01 · iPhone and iPad
How to do a voiceover on iMovie on iPhone or iPad
Open your project and scroll the timeline so the playhead sits where the voice should start. Tap the plus button, then Voiceover. Tap Record; iMovie counts down three seconds. Tap Stop when you finish, then choose Review, Retake or Accept. The voiceover appears as a purple clip under the video.
- Turn on Do Not Disturb so notifications don't interrupt the take
- Speak towards the bottom of the phone, where the mic is
- Record one scene per take
02 · Mac
How to do a voiceover on iMovie on Mac
Place the playhead, then choose Window, Record Voiceover (or press V). Click the voiceover options button to pick your microphone and to mute the project while you record. Click the red record button, iMovie counts down, and you speak. Click it again to stop.
- Choose your USB mic in voiceover options
- Tick Mute Project to stop the video's sound leaking in
- Wear headphones
03 · Volume
Balance the voiceover against the clip audio
Select the video clip and lower its volume so it sits under the voice, or use the ducking option on Mac to lower other audio automatically while the voiceover plays. iMovie's own noise reduction is basic, so plan for a quiet room.
- Voice clearly on top on phone speakers
- Lower clip audio or duck it
- Listen to the whole video once start to finish
04 · The cleaner route
Record and clean the narration first, then import it
Record the narration in the free voiceover recorder, run noise removal and loudness normalisation, and export it. Then drag the file into your iMovie timeline, or on iPhone import it from Files under Audio.
- Export as M4A, MP3 or WAV
- Import, then line it up with the first frame
- Keep the original take in case you need to re-edit
Make the iMovie voiceover sound finished.
Record and clean your narration in Hilite, then drop the file into your iMovie project.