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How to Export and Save Your iMovie Project Video File Out of the App

Introduction

iMovie is a popular video editing software developed by Apple for Mac and iOS devices. It allows users to easily import, edit, and export their video projects. However, saving and exporting out of iMovie can be confusing for some users. This article will provide a step-by-step guide on how to properly export your iMovie project and save the exported video file.

Save Your Project While Editing

While working on your iMovie project, it is important to continuously save your progress. Here’s how:

  • On Mac, go to File > Save Project to save your iMovie project. This will save all your edits and changes.
  • On iPhone/iPad, iMovie auto-saves your work. So you don’t need to manually save.

Saving the project allows you to preserve all the edits, transitions, effects etc. that you have added to your timeline.

Export Your Final Video

Once your editing is complete, you need to export your iMovie project which will render a final video file that you can use outside iMovie.

On Mac

  • Click Share at the top right.
  • Select File.
  • Choose export settings like format, quality etc.
  • Click Export.
  • Select a save location on your Mac and click Save.

On iPhone/iPad

  • Tap the Share icon at the top right.
  • Choose Save Video to export to Camera Roll.
  • Alternatively choose Save to Files to export to cloud services or external drives.
  • Select export settings if prompted.
  • Tap Save and choose a location to save the exported file.

The export process may take some time depending on the length and quality of your video. Be patient and let it finish 100%.

Choosing the Right Export Settings

When exporting your video, pay close attention to the export settings:

Resolution

  • Match sequence settings: Exports at the original resolution of clips in your iMovie timeline.
  • 1080p or 4K: Higher resolutions for better quality.
  • 720p: Smaller file size but lower video quality.

Format

  • MOV: Works best for Apple devices. Supports transparency and effects.
  • MP4: More compatible format across different devices and platforms.

Quality

  • Best (Multi-Pass): Highest video quality but very large files.
  • Better: Balances good quality with smaller file size.
  • Good: Higher compression and smallest files.

Choose settings based on your requirements of quality versus file size.

Troubleshooting Export Issues

Sometimes iMovie may fail to export your video. Here are some things to try:

  • Check that there is sufficient storage space on your device. Delete unused files if needed.
  • Try exporting a smaller section of the project like a 1-minute clip. If it works, there could be an issue with a specific clip.
  • Make sure all clips in your timeline are from sources supported by iMovie. Replace any incompatible clips.
  • Update to the latest version of iMovie app in case a bug is causing export issues.
  • On Mac, reboot in Safe Mode and try exporting again. This clears system caches.

Conclusion

Learning to properly save and export your edited videos out of iMovie is important. By following the steps in this guide, you will be able to successfully export your iMovie project into a standard video file format that you can share, upload online or use in other video software. Pay attention to the export settings to balance quality with file size.

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