How do I edit clips with transitions?

Hi gadee - keep in mind that most transitions use a portion of the adjacent clip(s), thus reducing their duration. You must take that into account when modifying the clip-length. Trial and error is probably the best way.
Note too that the 'Overlap' transition is useful as it does not affect the overall length of the movie.

when I reinsert the transition, the duration of the clips on either side is drastically reduced (e.g., from 3:12 to 0:15). It's so frustrating

You are not doing anything wrong!
I have experienced this problem also. It is not just that the transition takes a bit from its adjacent clips. The problem comes when you delete the transition. I noticed this initially when using transitions between stills. I had the photos set for 5:04 and I used 00:26 cross-dissolve on both sides of the the photos, so that the duration of the photo came out to 3:12. When I decided to reposition some photos and deleted the transitions between them, some of the photos reverted back to the 5:04, but the others remained at 3:12, so when I redid the transitions, the photo's duration was now less than 2:00. It seemed to happen on photos that I had imported in batches, but sometimes on just any photos, and it seems to be random.

I had to reimport several of the photos. What I did was 'split clip at playhead' twice on the middle part of the photo and inserted the same photo again with the length needed to make up the difference between what I had and what I wanted, so that I didn't need to do the transitions again. Less tedious to me than deleting and reinserting the transitions and having to do it over and over.

Now I try to be more careful when deleting transitions and will replace the photo if its time is cut. It is harder to do this with video clips, but iMovie is nondestructive, so it can be done!

Hi, catspaw!

I really think this is a problem in iMovie, not a user problem 🙂

Beverly,

Thank you for this information. Now I know I'm not crazy. I've had a similar problem when editing or removing titles from video clips. According to David Pogue in the iMovie Missing Manual, if you delete a title or transition then the clip is restored to exactly its previous condition. I have found this to rarely be the case.

I added a title to a video clip, then decided I didn't want the title. Instead of restoring the entire length of my clip, a tiny piece of the clip (say, 1 second) was cut off and placed in the timeline as a separate clip, at the beginning of the segment. [The title does divide the clip between the part with the title and the remainder without the title. But removing the title should restore and rejoin the entire clip, without this separation. Right?] This should not be a problem, since all clips play seamlessly in sequence. However, I wanted to add a transition into the beginning of the clip, and discovered that I could not. Why? Because the duration of the transition cannot exceed the duration of the clip to which it is applied. Since my video segment now began with a 1-second clip, I could not add a transition equal to or longer than 1 second. Reverting the clip to original was not a good option because I had imported it as a long clip and already spent much time carefully dividing it. These days, I don't import clips longer than 2 minutes.

When editing a title to shorten its duration a similar thing happened. After I clicked Update to re-render the title, the clip was divided at the beginning. Instead of just shortening the title portion from the end, it created a tiny clip at the beginning (several frames) where the clip was not applied. So now the title did not begin where the clip should have begun. And I could not apply a title to this severed piece because it was too short. I had to undo the change and use the original title length.

Can anyone corroborate, contradict, or offer a work-around?

Smtr (don't you have a 'real' name? LOL!)

You are right. This problem started with iMovie6. It was not a problem in prior versions. I have had less trouble with titling....maybe I think them through more??? and don't have to delete the title so much as update it.

The only workaround I know of is to reimport the clip, or to use the cursor to shorten the clip, instead of splitting and deleting the unwanted portion, so you could lengthen it again.

David Pogue is a very nice guy ( I've heard him speak at the SF MacWorld) and quite knowledgeable, but he is incorrect with his statement for this version of iMovie.

I was doing something similar the other night. What happens is that (to keep it simple without decimal points!) you have a 5 second clip and you apply a 4 second transition or title to it. That gives you a 4 second clip with the title and a 1 second clip without it (i.e. the rest of the original clip).

If you change your mind and delete the title or transition you are left with the 4 second clip (now clean) AND the 1 second clip, NOT the original 5 second clip. That reduces your options when you want to add a different title or transition as you available time has been reduced by one second.

The workaround I now use is, before applying a title or transition to a clip, I make a copy of the clip (Edit ~ copy, paste the copy into the clips pane (I only work in the timeline)). That way, if I manage to mangle the title or transition, I can delete the 4 second and 1 second clips, and restore the copy 5 second clip to the timeline. That way no damage is done to the original, and you can 'rinse and repeat' ad infinitum.

Klaus1,
Copying the clip is a great idea.
Your explanation about the clip duration change and the two clips is good, and I understand what you are saying and agree with it, but that is NOT what I have found happens when I delete a transiton between two photos. Sometimes the duration of the photo does not return to what it was before the transition was added; it keeps the duration it had with the transition. Other times, the photo's duration returns. It seems to be random. Since I am not splitting the photo before adding the transition, there is no good reason for it not to return to its original duration. And, the strange thing is that most of the time it does do that. The loss of duration of a photo occurs about 10% of the time. I certainly cannot attribute the problem to a user dysfunction since most of the time everything works.

As I said to Smtr, I haven't noticed the problem with video clips.

Hi Beverly - thanks a lot for the explanation of what happens in iMovie 6. I still mainly use iMovie 5, where I have never come across those bugs. Nor have I struck it in iMovie 6, but there I have probably not replicated that set of actions.

Actually, as a matter of course in my normal work-flow, I always keep a complete 'spare' set of clips in the Clips Pane for just such contingencies.

that is NOT what I have found happens when I delete a transiton between two photos.

Like overlap for example? I can't remember seeing that, but I will keep an eye out!

Actually, as a matter of course in my normal work-flow, I always keep a complete 'spare' set of clips in the Clips Pane for just such contingencies

That is a good idea as well. I find that harder to do as I make many edits/crops of my clips.

that is NOT what I have found happens when I
delete a transiton between two photos.

Like overlap for example? I can't remember seeing
that, but I will keep an eye out!

I use Cross-dissolve as my main transition. I don't recall it happening with Overlap, but I use that one much less often.

Some of the GeeThree transitions are more difficult to figure out because I am never sure exactly how much they will take from the clips. I have to play with them and update them to get the timing I want. But, they are pretty cool!! 🙂