How to Make Split Screen (Side by Side) Videos in iMovie

Liza Brown

Sep 25, 2020• Proven solutions

For creating an edgy promotional video or a comparative review video analysis, a split-screen effect is an effective tool. It helps in putting two products or topics side by side on a video screen while the narration covers the subject. The feature, however, requires support from precision editing software to come through on video. In this article, we will show you how to make a split-screen, or how to put two videos side by side with iMovie and iMovie alternative.

Part 1: How to Create Split Screen Effect Video Using iMovie on Mac
Part 2: How to Make Split Screen Video with iMovie on iPhone/iPad
Part 3: How to Make Split Screen Video with iMovie Alternative [Presets Available]

Part 1: iMovie Split Screen: How to Create Split Screen Videos on Mac

Putting videos side by side on iMovie is easy if you know where the feature is. In the previous iMovie version, you can choose the Side by Side feature to make a split-screen:

Step 1. Drag and drop the video clips to the timeline.

iMovie Side by Side Screen

Step 2. Go the overlay settings, and then select Side by Side option.

iMovie Side by Side Screen

Step 3. If you need to crop or zoom in to make the side by side effect look better, you can use the Crop tool to adjust.

iMovie Side by Side Screen Crop

However, if you are using the iMovie 10 version, you will find the information above is not suitable. Below, I will show you how to make a split-screen effect video in iMovie 10, including how to add transition and change the default settings for the split-screen effect.

Step 1. Drag and drop the clips that you want to show at the same time to the timeline and make sure one is above another in the timeline.

Step 2. Click the Video Overlay Settings icon above the Viewer window and then select the Split Screen option from the drop-down box.

Step 3. You can now see the clips which have been cropped automatically in the Viewer window. You can select where the split-screen clips appear by selecting the target positions. iMovie allows you to add slide-in transitions and adjust the duration.

iMovie Split Screen

There are some downsides when using iMovie split-screen feature to make a split-screen video:

Limited Split Screen Layout: You can also choose 2 split-screen modes (Left-Right, Top-Bottom) to display your video footage;

Limited Video Tracks: You can only add 2 video tracks, which means you can only display 2 videos side by side in iMovie at most.

Watch the tutorial below to get the detailed information about how to make a side by side screen video with iMovie in Mac.

Part 2: How to Create Split Screen Video Using iMovie for iPhone/iPad

For those who want to make a split-screen effect video on your iPhone or iPad with iMovie apps, check the steps below. If you want to use the iMovie app on Android, check our picks of some best video editing apps similar to iMovie on Android.

Step 1. Launch your iMovie APP on your iPad/iPhone – Click on start a new project.
Step 2. Add both sets of videos simultaneously.
Step 3. Click on the ellipsis and choose the split mode.

iMovie App Side by Side Screen

This will give you a side-by-side split. You can change the type of split-screen from the overlay controls at the bottom of the screen.

Part 3: How to Make Split Screen Effect Using iMovie Alternative

For some users, using the split-screen controls on iMovie might be a little complicated and ultimately tedious if you want to display more than 2 clips. One of the best alternatives to iMovie on both Mac and Windows platforms is Filmora9 for Mac video editing software, which allows you to create a split-screen video with various layouts and animations, change screen saturation, the brightness, and adjust the pitch of the audio within the video.

Using Filmora9 to make a split-screen video is easy. The above tutorial is for your reference. You can also follow the steps below to put the videos side by side, making a split-screen video in the latest Filmora9 version. Download Filmora9 now and let’s get started.

After importing your media files to the Media Library, select the Split Screen Tab and preview to choose a screen mode. You can now place 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 videos on the same screen since there are various split-screen layouts available.

Filmora Split Screen

Drag the Split Screen layout to the timeline, and then double click it to enter the editing panel. Add the video clips from Media to the screen in the Preview window accordingly. From here, you can also adjust the color and thickness of the borders in the split-screen video, apply motion effects to the whole split-screen video. Turn on or turn off the audio in the split-screen based on your needs.

Filmora9 change split screen border

If you want to adjust the starting points of each split-screen clip or adjust a single clip further, just click the Advanced button to enter the Advanced Split Screen Edit panel.

Filmora9 advanced split screen edit window

When you finished the editing, click on Export to save the split-screen video to your Mac or share it to social media platforms directly.

Whether you are making a split-screen video with Filmora9 for Mac or with iMovie, you can add some transitions and adjust the duration of videos side by side. Check the video below to see how Filmora9 can help you create a split-screen music video.