Transition timing problems

iMovie is finicky with transitions. This is a bug that a lot of people have dealt with and I don't think a surefire solution has been found. Have you tried extending the clips to a longer time (just temporarily), setting the transition time, and then shortening the clip back to where you want it? That or just delete both are start again.

Like I said, I'm not surprised you haven't been able to find a solution. The two things I mentioned have worked for me, but sometimes I just have to give up and try something else.

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I'm also having this problem tonight and have had to just walk away from my MBP before doing something to it that would certainly invalidate the warranty.

1 - I want to change a value in my software from a 1.0 to x.x, where x.x is a number of my choice

2 - I want the software to remember my adjustment and carry out a basic function (in this case, a screen transition) based on my new value of x.x

3 - If I do not like the results of my change, I want to be able to repeat step 1 where the initial value would now be x.x and I want to change that value to a new one, of my choice

Please note, anybody/everybody at Apple, if this feels like a patronising dumbing down and oversimplification of the problem, this is how we feel trying to use this version of iMovie. It just doesn't work.

I'm having the same problem & it is driving me nuts.
I'm just working on a small project of about 4min duration & throughout the project it has let me change the length of the manual transitions no problem at all.

But the final transition? Nope.

Whenever I change it from the default 1.0s it changes itself to 0.2s and cannot be changed back even to 1.0s.
I've tried extending the clip lengths, quitting & restarting iMovie, restarting my iMac. You name it. Nothing fixes it.
It's basically ruined the end of my project where I need a slow transition/dissolve to a final scene.
The only option I'm now left with is to re-do the entire project (1/2 a days work...) & hope it doesn't happen again.
That really is absurd for 'It just works!' software.
Apple... please fix this seriously annoying bug.

Okay... just found a very weird work-around...

After the clip that I had wanted to do the slow cross-dissolve to but couldn't I added a new transition (at the end of the project). It allowed me to change the duration of this final transition to my desired length.
What I then did was deleted the recalcitrant transition from between clips, selected the final clip & moved it to the other side of the final transition (so the final transition became a between clip transition). The transition was then sort of the length I needed.
Not ideal but it worked.
Hope this helps.