iMovie10 "Add Freeze Frame" grayed out from event library!

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Level 1

7 points

iMovie10 "Add Freeze Frame" grayed out from event library!

Hi,

I'm on Yosemite (all updated), and i'm trying to find out how to add a "Freeze Frame" in iMovie 10 (version 10.0.9) from a clip in the browser panel directly to the project timeline, as you could do very quick and easily with iMovie 09 ('11), where this option was name "Add Still Frame to Project".

I know that i can add a clip to my timeline and there create (add) a Freeze Frame, and this will split my clip in the timeline in 3 parts, after that remove the two remaining parts and keep only the still frame i want, but this is really a cumbersome way of doing it.

I'm probably missing something, as the option to "Add Freeze Frame" from the browser panel is there in the context menu (only it's grayed out). So, i would like to ask your help on how to mimic the former iMovie 09 "Add Still Frame to Project" behavior. It's probably done tweaking some special option, to enable the grayed out menu entry.

Thanks in advance.

-w

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I'm adding screen capture showing the two situations.

:: Yosemite's iMovie 10, showing the grayed out "Add Freeze Frame" context menu option when right/option click on the clip in the browser panel

:: Yosemite's (same mac book air as above) but now using iMovie 09 , showing the "Add Still Frame to Project" menu entry...

iMovie 10, OS X Yosemite (10.10.4), null

Posted on Aug 11, 2015 2:28 PM

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Answer 1

RKA654

Level 1

4 points

Jan 28, 2017 5:50 PM in response to wernerfr

Even though the "Add Freeze Frame" option is "grayed out" (unavailable) in iMovie, when you are trying to add "Freeze Frames" to a video that you are creating using a still photo, you can do the following to create the "Freeze Frames" that you need"

(This may sound confusing.)

1. Use the "Ken Burns" effect in "Cropping" to create "motion" in a clip (from one part of the still photo to another).

2. Copy that clip that you just made.

3. Paste it just AFTER the first clip (in #1).

4. Highlight that newly-pasted clip.

5. Go to "Cropping" and click "Ken Burns."

6. There is a little button with two arrows just to the right of "Ken Burns."

7. Click that button to "Swap the Start and End Areas."

8. Next, click "Crop to Fit" instead of "Ken Burns."

9. That "Crop to Fit" clip will act just like a "Freeze Frame."

10. Then copy the "Crop to Fit" clip.

11. Paste it (at the end, again).

12. Go to "Cropping" and click on "Ken Burns," again.

13. The "Start" frame is in the right place, but you must change the "End" frame to a new location.

14. Lather, Rinse and Repeat, as it were.

I will try to make a video of this process,

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Answer 2

GeeD

Level 6

9,179 points

Aug 12, 2015 2:15 AM in response to wernerfr

In iMovie 10 you can only add a freeze frame (or do any editing) to a clip in a project timeline. Your project timeline (at bottom of first screenshot) is empty and you are trying to edit the clip in the event pane. If you drag your clip to the timeline you should then find the add freeze frame active.

I'm surprised it is not also greyed out in iMovie 9 but iMovie 9 did allow some editing of clips in the event pane.

iMovie 10 is a real non-destructive editor (NDE) meaning that original clips (i.e. the contents of the event pane) are never changed.

Geoff.

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Answer 3

wernerfr Author

Level 1

7 points

Aug 12, 2015 5:13 AM in response to GeeD

Hi GeeD,

Thanks for the reply, but i think i was not able to explain myself very well or you didn't understand me 🙂

I know that i can NOT / should not edit the original clip.

I'm not asking /trying to do it. In the first paragraph i write:

"... from a clip in the browser panel directly to the project timeline..." and with this i mean, i want to grab a still frame from the clip in the browser window (like it were a picture) and add it to my timeline (the editing area).

This was exactly (and in my opinion very correct) behavior in imovie 09, and this is exactly the behavior i'm trying to use.

And besides, why would there be a menu option that is never to be used?

thanks

-wm

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Answer 4

GeeD

Level 6

9,179 points

Aug 12, 2015 5:44 AM in response to wernerfr

Please accept my apologies - I have come across so many people recently trying to edit in the event pane I jumped to conclusions without reading your post fully.

In iMovie 10 it appears that a freeze frame can only be generated from a clip in the timeline (http://help.apple.com/imovie/mac/10.0.8/#/mov772ab4a71). In fact I was not aware of the iMovie 9 freeze frame from a clip in an event option.

Geoff.

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Answer 5

Apr 27, 2017 7:48 AM in response to RKA654

Finally! Thank you. I just don't understand why you can't delete the transitions on titles! I need to go thought the freeze frame process above to do it.

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