HT204674: Add Photos images to an iMovie project

Learn about Add Photos images to an iMovie project
Ijit
Level 1 (4 points)
iLife

Q: How do I get pictures from a second Photos Library into iMovie.

I have two photos libraries. One of them is the default library and another one, obviously, is not. How do I get pictures from the second, non-default, library into iMovie?

 

I am using OSX El Capitan and iMovie 10.1.2

Posted on Sep 3, 2016 3:45 PM

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Ijit

Q: How do I get pictures from a second Photos Library into iMovie.

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  • by GeeD,Helpful

    GeeD GeeD Sep 3, 2016 4:12 PM in response to Ijit
    Level 5 (7,612 points)
    Video
    Sep 3, 2016 4:12 PM in response to Ijit

    You can export the pictures you need to use to the desktop then drag and drop them into the iMovie timeline or event pane.  This will create a duplicate copy in your iMovie library. 

     

    Geoff.

  • by Ijit,

    Ijit Ijit Sep 3, 2016 4:17 PM in response to GeeD
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iLife
    Sep 3, 2016 4:17 PM in response to GeeD

    I have done this before, but it confuses me a little bit. After I import the pictures into iMovie, do I delete the folder with the exported images? I usually delete the folder I exported the pictures into but then iMovie gets all weird saying that some of the images are missing but others aren't. Is this process actually creating new image files in iMovie? So that I can delete the old ones? Or is it a reference to a file and I need to keep the file in order for iMovie to maintain it?

  • by GeeD,

    GeeD GeeD Sep 4, 2016 1:45 PM in response to Ijit
    Level 5 (7,612 points)
    Video
    Sep 4, 2016 1:45 PM in response to Ijit

    After you have imported or dragged a clip with the Finder from an ordinary folder (eg the desktop) to iMovie, iMovie creates a separate copy in its library.   When the import is complete you can delete the original copy and the the copy in Photos library (actually if imovie is still running Finder will tell you it can’t delete it because the file is still in use but after quitting iMovie it will allow you to delete it.)  

     

    In contrast, clips used from other Apple application libraries such as Photos, iTunes etc used from the iMovie libraries list within iMovie are not copied but iMovie places an alias of the original in the iMovie library, so in these cases the clip only exists in the Photos, iTunes library.

     

    Geoff.