One of the easiest ways to change an ordinary movie into something special is to add a music soundtrack. A good soundtrack is often the difference between movies you watch again and again, and those that collect dust on the shelf.

With iMovie, you can easily add music to a movie from your favorite CD, GarageBand or your iTunes Library. You can also adjust the length and volume of your music right within iMovie. For added spice, iMovie even includes special sound effects that can add fun to your existing video clips.

Steps

Add a soundtrack to your iMovie project

1. Click the timeline viewer button. Notice the two additional audio tracks beneath the video track.
2. Move the playhead to where you want the music to begin in the timeline.
3. Click the Media button and then click the Audio button. Notice the source list showing you have audio available from GarageBand and iTunes, as well as sound effects that come with iMovie.
4. Click the disclosure triangle to show your iTunes Library. Click your library to see your iTunes music. Your songs will be displayed in the track list, right below the source list. You can resize the track list if needed.
5. Select a song and click the audio Play button to listen to the song. Click the Place at Playhead button to import the song into your movie. One the song is imported; you’ll see it added to an audio track in the timeline viewer. Click the Play button to listen to your movie with your new soundtrack.
6. To adjust the volume of the track, use the clip volume controls underneath the audio tracks. Notice the percentage update to reflect your new volume.
7. Adjust the length of the track by dragging the end of the song towards the middle. You may have to scroll to reach the end of the song.
8. To place a soft fade at the new song ending, select Show Clip Volume Levels from the View menu. Your song will now show a line indicating it has a constant audio level setting for the entire song. To fade the end of the song, click the end of the clip level line and drag it to the bottom of the clip. Notice only the end of the line changes, indicated by the yellow color. This shows the volume is fading out at the new end of your song.
9. Move the playhead to a few seconds before the end of your song. Press the Space bar to review how the song sounds with your new fade at the end.
10. From the audio source list, close your iTunes Library and select Skywalker Sound Effects. From the track list, scroll down until you see Outdoor Cheer. Select Outdoor Cheer and click the audio Play button to hear how it sounds. This could be a fun ending to your song. Drag it from the track list and place in alongside your song ending in the empty audio track. Play your movie again to hear the new ending to your song.