How to Upload iMovie to YouTube?

iMovie is a free video editing tool developed by Apple, which is available for Mac, iPhone, and iPad and allows users to edit their videos, add titles, effects, etc. YouTube creators can use iMovie to edit their videos and in this article, we will discuss how you can export your video with optimum export settings for YT.

Exporting A Video From iMovie

To export your video from iMovie Windows follow the given steps.

On Mac-

Open the app on your Mac from the “Launchpad.”
Now open the Project you want to export.
Click on the “Share” button present at the upper right corner of your screen. After that, you will see multiple sharing options. To export your video you can use the “Social Platforms” or “Export File” option.

Alternatively, you can use the “Share” option via- File (present in upper left corner) > Share.

Export Video Using “Social Platforms” Option

While exporting video via “Social Platforms,” you will only get the option to choose the resolution for your video.

As the Resolution of the video increases, the size of the video also increases.

Click on “Next” choose the file’s location in your computer and then click on “Save.”

Export Video Using the “Export File” Option

if you choose “Export File” then you will get a lot of options to customize the export setting as per your need.

Format – You can choose between “Video and Audio” or “Audio Only” as your “Format.” Choose “Video and Audio” to export the full video.

Resolution – Resolution is the dimension of the video in pixels. In this section, you can choose your desired Resolution for the video. You can pick from these four options – 540p, 720p, 1080p, and 4K.

To save a project in 4K, your video must be captured in 4K. If you have a small portion of your clip in 4K, in your project and a maximum part in 1080p, then you should export your project in 1080p to keep a balance of video quality and video GB size.

Quality – In the “Quality” section you can choose from these five options – Low, Medium, High, Best (ProRes), and Custom.

If you choose “Low” then you will get a low file size with the same Resolution that you chose.

If you choose “Best (ProRes)” then you will get a large-size file, which will also be most suitable for YouTube. The Best (ProRes) is also useful for re-editing this video in another iMovie project or on any other video editing software.

For YouTube upload you can choose “Best (ProRes)” or “High” quality or experiment to find the best fit for you.

In screenshots below you can see the variation in the size of the video (Resolution – 720p, Duration – 1m 1s) with changing the “Quality.”

Compress – In this section, you will get two options: “Faster” and “Better Quality.”

If you choose “Faster,” then it will slightly reduce the video quality without making any changes to the video size allowing you to quickly export your iMovie video.

On the other hand, if you choose “Better Quality,” then you will get the original quality of your video but it will take more time to export. The “Better Quality” option is recommended for final exporting.

After setting up all the settings click on “Next.”

Rename your file if you want and choose the location and click on “Save.”

On iPhone –

Open the iMovie app on your iPhone.
Go to the video, which you want to export.
Click on the “Share” button present at the upper right corner of your screen.

Now if you want to change your export setting (Resolution, Frame Rate, etc.) then click on “Options.”

When you set it up, tap “Done” at the top right corner.

After that click on “Save Video.”

Now your video has been exported successfully.

Uploading Video to YouTube

To upload a video to YouTube, follow the given steps.

On Mac-

Open YouTube in your browser.
Click on the “Create” button present at the upper right corner of the screen.

Now go to “Upload Video.”

For Selecting your file, click on “Select files.”

After selecting the video click on “Open.”

Now add the Title, Description, and Thumbnail.

Choose the Playlist to which you want to add your video and scroll down, to select your audience, whether your video is for kids or not.

Choose the option in the “Age restriction” section as per your video content.

Scroll down and check the box if your video has a paid promotion.

Move down and add relevant tags related to your video in the “Add tag” section and choose your video’s language.

Swipe down and add “Category” and click “Next.”

Add “Subtitles” if you want and click “Next.”

Now YouTube automatically checks whether your video contains copyrighted content or not. If your video contains copyrighted content, you will see a message shown in the screenshot below. If you don’t see this then click on “Next.”