Below is a screen shot from iMovie.

The topics discussed on this page are all accessed in the area of (4).

Depending on which button is highlighted (4) will allow you to insert effects, transitions, titles, audio and more.

Effects

Select a clip in the timeline and then click on the Effects button and the following will appear:

Clicking on Preview allows you to try out various effects. You can also set the length of the effect and sometimes additional parameters. When you have it set the way that you want, click on Apply. It will take a little while to render and then you will see it in the timeline.

Transitions

Click on the Trans button and you will get the following:

Similar to the Effects panel you can set some parameters. When you find what you like, drag the transition between the two clips.

Audio

Using the Audio button, you can select music from your iTunes library (or other folder) or select sound effects. These can be added to a separate audio track in the time line at the point where the play head is currently positioned. You can also use this panel to record simple voiceovers.

Titles

By “Titles” I am referring to any text that you may want to add to your video. At minimum this usually includes some kind of intro titles and ending credits. In some cases you may want to add text in additional parts of your video.

The Titles box will allow you to pick the type of title that you want, font, color, size and allow you type in your text. Once you have your title set as you like, you can drag it to the timeline.