Record a voiceover

With your project open in the Project browser, click the Voiceover button, or press the O key.

In the Voiceover window that opens, choose a microphone (or other sound input device) from the Record From pop-up menu.

If you have no externally attached microphone, choose Built-in Microphone.

Drag the Input slider to set the baseline volume of your recording.

If you’ll be speaking softly, drag the slider farther to the right to increase the recording volume.

Drag the Noise Reduction slider to the right to prevent background noises (ambient noise) from intruding on your recording.

If you want the ambient noise to be heard in the recording, drag the slider to the left.

If you want your voice to be electronically altered to sound more smooth, select the Voice Enhancement checkbox.

If you need to listen to audio cues in your video while you record your voiceover, select the checkbox labeled “Play project audio while recording,” and wear headphones while recording so that the microphone doesn’t pick up the project audio while you’re recording your voiceover.

In the Project browser, click the video frame where you want the voiceover to begin.

iMovie beeps three times to give you time to prepare to speak.

When the beeping stops, begin speaking clearly into the microphone.

Click anywhere in the project to stop recording.

A purple voiceover soundtrack bar appears below the video the voiceover is attached to.

Click the close (X) button in the Voiceover window to close the window before clicking again in your project.

Clicking in the project again without closing the Voiceover window initiates a new voiceover recording.

In the Project browser, select the purple voiceover bar (shown below) so that it’s outlined in yellow.

Press the Delete key, or choose Edit > Delete Selection.

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