How to Make or Edit Vertical Videos in iMovie on Mac？

Liza Brown

Apr 27, 2023• Proven solutions

From Instagram to TikTok, vertical videos can be seen on almost every social media platform these days. Though, most of the video editors only support horizontal videos and would automatically set black bars on the sides while exporting them. The good news is that you can easily learn how to make a vertical video horizontal in iMovie. Read on to know the same and discover how to make a vertical video in iMovie like a pro.

How to Work on or Edit Vertical Videos in iMovie on Mac?

As I have mentioned above, iMovie only supports the editing of horizontal movies by default. Therefore, if you edit a vertical video on iMovie, then it will automatically insert black bars on the side. Thankfully, you can take the assistance of its inbuilt option to work on vertical videos in iMovie on Mac or iPhone. To learn how to make a vertical video in iMovie, you can follow these steps:

Step 1: Import a Video on iMovie

At first, you can just launch the iMovie app on your Mac and choose to work on a new project. You can now just drag and drop any video from Finder to the iMovie interface or click on the Import button to browse and load any video of your choice.

Step 2: Edit the Vertical Video in iMovie

Once the video is loaded, you can select its thumbnail, and drag-and-drop it to the timeline at the bottom. Afterward, you can just select the video and view the available editing options at the preview window.

Now, you can just click on the crop icon (above the preview window). Here, you can click on the rotate right/left shortcuts to correct the position of the vertical video in iMovie.

Besides that, you can also explore the available filters in iMovie to make changes in the videos. For instance, there is a “Flipped” filter in iMovie that you can use to change the orientation of the video.

Step 3: Export and Watch the Video

There you go! After working on the vertical video on iMovie, you can click on the Export icon from the top. This will let you save the video on Mac’s local storage, or you can directly upload the video on your social media channel.

Furthermore, you can take the assistance of Mac’s QuickTime to watch the video. Here, you can go to its Menu > Edit and choose to rotate the edited video right or left to correct its orientation.

Tip: Edit a Vertical Video in iMovie on iPhone

If you want, you can also use the iMovie app on your iOS device to edit a vertical video. All you need to do is launch the iMovie app and import the video of your choice. Now, you can use your fingers to pinch its thumbnail and rotate it. Apart from that, you can also tap on the rotate button at the bottom to flip your vertical video as per your needs.

How to Use Wondershare Filmora to Edit Vertical Videos?

Since iMovie is a basic video editing app, it might not meet your post-production requirements. Therefore, you can consider using Wondershare Filmora on your Mac to do all kinds of video edits. It is an extremely user-friendly application, having some of the most advanced editing options.

• You can find all the major editing options in Filmora to crop, split, rotate, merge, and flip your videos instantly.
• There are hundreds of transitions, filters, overlays, captions, and other effects that you can readily use in your videos.
• If you want, you can also explore the wide range of stock photos, music, videos, etc. in Filmora and import any file to your project.
• You can also add voiceovers to your videos and even edit the soundtracks via its Audio Mixer.
• Some advanced features of Filmora are scene detection, motion tracking, green screen edits, pan and zoom, audio ducking, and more.

If you also want to edit vertical videos on your Mac and use the amazing resources of Filmora, then just follow this basic drill:

Step 1: Import Any Video to Edit on Filmora

Firstly, you can just launch the Wondershare Filmora application on your Mac and click on the Import icon from its home. This will let you browse and import any video or media files on Filmore.

Step 2: Start Editing the Video on Filmora

After you have loaded the video on Filmora, you can drag and drop it to the timeline at the bottom to start editing it. A preview window on the side will let you watch the video and check the added effects.

Now, all you need to do is select the clip on the timeline and double-click it to get various editing options. Here, you can just go to the Video > Transform section to check the available options. You can click on the Flip option to make the video vertical or horizontal. There is also a rotate feature to change the orientation of the video to arbitrary angles (like 90 or 180-degrees).

Step 3: Export the Edited Video from Filmora

That’s it! After you are done editing the video, just click on the Export button from the top and select a preferred video format and resolution to save the video.

This brings us to the end of this extensive post on how to make a vertical video horizontal in iMovie. As you can see, I have provided a detailed solution to edit a vertical video in iMovie on Mac. Besides that, if you don’t get the needed features to work on a vertical video in iMovie, then consider using Wondershare Filmora. From hundreds of transitions to some of the most advanced video editing options, it is the go-to video editor for Mac that is used by beginners and professionals alike.

Liza Brown

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

Follow @Liza Brown