How to Export a Video from iMovie: A Quick Guide for Beginners

Liza Brown

Jan 23, 2024• Proven solutions

When it comes to free video editors for Mac, iMovie is one of the first tools that come to our mind. While iMovie is available for Mac and can be used for basic editing needs, it isn’t the most user-friendly application. For instance, a lot of times, users find it hard to export a video from iMovie. Therefore, to help you clear your doubts, I will let you know how to export a video from iMovie in this beginner-friendly guide.

How to Export a Video from iMovie on Mac: A Stepwise Solution

If you have already been using iMovie on Mac, then you might be familiar with its features. For instance, you can import photos, videos, and soundtracks on iMovie and readily export your projects into different formats and resolutions. Before we learn how to export a video on iMovie, let’s quickly consider some basics.

Supported formats: While exporting your project, iMovie will provide options to save it in different audio and video formats. Some of these iMovie-supported formats are MPG, FLV, ASF, MP4, MPEG, and more.

Video resolutions: If you want to export an iMovie video, then the application will let you select a preferred resolution. This can be 480p, 720p, 1080p, 2K, or 4K, depending on your requirements. Remember, the higher the resolution, the bigger the file would be (and more storage it will consume).

Great! Now when you are familiar with all the basics, let’s learn how do you export a video from iMovie by following these basic steps:

Step 1: Import the Media Files on iMovie

At first, you can just launch the iMovie app on your Mac and click on the “+” button to open a new project. Instead of loading a trailer’s template, choose to work on a new iMovie project instead.

Afterward, iMovie would automatically launch a dedicated interface for a new project. You can now drag and drop the media files from the Finder to the iMovie interface or click on the “Import Media” button to open a browser window.

Step 2: Edit Your Videos on the iMovie App on Mac

Once you have imported the media files, you can view their thumbnail at the top. Now, you can just drag the files and drop them to the working timeline at the bottom. Henceforth, you can use the inbuilt editing options and visual effects of the iMovie app to edit your videos.

Step 3: Choose to Export the Video from iMovie on Mac

After editing your video on iMovie, you can directly export it to any location on your Mac.

To learn how to export a video from iMovie on Mac, you can go to the Projects section, and select the thumbnail of any video. Just right-click any video thumbnail and select the “Share Project” feature from here. This will let you export the video from iMovie on Mac storage or post it on the supported social media platforms.

There are several other methods to learn how to export a video on iMovie. For instance, when you are working on the iMovie project, just navigate to its Menu > File > Share and choose to save the video as a “File” or export it on social media directly.

Step 4: Select the Video Format and Resolution to Save the Media File

If you would choose to export the iMovie video as a file, then you will get the following window. Here, you can enter the description of the movie and select its format, video resolution, quality, and compression speed. If you compress it in high quality, then it will take more time and consume more space while the low-quality file will take less space.

As you would click on the “Next” button, the application will let you name the video file and select a location on your Mac where it would be saved. In this way, you can learn how to export a video from iMovie to wherever you like in any preferred format.

Important Note:

If you want to get customized results, then just go to the “Settings” option from the top of the iMovie interface. Here, you can set up a preferred video resolution (like 4K or 2K) and select different preferences for the project.

Wondershare Filmora: The Best iMovie Alternative for Mac

Even though learning how to export a video from iMovie on Mac is easy, a lot of people are not satisfied with its editing options. Therefore, you can consider using Wondershare Filmora as the best iMovie alternative for Mac. It has numerous advanced editing options and features a user-friendly interface, ideal for beginners and pros alike.

• You can find all kinds of basic video editing options in Filmora like merge, split, rotate, flip, crop, trim, and so on.
• There are hundreds of transitions, overlays, filters, captions, and other effects that you can readily use and customize in Filmora.
• You could access some of the most advanced features like pan and zoom, green screen, motion tracking, scene detection, and more.
• There is an option to add voiceovers directly to your videos. You can also use its Audio Mixer to enable audio ducking and implement numerous audio effects.
• Filmora users would also get access to an inbuilt stock of photos, videos, and sounds that they can instantly import to their projects.

By following this guide, you can easily learn how to export a video from iMovie on your Mac. For your convenience, I have provided solutions on how do you export a video from iMovie in different formats and resolutions. Though, if you are looking for a better video editor, then give Wondershare Filmora a try. It has some of the most advanced video editing features for Mac, packed in a user-friendly interface.

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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