42 | MACFORMAT | SEPTEMBER 2019 macformat.com @macformatSound advice for iMovie
How to enhance your project’s sound using our recording and editing tips
IT WILL TAKE
15 minutesYOU WILL LEARN
How to identify
audio weaknesses
and fix themYOU’LL NEED
iMovieGadgets such as GoPro
cameras and the iPhone can do
an excellent job of capturing
high-quality video footage for
your iMovie projects. However, the audio
content you end up with may not the match
the quality of the visuals. For example, sound
levels can be weak because of the distance
between the camera’s microphone and the
subject. Background noise, such as a passing
car or plane, may also drown out your
subject’s voice.Luckily, iMovie boasts a collection of audio
post-production tools that can boost weak
sound levels in a click, automatically ensure
that music doesn’t drown out speech, and
even reduce background noise. We’ll show you
how to use those capabilities and give you tips
on capturing better quality sound in the first
place, such as turning your iPhone into a radio
mic or adding a post-production voiceover
using a third-party mic. You’ll also learn pro
split-editing tricks such as adding L and J cuts
to help knit your clips together. George CairnsHOW TO Boost weak sound levels >
1
Show waveforms
Click on the timeline’s Settings label. In
Project Settings, make sure Show Audio
Waveforms is ticked. Now you can see
the sound levels below each clip as a blue
undulating graph. This helps you spot
moments of strong or weak sound.2
Adjust the loudness
Select a clip in the timeline, then
click the Audio icon above the viewer.
Click Auto to make weaker sound levels
become stronger and more audible.
Quieter sections of the selected clip’s
audio waveforms will increase in height.3
In the red
The peaks of a clip’s audio waveform
should be yellow. If they peak with a red
tip, the sound at that time is too loud.
å-click on the waveform’s volume bar to
add control points. These enable you to
dip specific sound levels of sections.APPLE SKILLS Mac software
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