iMovie for Mac: Overlays

Combine clips using overlays.

With the overlay options in iMovie, you can combine the video of one shot with the audio of another or even join two clips together in a split‑screen or picture‑in‑picture effect. Overlays add professional flair and can be especially useful for creating instructive videos.

Try it.

Create a cutaway effect. Drag a new clip to your project and position it just above an existing clip in the timeline so that they’re stacked one on top of the other.

Play the cutaway clip. Position the pointer in front of the stacked clips, then press the Space bar. The video from the top clip fills the screen while the audio from the bottom clip continues to play.

Change the overlay style. Select the top clip in the timeline, then click the Video Overlay Settings button in the adjustments bar. Choose Split Screen from the drop‑down menu, then click Apply .

Adjust the split‑screen effect. Click Video Overlay Settings and choose an option from the Position drop‑down menu. Drag the Slide slider to add a slide‑in transition and set its duration, then click Apply .

Adjust the effect. Drag the picture‑in‑picture window to reposition it or grab the corner handles to resize.

Apply it.

Show before‑and‑after images simultaneously to emphasize impact in a process. Add the “after” shot using a horizontal split‑screen effect.
Create a movie quiz where students determine who said a notable quote. Add only the audio from archival videos of persuasive speeches along with the title, “Who said this?”

Go further.

To make picture‑in‑picture shots even more dramatic, you can animate the position of a picture‑in‑picture frame so that it moves across the screen as your movie plays.

Learn more about animating the position of a picture‑in‑picture clip