Having to hold R to select part of a clip

Have you tried to click into the clip, where you want the selection to start, then hold down onto the trackpad firmly for a moment , until the yellow selection rectangle appears? As soon as I am seeing the rectangle I start dragging and it works without having to hold down "R" while dragging. I simply press R to copy the selection when done. But still the "Press R key while dragging is shown, but I ignore it.

It is working on my MacBook Pro Retina with force-touch trackpad, perhaps it will not work with a different trackpad.

Totally agree ... I've got a macbook pro with the touchpad ... holding down to click through still only lets you grab the entire clip, and not a section of it ... once you've accidentally selected the whole clip you have to click on another clip to clear the yellow box ... then go back and find where you were (which can be extremely difficult in a long video clip of say 10 minutes) before you can use the R key to grab a small selection ... THIS IS THE MOST STUPID THING APPLE HAS DONE TO IMOVIE IN QUITE A LONG TIME ... PLEASE CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHY ... AND THEN TELL US HOW TO REVERT BACK TO THE PREVIOUS WAY OF SELECTING CLIPS !!!!!!!

Totally agree that having to hold down the "R" key to select a range has ruined my workflow and train of thought. It was a step backward in usability. It makes absolutely no sense to throw another step into the most basic creative process which is selecting pieces of a clip to actually use in the movie. I'm very upset about this change because it makes no sense. I really hoped the software engineers see how unpopular this change is and revert back or give the user a preference as to how they want to select a range. I cannot imagine any user thinking, "Wow, this process of holding down the 'R' key is really a nice update. It actually makes iMovie easier to use."

Essentially, the iMovie team reversed our normal workflow. Previously, you double-clicked a clip to select it. Now, you click on it and the entire thing is highlighted. I found it so frustrating, that I deleted 10.1.2 and grabbed 10.1.1 from Time Machine. I'm back in business with the wonderful 10.1.1.

You can send feedback to Apple at: http://www.apple.com/feedback/

NOTE: If you choose to revert back to 10.1.1, use App Delete to remove 10.1.2 as it will remove all of the preferences and other bits of iMovie scattered around your hard drive. Simply dragging it into the trash will not work. I tried this first and was able to get 10.1.1 running again, but, strangely, it was missing a part of the top toolbar. I then used App Delete, reinstalled 10.1.1, and everything was perfect! It gives you a fresh install as if you're opening iMovie for the first time.

Also, installing the 10.1.2 update will change your existing iMovie Library files to only be compatible with 10.1.2. They can't be opened with 10.1.1. I solved this by simply trashing those libraries and restoring my previous ones from Time Machine.

I don't see what the problem is. Click on the clip and you select all of it but it shows range handles that can be dragged to select the part you want to use without having to touch the 'R' key at all.

Geoff.

Your example shows a very short clip. It's impractical to drag from each end of a long clip to select the small section you actually want.

Not even remotely practical when you have continuous footage (for example a 10 minute clip taken from a drone) ...

You would have to skim, split the clip at the start of the section you want, skim to the end of the section, split again. then fine-tune by dragging the ends of the cut out section.

Simplicity. What you are describing is certainly doable. It is, however, not as simple and efficient as the method in 10.1.1. "Skim, Click, and Drag" is the most efficient way to select a range. Neither dragging from the ends nor holding down the "R" key is as simple.

I'm sure the Apple software engineers had something in mind when they made the decision to change how a range is selected, but I'm not sure why. I just wish someone had spoken up and reminded everyone that "ease of use" was Apple’s highest priority. For those of us who use iMovie almost daily for creating lengthy videos, suddenly needing to hold down the "R" key hundreds of times a day without any added benefit is deleterious to our work.

It should be noted that Final Cut Pro X continues to use the simple "Skim, Click, and Drag" method to choose a range of text.

I'm not defending the way how we have to select regions now, far from it! 😟 I'm just pointing out how we can avoid having to hold down the R key when trying to select and drag a part of a clip. Being forced to use both hands for such a simple, routine task is ridiculous!

To add to Léonie's good advice, try clicking on Control-i (for in) at your in point, and Control-o (for out) at your out point. The part in between the two points will be selected.

In the timeline you can use the skim click drag. Skim to where you want the range to start and then click and hold momentarily. The selection box will appear and then drag to your desired end point.

Thanks for that tip. It does work. Of course, that's more keyboard intensive than holding down the "R" key.

I cannot duplicate this action using a mouse or the Apple External Trackpad. Both devices selected the entire clip regardless of how long the press and hold is. It must be tied to the newer force touch trackpad.