What is an animatic? And how can I make one? Part 2

By now all of your scene should be edited and numbered in your folder. Once that is done, it’s time to launch iMovie.

When you launch iMovie, you may get this message. If you do, click Later.

Be aware that there are helps and guides to this application. Now that you’re aware, click Close.

Here’s one of the few true examples of “what you see is what you get.” Do what it says. Drag your pictures into that area.

Here are your pictures, selected, in their folder.

And these…

…Are your pictures on iMovie.

At this point, I strongly recommend that you go to and watch the Tarzan animatic again.

It is time for you to start making real directorial decisions. You must decide how many seconds each slide will play. You should base this decision on how long you think the scene based on your slide will take. Open the first clip at the icon shaped like a little cog.

This opens the Precision Editor. Select Clip Adjustments.

The clip is already set for 4 seconds. You can shorten or lengthen it.

I have changed this clip to 6 seconds. Afterwards, I clicked Done.

Now you can see that the clip is longer!

Ken Burns is a documentarian, who makes use of slide shows. The slides alternately zoom in and out in his films. All of your slides are pre-set to use the Ken Burns affect. I suggest you disable it. To do so, go back to the Precision Editor, and select Cropping, Ken Burns & Rotation.

Select Fit. Then click Done. The Ken Burns Effect will be disabled.

By holding down the space bar and selecting several clips, you can press the play button and review your selected clips full screen.

You will want to find your project again. Click on Project Library.

You’re going to want to name your project something original. That way it will show up in the Project Library as something unquestionably yours. Click on My First Project.

You’ll type your title in here.

I named mine Animatic 1 I’m sure you can think of something more original.

One would think that there would be an option to save the project. There isn’t. Just quit iMovie. Your project will appear in the iMovie Library when you launch the application next time.