How to edit movies on a Mac.
Learn how to turn your raw film into movie magic with Mac’s built-in video-editing software or third-party applications.
Whether you’re making a home video or aiming for a cinematic masterpiece, today’s video editors contain all of the tools you need to apply everything from minor edits to major effects. Here are two easy ways you can edit movies on your Mac.
Edit movies with Mac’s built-in movie editing software.
If you are new to video editing, iMovie is an excellent starting point for beginners. This video editing app is free and already built into your Mac and other Apple devices. To start the editing process:
- Launch iMovie.
- Click on Import Media.
- Select your video files, plus any supporting files such as stills or audio files.
- Once uploaded, drag and drop video clips and photos from your media files library.
- After organizing your clips, edit your movie by trimming or adding special effects like titles, transitions, audio, or other creative elements.
- When finished, choose File > Share to download your movie or share it on social media channels.
Additional movie editing software for Mac.
If you need additional editing options beyond iMovie, you can also edit your movies with third-party software, such as Adobe Premiere Pro. This software enables you to edit footage in any format, and it also works seamlessly with other apps such as Adobe Stock and After Effects, so you can easily pull in the creative elements you need to make your videos pop. To begin, open Premiere Pro:
- Click Assembly to open the workspace.
- Click on the Media Browser and navigate to your media files.
- Select the desired clips, right-click and select Import.
- Your clips will now appear in the Project tab, where you’ll be able to organize, trim, edit, and add effects. For tips, explore more video editing techniques.
- When you’re ready to save, choose File > Export > Media.
- In the Export Settings dialog box, choose your format and destination.
It’s really just as easy as that. Learn more about what you can do with Premiere Pro to level up your movie editing skills on a Mac.