iMovie drag and drop

I'm not able to add photo/video content to the timeline in iMovie. I get the "buster" symbol when I hover with a photo that I'd like to drop in. I've never had this problem before. Any suggestions?

MacBook Air

Posted on Jun 14, 2022 7:06 PM

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Question marked as ⚠️ Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jun 15, 2022 1:24 PM

Hey there, yvonnekins!


We appreciate you reaching out on Apple Support Communities.  We’d be happy to take a look at the behavior you’re experiencing regarding being unable to add photos to iMovie.  


To get started, it looks like you came to us from Add photos and videos from the Photos app to your iMovie project - Apple Support, and that you’re following the proper steps when using a Mac.  If you create a new project, does the same behavior occur?  To create a new project, you can follow the steps listed in: Create a new iMovie project - Apple Support


For easy reference, those steps can be found here as well: 


  1. "In the Projects browser, tap the plus button. If you're currently editing a movie, tap Done, then tap Projects to open the Projects browser.
  2. Tap Movie. The Moments screen appears, showing videos and photos from your Photos app photo library organized into moments—all the video clips and photos from a particular day or event.
  3. You can also tap Trailer to use built-in templates to create a trailer with your own videos and photos.
  4. Touch and hold image thumbnails to preview photos at a larger size or to preview video clips.
  5. Tap an individual video clip or a photo that you want to include in your movie, or tap Select to choose an entire moment. Selected items have a checkmark. If you don't want to add media from your photo library, go to step 6.
  6. To browse more video clips, photos, and albums, tap Media, then tap another folder.
  7. Tap Create Movie. Your new project opens. Videos or photos you selected appear in the timeline. If you didn't add videos or photos, the timeline is blank.”


Additionally, are you attempting to drag and drop from Photos, or from Finder?  We’d recommend trying both options, if possible.  When dragging the photo, does a blue box appear on the timeline?  Let us know more about what you see when trying to complete this process, and we’ll go from there.


Cheers!  

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Question marked as ⚠️ Top-ranking reply

Jun 15, 2022 1:24 PM in response to yvonnekins

Hey there, yvonnekins!


We appreciate you reaching out on Apple Support Communities.  We’d be happy to take a look at the behavior you’re experiencing regarding being unable to add photos to iMovie.  


To get started, it looks like you came to us from Add photos and videos from the Photos app to your iMovie project - Apple Support, and that you’re following the proper steps when using a Mac.  If you create a new project, does the same behavior occur?  To create a new project, you can follow the steps listed in: Create a new iMovie project - Apple Support


For easy reference, those steps can be found here as well: 


  1. "In the Projects browser, tap the plus button. If you're currently editing a movie, tap Done, then tap Projects to open the Projects browser.
  2. Tap Movie. The Moments screen appears, showing videos and photos from your Photos app photo library organized into moments—all the video clips and photos from a particular day or event.
  3. You can also tap Trailer to use built-in templates to create a trailer with your own videos and photos.
  4. Touch and hold image thumbnails to preview photos at a larger size or to preview video clips.
  5. Tap an individual video clip or a photo that you want to include in your movie, or tap Select to choose an entire moment. Selected items have a checkmark. If you don't want to add media from your photo library, go to step 6.
  6. To browse more video clips, photos, and albums, tap Media, then tap another folder.
  7. Tap Create Movie. Your new project opens. Videos or photos you selected appear in the timeline. If you didn't add videos or photos, the timeline is blank.”


Additionally, are you attempting to drag and drop from Photos, or from Finder?  We’d recommend trying both options, if possible.  When dragging the photo, does a blue box appear on the timeline?  Let us know more about what you see when trying to complete this process, and we’ll go from there.


Cheers!  

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Jun 15, 2022 6:07 PM in response to ManJor

I was able to start a new project with no problem…but it took 2 tries. I have no idea what went wrong (I usually chalk that up to user error) but after deleting the problematic movie, restarting the computer, and trying again, all is well once again.

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iMovie drag and drop

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