How to Export an iMovie Video in HD

You can export an HD-quality iMovie video to either a file on your device or a service like YouTube. As long as you start with a high quality video, you'll be able to choose from three HD resolutions so your movie looks exactly how you...
Method 1 of 2:

macOS

  1. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 1How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 1
    Open iMovie. Use this method if you want to export an HD video to a folder on your Mac. Once the video is exported, you can view and share it as you wish.
  2. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 2How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 2
    Click the movie you want to export in the 'Libraries' pane.
  3. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 3How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 3
    Click the File menu at the top of the screen.
  4. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 4How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 4
    Click Share.[1]
  5. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 5How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 5
    Select File… in the Share menu.
    1. If you want to share your video directly to a website, click the name of that website (Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, etc) instead.[2]
  6. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 6How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 6
    Type a name for your movie in the text box.
    1. If you're sharing the video to a website, this text will become the title of the movie.
  7. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 7How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 7
    Type some tags into the 'Tags' box. This is helpful if you're sharing to YouTube or Vimeo and want to make it easy for others to find your video.
  8. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 8How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 8
    Click the 'Resolution' menu to pick a resolution. Choose 720p, 1080p, or 4k for HD. Not all options will be available for all movies as you can't turn low quality video into HD.[3]
    1. 720p is HD at 1280 x 720 resolution. Choose this for a high quality file that uploads quickly and doesn't take up much hard drive space.
    2. 1080p is HD at 1920 x 1080 resolution—5 times the quality of 720p. You'll have a bigger file and longer upload than with 720p.
    3. 4k is Ultra High Definition (UHD), which is 4096 x 2160 resolution. This is 4 times the quality of 1080p, so expect a large file with a lengthy upload time.
  9. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 9How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 9
    Set other parameters if you're sharing your video to a website. If you're exporting to a file, you can skip this step.
    1. Click the 'Categories' menu to choose a YouTube category.
    2. Click the 'Viewable to' or 'Privacy' menu to set the privacy.
  10. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 10How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 10
    Click the 'Quality' menu to set your video quality. You won't see this if you're sharing to a website. To get an idea of how each setting affects the file size, click an option to see the file size beneath the preview.[4]
    1. Choosing 'High' will give you the best results without making the file too large.
    2. Choosing 'Best' will use ProRes, which is professional quality. The size will be very large.
  11. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 11How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 11
    Click the 'Compress' menu to choose your compression rate. This option is only visible if you're exporting to a file.
    1. Choose 'Faster' if you're worried about file size. The quality won't be as good, but it should still be better than SD (standard).
    2. Choose 'Better Quality' if you prefer the clearest possible audio and video and don't care about file size, this is the option for you.
  12. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 12How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 12
    Click Next.
    1. If you're sharing to a website, you'll be prompted to enter your account information for that site. Follow the prompts to sign in and complete the upload. When the upload is complete, you'll see 'Share Successful.'
  13. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 13How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 13
    Type a name for the video into the 'Save As' field.
  14. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 14How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 14
    Navigate to the folder where you want to save the file. Save the file to a folder you'll remember, like Documents or Desktop, so it's easy to access when you want to upload it to YouTube, burn it to DVD, etc.
  15. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 15How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 15
    Click Save. After a few moments, you'll be able to find the HD version of your movie in the folder you chose.[5]
    1. Now that the video is saved as an HD file on your computer, you can upload it to sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Drive, Dropbox, and any other site that accepts high-quality video.
Method 2 of 2:

iOS

  1. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 16How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 16
    Open the iMovie app on your iPhone or iPad.
    1. If you're currently editing a project, tap Done at the top left corner. and then skip to step 4.[6]
  2. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 17How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 17
    Tap Videos at the top of the screen.[7]
  3. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 18How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 18
    Tap the video you want to share.
  4. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 19How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 19
    Tap the Share icon. It's at the bottom of the screen and looks like a square with an upward-pointing arrow.
  5. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 20How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 20
    Tap a sharing method. You can choose an app with which to share your video, or a location where you'd it to be saved.
    1. For example, tap the Facebook icon if you want to share the video on Facebook.
    2. If you want to save the video as a file to your iPhone or iPad (you can always share it later), choose 'Save Video.'
  6. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 21How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 21
    Follow the prompts to sign in. If sharing on an app like Facebook or YouTube, enter your sign-in information as stated in the on-screen instructions.
  7. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 22How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 22
    Select your desired HD resolution. Choose from 4k (Ultra HD), 1080p (HD), or 720p (HD). Note that not all apps or services support larger HD files, so you may not see all of these options.[8]
    1. 720p is 1280 x 720 resolution. The file size will stay small despite the video being HD-quality.
    2. 1080p is HD at 1920 x 1080 resolution—5 times the quality of 720p. The save or upload will take longer than 720p.
    3. 4k is 4096 x 2160 resolution, which is 4 times the quality of 1080p. Expect a large file with a lengthy upload time.
  8. How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 23How to Export an iMovie Video in HD Picture 23
    Follow the prompts to export the video.
    1. If using YouTube or Facebook, you may have to use the app or website to set up tags and descriptions.
4 ★ | 5 Vote