How to Upload iMovie to YouTube: Tutorial

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In today’s world, many people use the internet, and specifically YouTube, to share their experiences with the world. People have gone from uploading from their computers to uploading videos directly from their phones. Many people use Apple products, like Mac computers and laptops, not to mention iPhones. Apple includes a video editor called iMovie, which is an essential tool for editing and sharing videos on Apple devices. This article will show you how to upload videos from iMovie to youtube. With this tutorial, everyone should have all the necessary knowledge about video sharing with iMovie.

Step 1: How to Upload iMovie to YouTube Using a Smartphone

If you do not have a project open, you should choose a movie from the Projects browser. If you are editing a project, you should tap the button Done, thus returning to the project details screen. From there, you can select a video of your choosing and then tap the Share button.

It is worth noting that you can customize the video’s size output, format, quality, and description, including tags, within the app itself.

How to Upload iMovie to YouTube Using Desktop Computers

The software has marginal differences between mobile and desktop versions, the main one being that on the desktop, you have a larger workspace which can make things simpler from a practical standpoint when it comes to editing.

The sharing process is similar to the mobile version, starting from choosing a project from the browser or finishing a project which you are editing, then clicking the Share button.

Step 2: Select the Video Output Options

You should choose from the various output options in order to create the perfect video for uploading. Many things can influence this, such as resolution, quality, framerate, compression and whether you are exporting only video or audio or both.

The first option you can choose is the Format, which gives you options of audio, video, or both. In most cases, you will want both.

Under the Resolution option, which is the next in line, you can choose your video’s desired resolution and framerate. Both are important and influence the quality and size of the video. If more than half of your project’s timeline is in 60fps, you can choose that framerate for the entire project. Depending on who your audience is, you should choose your resolution accordingly (mobile versus desktop users, the latter often having better hardware and higher resolution monitors).

The next option is named Quality, where you can choose the following qualities: Low, Medium, High and Best (ProRes), and Custom. The lower two qualities are not the best if you want your video to look good. Either High or Best will do well on most devices but will increase the file size. Custom gives you the option to move a slider left or right, giving you anywhere between Medium and a bit above High. The ProRes variant produces much larger file sizes, up to 5 times, though the quality does not match the size.

Choosing Custom and sliding all the way to the right produces the best quality videos for the size.

The last option is Compress, giving you two options, the default Faster and the other, Better Quality. There is little to no difference in file sizes between the two, the difference being in export/rendering time.

Step 3: Importing the Video to YouTube

One of the easiest parts of the tutorial is this one, where you learn how to upload iMovie to YouTube. Depending on which device you are using, mobile or desktop, select the desired video from the Projects browser or click/tap Done to finish your project, then proceed to select Share from the File drop-down menu.

Share gives you many options like Email, Facebook, Vimeo, Theater, iTunes, Image, File, and YouTube, the one you want to click/tap.

Step 4: Customizing Titles and Tags

Once you click on YouTube, you will get a very similar window as you would if you click File. They are mostly the same, except that the YouTube window has a Sign In… button in the lower left. You should sign in with your preferred Google account, the one linked to your YouTube channel (it goes without saying that you need to have a Google account for this to work).

The first two options on the main window are Title and Description. The title is displayed in a large font while the Description is the same size as the other options in the window.

Choose the appropriate title and description for your video.

The next option, a very important one, is Tags. Tags are used to link to your video when someone searches for something. You can enter tags as you like, but make sure to separate them with commas, lest you end up with a chain of words that would be an unusable, extremely large word. Your chosen tags should be related to the audience and category of your video, as well as the topic.

Step 5: Selecting a Category

The next step on your journey is learning how to upload iMovie to YouTube is to click/tap on the Category drop-down menu. There are different categories to choose from. Because there are different options, you should select the right one and match your video’s topic the best that you can. Have no fear, however, because you can edit this afterward from either the YouTube application or the website, depending on whether you are using an iPhone or Mac.

Step 6: Video Size & Privacy

From the main window, you also have the option to once again adjust the video’s resolution and framerate, once again influencing the size of the video.

When you are first exporting your video, you should consider the file size and resolution then, changing only in dire circumstances. Changing the resolution will affect the video’s quality, especially if you lower it.

The Privacy settings are next in line and from the menu, you can select the three settings YouTube offers, Public, Private, and Unlisted, Private being the default one and the recommended one.

If you need to make more adjustments to your video, you can do it later from the YouTube app or site, which is why Private is recommended. This concludes the guide on how to upload iMovie to YouTube, leaving only potential difficulties and frequently asked questions.

Potential Problems When UPloading iMovie to YouTube

What can happen, will happen, meaning that from time to time, you may run into problems on your journey learning how to upload iMovie to YouTube.

  • The process can fail at multiple stages, the first being no storage for your project/video. In that case, adjust the video’s size or consider freeing up some space on your device. Note that this is unlikely to happen on desktop Macs.
  • Secondly, you may lose your connection, failing the upload. Find a stable internet connection or check with your ISP if you are having problems. If you are using data, find a better location where you have faster data speeds.
  • Not signing in can be a problem, or rather, an inconvenience, especially if you forgot your address or password.
  • If your video is not live, then that might be due to YouTube still processing it, which can take lots of time if it is a high-quality video with a large file size and bitrate.

F.A.Q. When Uploading iMovie to YouTube

How to Upload iMovie to YouTube?

If your project is incomplete, first you must press Done and export it to a File for the best quality settings. Then, clicking Share and YouTube, and afterward filling in all the necessary details about the video, as well as signing in, and finally, sharing completes the process.

Is There a Choice of File Formats?

There is a choice of file formats, but it is under another option, Save File As, rather than Share/File, which you would normally use if you simply want to prepare your project for YouTube.

Is iMovie Limited to Apple Devices Only?

Yes, iMovie is only available for Apple products, desktops, laptops, and mobile phones/tablets.

Can This Application be Used by Professionals?

While a professional could make a relatively decent video in iMovie, other professional tools would give them far more options. iMovie is a hassle-free way of making videos and trailers meant for entry-level to lower intermediate editors, mostly on the go.

Can You Share Directly to Other Platforms?

After learning how to upload iMovie to YouTube, you can apply the same principles for other video sharing services, with some exceptions like having an account for the said services, plus or minus a couple of options for each service.

Conclusion and Closing Thoughts:

In the end, all that is left for you to do, if you have been closely following this simple guide on how to upload iMovie to YouTube is to try it for yourself with a sample project.

While using iMovie is not a huge challenge, honing your skills prior to travel is recommended. If you happen to need them later, you can simply edit and upload a video to YouTube, hopefully while on an adventure somewhere.

If you are interested in learning more about YouTube, check out this review of the Morning Fame YouTube tool.

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Morgan

Morgan is a recognized video marketing expert and content creator. She also runs a video production company and has a passion for teaching all things video.