iMovie allows users to use the zoom feature with all photos, video stills or videos imported into your iMovie project. The action of zooming in and out on a photo is called the "Ken Burns Effect" and this is what the iMovie buttons that reproduce this effect are called. Ken Burns is a well-known documentary maker who developed this particular zoom technique.
Steps
Step 1. Open iMovie and select the project you want to add the zoom effect to
Step 2. Click on the video you want to apply the effect to in the Event Browser window in the upper center of the screen
The selected video will appear in the window to the right of the event browser. Check that you have selected the right video.
Step 3. Click on the "Crop" button located in the middle pane
This button has as its icon a square with 2 lines that create overlapping corners. Once this button is pressed you will be able to choose the "Fit", "Crop" and "Ken Burns" effects.
Step 4. Select the "Ken Burns" button located in the upper center of the editing screen
A green rectangle and a red rectangle will appear.
Step 5. Place the rectangles where you want the zoom effect to start and end
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Place the green rectangle on the portion of the image where you want the zoom effect to start when the video starts; place the red rectangle on the area where you want the zoom to stop. For example, you could place the green rectangle on a smaller area, creating a zoom effect, and the red rectangle in a larger one, widening the field of view. You can move these rectangles by clicking and dragging them to the desired points.
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You can also resize the triangles by dragging their corners.
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Selecting the double arrow button at the end of the edit screen will reverse the positions of the rectangles.
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Step 6. Preview the Ken Burns effect you just created by clicking the "Play" button in the player window
The icon for this button is a horizontal triangle. Adjust the rectangles to get exactly the desired effect.
