I use imovie 10.1.6 to edit video clips for my ESL students. I need to be able to add subtitles to my videos, but I can't stop the text from fading in and out. The workarounds I've found online, like freezing the title frame, don't work in this version of imovie. Any solutions?
MacBook Pro, iOS 10
Another way to eliminate fades is to create a PNG transparency with the Preview app, create your title on it, and import it into your project, then insert it into your clip with the Picture in Picture effect. To do that, choose any random photo, duplicate it, open the duplicate in Preview. Then Edit/Select All, Edit delete. You will get a pop up asking if you want to convert to PNG. Select yes. The photo will disappear leaving you with a gray PNG screen. As with the green screen method, select Tools/Annotate/Text to create a text box. Type in your text. Save. Drag it into your project above the time line, overlaying your clip. Add the Picture in Picture effect. Adjust the size and position of the title in the iMovie Preview screen. Remove the fade by changing the dissolve setting to "0". Click the blue reset button to apply your settings.
Hi,
I have seen several workarounds to eliminate the fade.
The one I use is to green screen the title and overlay it onto the clip using the green screen feature of iMovie. To do that I drag a green background into the timeline. Take a screen shot of it from the preview screen (CONTROL-SHIFT-4, then drag select). That leaves a green JPG on your desk top. Double click on it to open it in the Preview app on your Mac. In the preview menu, go to Tools/Annotate/Text. A text box will appear in the green screen, that you can position where you want. Type in your text. Save. Drag into your project. Place it in the timeline-well above your clip. Then apply the green screen effect by clicking on the overlay icon (the one that looks like overlapping squares) in the tool bar at the top of your screen. In the selection box that appears below the icon to the left, choose Green/Blue Screen. Click the blue reset button on the top right of your screen to apply your settings. That should leave you with a non-fading subtitle.
As I said, there are other ways to do this. The freeze frame method will work with your version. You just need to make the title in another project on a green background, share it out, drag it back in again, and then apply the freeze frame to it like you would any other clip. After applying the freeze frame you trim back the fades on each side of the freeze frame, share it out again, and drag it into your original project.
Hope this helps.
-- Rich
Stop fading text in imovie
