Replace a video clip in your project

There are two ways you can replace any video clip already in your project with a different video clip from an Event, depending on whether or not you want to retain the current duration of your project.

To replace video in your project with video from an Event:

  1. Open the project you want to work on.

  2. In the Event browser, select the video you want to add to your project.

  3. Drag the selected video over the clip in your project you want to replace, and click Replace in the menu that appears when you release the mouse button.

    The entire clip in your project is replaced with the selected video. If your selection is longer or shorter than the clip it replaced, the total duration of your project lengthens or shortens.

To replace video in your project with video of equal length from an Event:

With Advanced Tools turned on, you can quickly replace a clip in a project with a clip from an Event without changing the duration of your project. iMovie ensures that the clip from your Event is the same length as the clip it’s replacing, no matter how much video you’ve selected.

  1. Choose iMovie > Preferences, click General, and then make sure Show Advanced Tools is selected.

    The iMovie menu appears in a light gray bar across the top of your computer screen.

  2. Open the project you want to work on.

  3. In the Event browser, select the video you want to add to your project, and drag it over the clip in your project that you want to replace.

    Select one of the following from the menu that appears when you release the mouse button:

    • Replace:  Replaces the project clip with the new clip, without preserving the current duration of the project.

    • Replace from Start:  Replaces video in the project with video of an equal length from the Event, starting from the beginning of your selected Event clip.

    • Replace from End:  Replaces video in the project with video of an equal length from the Event, working backward from the end of your selected Event clip.

    • Replace at Playhead:  Replaces video in the project with video of an equal length from the Event, placing the beginning of the selected Event clip where the playhead appears in the project. iMovie shortens or lengthens the Event clip, in both directions if necessary, to fill the space used by the clip it’s replacing.

    If there isn’t enough of the Event clip to equal the duration of the clip it’s replacing, a warning appears asking if you want to continue. If you continue, the clip is replaced and the overall project duration shortens.