How to Edit Vertical Video in iMovie on iPhone in 2023

by | Tech

In this short article, you’re going to learn how to edit vertical video in iMovie on iPhone for your Instagram, Tik Tok, Youtube, or any other platform that uses vertical video. There are many tutorials online on how to edit videos shot in portrait mode, but many of them are done in a way that degrades the resolution and quality of the video.

As of right now, iMovie does not give you an option to export vertical video from the app. However, you can edit vertical videos with a simple workaround using the iMovie app in conjunction with the stock Photos app on your iPhone.

  1. Open up the iMovie app on your iPhone (it’s free on the App Store).
  2. Tap on the Movie from the slide-up bottom menu.
  3. In the left upper corner of the screen, tap on the Media, select Video, then tap on All.
  4. At this point, you should see all your videos. Tap on the video you want to edit and confirm your selection ☑️ and tap Create Movie. (You can also select multiple videos in this stage)
A graphic explaining how to edit vertical video in the iMovie app on iPhone

5. Select the video you’ve just imported, tap on the Pinch to zoom icon in the upper right corner and make the pinch gesture on the screen of your iPhone. Tap one more time on the Pinch to zoom to deselect it.
6. Edit the video to your liking.
7. Once you are done editing, rotate the video (or all videos in the project). With two fingers, make a twisting motion over the video image to rotate it. (if you export the video without rotating it, it will have black bars on the sides of the video)
8. Tap Done, then tap on the Share button and Save Video.

Guide - how to edit vertical video on iPhone steps 5-8

9. Press the home button to go to the main screen and launch the Photos app.
10. Select the exported video, and tap edit in the upper right corner.
11. Go to the cropping section and tap the rotate button to bring the video to its original position.

Guide - how to edit vertical video on iPhone steps 9-11
YouTube video

About the Author

Kuba is a co-founder, researcher, and writer for Home Explained since 2019. For the Home Explained, he focuses primarily on tech-related topics, how-tos, and DIY guides, and more recently, he found a passion for coffee and developing barista skills. Kuba is a natural-born researcher who loves to deepen his knowledge regarding every area of his interest. During his master’s studies he found interest in the area of healthy lifestyle, diet, and marketing. His greatest motivation is positive feedback from readers that find help in his articles.

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9 Comments

  1. Pamela Flores de Garcia

    Omg! Thank tou sooo much dor yout tips!!!

    Reply
    • Jakub - Homeexplained.com

      Hi Pamela, I’m you found it helpful!

      Reply
    • Josephine

      Wow! Tricky. Great tips. No extra software needed. Amazing! Thank you!

      Reply
  2. Josh Rachlis

    This was helpful. I didn’t know about the pinch to zoom until now. But, I can’t figure out 7. Once you are done editing, rotate the video (or all videos in the project) with the gesture on your iPhone’s screen.

    What gesture rotates the video in the edit area of iMovie? If I rotate my phone, it doesn’t rotate the video.

    Reply
    • Jakub - Homeexplained.com

      Hi Josh, I’m glad you found this article helpful. When it comes to rotating the video, you just need to make a rotating gesture on the screen of your iPhone with two fingers (in the upper section where the video is playing). I hope it helps!

      Reply
      • Karina

        ah perfect, just the information i came to the comments looking for!

        Reply
  3. Carla Morais

    Thank you so much for this information! Truly appreciate it.

    Reply
    • Kuba Czudek

      Hi Carla, I’m glad I could help :).

      Reply
  4. Pippo

    This is very helpful!! Great article!
    Unfortunately terrible app, so many steps to do something so simple…

    Reply

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