried that with no success.


I know that on You Tube you can create a custom poster pic for an uploaded video, so perhaps you could upload your video to You Tube, make the change, and then down load it back onto your computer.


-- Rich

Mar 7, 2017 7:26 PM in response to Spyneyes

I have been working on this problem for a while and I read nearly everybody's answers. We have not always used the same definitions for common words. I have been sharing my movies as Theater which I bet others have done as well. When you do this, iMovie picks a photo in the very center of the movie and that becomes the thumbnail. Don't share it that way. Instead share your movie as a "file" which is at the bottom of the list when click the share tab. When you share it as a file you get the video on the left side of the file sharing graphic. Place your cursor over the photo, and you will be able to scroll through the video. Stop at what ever picture you want, and that will become the thumbnail. Sharing it as a file will place it in your documents folder, or desktop. It will still work just like theater, only you have control over the thumbnail.

Nov 3, 2013 3:56 PM in response to lutzg

Your not going to like this! I did track down the .png files that are used for the iMovie Theatre thumbnails. They are inside the iMovie Theatre Package. Show package contents... And you will see a Thumbnails folder, editing these files (carefully), can result in control over what you see in the Theatre view in iMovie. Indeed, they also make it through to iCloud and what you see on the Apple TV.


...just remember this is definitely 'under the hood' and a mess-up is never far away...

Sep 4, 2015 7:24 PM in response to lutzg

OK, I just made a 50th Wedding Anniversary clip for my parents and the Theater Package chose a cover picture of my father and my mother's best friend. Not good. Needless to say, I was motivated to change this. To do this, I did the following:

1. In Finder, click on Movies

2. Right-click on the "iMovie Theater" icon

3. In the drop-down box, click on Show Package Contents

4. Click on the Thumbnails folder

5. Paste in a .png file that you actually want to use as the cover shot for your iMovie

6. Find the offending thumbnail that you want to replace

7. Copy the ridiculously long file name of the offending thumbnail

8. Delete the offending thumbnail

9. Copy the ridiculously long file name of the offending thumbnail onto the name of your desired thumbnail

10. Go back to iMovie Theater and your cover shot should automatically be replaced. Really. I swear.


There may be ways to shorten steps 7-9, but this worked for me.

Jul 5, 2016 4:52 PM in response to lutzg

When you share your finished project (by selecting File/Share/whatever) it shows an image on the first screen. You simply roll your pointer over that image and choose from the entire video the image you'd like to use as the thumbnail. It couldn't be easier but is not documented or very obvious, to say the least.!


I hope this helps!

iMovie Theater Thumbnails/Posters

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