Video:Record Narration in iMovie

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Transcript:Record Narration in iMovie

Hi, I am Gretchen Siegchrist for about.com computing, and I am going to show you how to add narration to a project in iMovie.

Types of Microphones

You can use the microphone built in to your computer, or, for better sound quality, pick up a USB mic.

These can be plugged right into your computer and generally cost less than $50 at electronics stores.

Adjust the Audio Settings

To record narration in iMovie, click on 'media,' and then click 'audio.' The narration record section is at the bottom of this window.

Before recording narration, you will need to adjust the settings of your computer so that it picks up audio from the right microphone. From the Apple menu, select 'system preferences,' then select 'sound.'

Adjust the Volume

Click on 'input,' and you will be given a selection of microphones. Test the microphone by speaking into it and adjust the input volume if necessary.

You want the volume to go into the high part of the green, but never hit the red. When you have made your adjustments, exit out of system preferences and return to iMovie.

Record Narration in the Microphone

Place the playhead in the timeline where you want your recording to start, and then click on the red button by microphone.

Speak into the microphone to record your narration. When you are done, click the red button again to stop recording.

Listen or Move the Narration

Drag the playhead to the beginning of the narration, and press 'play' to listen to what you have recorded.

You can move your narration around within the timeline by clicking on the audio clip and dragging it forward or backward.

Split the Narration Into Separate Clips

You can also split your narration into separate clips by clicking 'edit,' 'split audio clip.' That will give you two narration clips that you can move around independently within the timeline.

If you are not happy with how your narration sounds, select the clip and click 'delete.' Then, you can begin recording all over again.

Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit us on the Web at computing.about.com.