iMovie: trying to customize pan/zoom (KenBurns) slide by slide: what am I doing wrong

[Argelius]

Here's where I am:

I've imported a bunch of photos into iMovie and they are happily sitting in the Photos Pane.

Here's what I want to do:
Photo-by-photo I want to customize the Ken Burns effect to change the zoom and panning behavior.

Here's what I am doing:
I select the first photo and change the zoom and pan behavior to my liking...then go to the next photo and do the same, and so on and so on...

Here's what's happening:
With each subsequent photo, the previous pan and zoom settings are all changed to be identical to the changes I most recently made (i.e. all my previous changes are "deleted" and now all the photos have the exact same settings).

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks a bunch!

 

[Mr. Anderson]

Is this the same effect as you get with iPhoto by exporting the images as a slide show? If so, it might be easier to do that in iPhoto and then import the movie to iMovie.

That is if you can't get it to work.

D

 

[frenetic]

I also struggled with it for some time but here is what you have to do:

a. make sure the "Ken Burns" tab is selected.
b. zoom and pan how you want the slide to start
c. this is crucial: click the "end" button underneath the ken burns thingie and pan and zoom where you want you slide to end.
d. click the preview button to see what it looks like.

Basically, you have to set a start and end position, and what you were doing until now only set a start position.

 

[MacFan782040]

Here's where I am:

I've imported a bunch of photos into iMovie and they are happily sitting in the Photos Pane.

Here's what I want to do:
Photo-by-photo I want to customize the Ken Burns effect to change the zoom and panning behavior.

Here's what I am doing:
I select the first photo and change the zoom and pan behavior to my liking...then go to the next photo and do the same, and so on and so on...

Here's what's happening:
With each subsequent photo, the previous pan and zoom settings are all changed to be identical to the changes I most recently made (i.e. all my previous changes are "deleted" and now all the photos have the exact same settings).

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks a bunch!

I know your problem! You have to click "apply" after you are done with each photo, and then it will add it to the timeline and render with the little red progress bar below the clip. You cannot simply go picture to picture zooming the way you want, because it will not save. You have to click apply. Make sure you have the time set the way you want it before you apply it!

Hope that helps...

 

[Argelius]

You have to click "apply" after you are done with each photo...

Just when I think I am SOOOOO smart, I realize I wasn't clicking on "apply." Doh!

Now that I have that problem solved, here are my latest round of questions:

I've run into another issue related to this. I had successfully customized Ken Burns to a series of photos.(Adjust KB in photo pan, click on Apply -- it appears in the time line; repeat for the next photo, etc.)

I then moved to the transition pane and added the same transition (cross fade) to each photo by selecting all in the timeline then hitting apply. Unfortunately, during my initial round of setting up KB, I didn't make the clips long enough to handle the cross fade transition, so Mac asked if it could modify settings to accomodate the cross fade; I said OK.

When I next did a preview of my movie, all the different KBs had been changed to the same thing.

Later I realized the non-transition part of the clips was too short, so I selected all in the timeline, then changed the time for all. I am not sure if that last maneuver was the cause for the wiping of all my custom KB effects, but I'm guessing it was.

So in addition to asking about what happened, can you also offer some guidance about:

[1] What part of the process do you set the length of the clips? (I was thining of 4 seconds a piece, but that wasn't long enough to accomodate the 1 second cross fade)

[2] What order should I apply the various settings? (i.e. one photo at a time from photo pan to timeline, then put transitions for all at once?)

[3] Later, assuming everything is okay with the timing and transitions and KB, if i want to change one transition between two photos, I tried deleting the cross-fade, then adding a new transtion. But in the process of the timing of the two photos changed preventing the new transition from fitting...). How do I go about this?

Thanks for all your help. I'm about 90% on my way to understanding iMovie!

 

[MacFan782040]

[1] What part of the process do you set the length of the clips? (I was thining of 4 seconds a piece, but that wasn't long enough to accomodate the 1 second cross fade)

[2] What order should I apply the various settings? (i.e. one photo at a time from photo pan to timeline, then put transitions for all at once?)

[3] Later, assuming everything is okay with the timing and transitions and KB, if i want to change one transition between two photos, I tried deleting the cross-fade, then adding a new transtion. But in the process of the timing of the two photos changed preventing the new transition from fitting...). How do I go about this?

Hey, glad you got it somewhat worked out!

Anyway, here's my suggestions. Whenever I make a movie using Ken Burns, I usually plan it out first. How many pictures do you have? How long do you want it to be? A general rule of thumb is nothing over 15 minutes, or else your audience will get bored. Then, it's simply math. Number of photos times lets say 6 seconds divided by 60 seconds in a minute is how many minutes you show will be. So after you planned that out, set the time for the first photo before you Ken Burns, and then it will keep that time for each photo thereafter. So to sum it up, you want to set the time first, before you apply. It is hard to change the time after you have applied all the pictures into the timeline.

And yes, you should do one photo at a time. Arrange them in the order you want to in iPhoto first... it's easier than trying to reorder them in iMovie. Add all transitions LAST. *REMEMBER*-- Transitions will take time away from each clip it goes between. For instance, if you have two 6 second clips and you place a 10 frame transition inbetween them, it will take away 5 frames from each of the two clips. (30 frames per second).

And lastly, again, set everything uot he way you want it first. Then add transions effects. Then transitions. Then music if you wish.

Hope this helps.

 

[Argelius]

Ken Burns, and then it will keep that time for each photo thereafter. So to sum it up, you want to set the time first, before you apply. Then add transions effects. Then transitions. Then music if you wish.

Hope this helps.

I think that may get be on the right track. Let me give it a shot!

So I'm going to:
1. Pick a photo. Set the time. Set the Ken Burns stuff.
2. Hit update/apply (clip lands in the timeline).
3. Repeat for each subsequent clip.
4. Add any effects.
5. Add transitions. ?: I am imagining that 90% of my transitions are going to be cross-fade. Should I select all, then pick cross-fade and apply it...going back and changing the few I want a different transition effect? Or should I select only the 90% (more tedious), then go an add the other random ones later?

Thanks a TON for the help!

 

[HiRez]

A general rule of thumb is nothing over 15 minutes, or else your audience will get bored.

For an animated slide show? I'd say anything over five minutes would be brutal, but that's just me.