How to Add Text in iMovie?

Creating multimedia content is a demanding job requiring much patience and access to adequate software tools. However, even beginners armed only with free software can produce solid videos if they apply some of the expert knowledge available online. To be more particular, all Mac computer owners have iMovie installed on their machines by default, so they only need to harness the full power of this app in the right way.

This software tool isn’t too complicated, at least when compared with professional video-making tools. If you spend some time playing around with its commands, you will discover that iMovie gives you a lot of freedom to arrange visual and audio elements in creative ways. Once you find out how to add text in iMovie, you will be ready to start producing your own videos that convey a clear message.

What is iMovie and What Can I Do with This Software?

Anyone who owned a Mac computer over the past couple of decades knows about this software, although some users may have ignored it because they were unsure what it could do. iMovie was first launched way back in 1999 and has been an integral part of the Apple ecosystem ever since, arriving pre-installed on the computer along with the OS. The software also works on mobile, so it’s found on all iPhones and iPads as well.

The primary purpose of this application is to serve as a free video editor intended for basic tasks. Still, over time it has been constantly upgraded with new functions and has quite impressive capacities for multimedia creation and alteration. It allows for a range of actions, from recording audio and video, through editing functions such as image stabilization and color correction, to adding a number of impressive visual effects. Among other possibilities, creators can combine text with video and audio in iMovie, which is essential whenever you need to include a caption or another semantic reminder into the clip to clarify its content or emphasize an important point.

The Power of Adding Text in iMovie to Enhance Your Videos

Most people are focused on the visuals when they are making videos and interactive multimedia, which is understandable but somewhat misguided. Great-looking videos that don’t have a good flow and fail to catch the viewer’s attention often go unnoticed and fail to accomplish the goals the author had in mind. On the other hand, strategic use of text can be a fantastic addition to the images that help to direct attention to the most important elements and clarify what the video is about. Here are some of the benefits you can achieve if you put some text on top of the video content:

How to Add Text in iMovie – Step-by-Step Guide

Despite its relative simplicity, iMovie contains editing tools that let you easily include text in your video. This can be done on any Apple device, so it’s possible to create eye-catching videos that contain textual explanations or subtitles practically everywhere. We will show you how to activate this option and implement your idea even if you are a total beginner when it comes to video making.

Adding Text in iMovie on iPhone or iPad

When you want to quickly insert some text elements into a video you made with a mobile device, iMovie is the most logical app to use. It will run well even with a limited amount of RAM, and it still allows you to control how the text will look. Here is the sequence of steps you must complete to place text into any part of a video on your phone or tablet.

Step 2. Tap on the T-shaped icon at the bottom of the screen to enter the Titles menu

Step 4. Change the style of the text (size, font, etc.) and reposition it according to your preference

Adding Text in iMovie on a Mac

Inserting text into your videos is even easier and more precise if you are working on a Mac and using iMovie. The functions of this software are the same depending on which device it runs, so you just need to find the right way to activate this function. Even without high-end editing skills, you can create stunning videos complete with titles, captions, and credits. Here is how you can complete this action in a few simple steps.

Step 1. Start iMovie on your computer and open the video that requires an addition of text

Step 2. Select a place in the timeline where you want to insert text and click on Titles

Step 3. Enter the text and apply any style you want to it by double-clicking on it

Step 4. Click on the text element on the timeline, and customize the size, color, and shape of the font

Step 5. Use the Apply button to see how the text will look and save the file when you are satisfied

iMovie Alternative – Use Clippa to Edit Video Online

If you find that editing videos on iMovie is insufficient or doesn’t meet your needs, you can switch to Clippa, a professional online video editor. Clippa enables you to effortlessly create stunning videos without watermarks directly in your browser.

Step 1. Visit the Clippa online video editor website. Upload and open your video in Clippa.

Step 2. Now, you can edit your video for trimming, cropping, resizing, flipping, rotating, adding text, applying filters and transitions and etc.

Frequently Asked Questions about Adding Text in iMovie

You can change any aspect of the text, from its font and visual effects to the place where it appears and the duration of its exposure on the screen. For more advanced editing techniques, you should probably use a professional editor for Mac such as Final Cut X.

With iMovie you can open video files in several formats – MP4, MOV, and M4V are supported. However, it’s possible that some files in these formats might be unreadable. This usually happens if the files contain codecs that are not installed on your machine.

Unfortunately, iMovie is only available for MacOS and iOS since this is a proprietary app made by Apple and shipped together with iPhones and Mac computers. If you need a free video editor for a Windows PC or Android smartphone, you will have to use one of many available iMovie alternatives.

Conclusion

The presence of high-resolution cameras on our phones turned all of us into movie makers, so it’s only natural that we need to learn some basic editing skills. iMovie is definitely a very beginner-friendly product that lets you do some interesting things even if you have only a limited understanding of media production. Adding text to your videos in iMovie is easier than it seems, so you should try this option the next time you capture a nice-looking clip or want to put together a video presentation. You might be surprised by what you can achieve with just a few extra clicks!