iMovie Sound Effects: How to Add Sound Effect on iMovie

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iMovie Sound Effects: How to Add Sound Effect on iMovie

Last Updated: 2025. 05. 19

So you've just returned from a trip, party, or special event with countless precious moments ready to tell your story. But when you combine them into a video, it looks too ordinary to stand out among trending social media content. What's missing? There's one crucial element you might have overlooked - sound design!

Sound is the essential part of making videos alive and setting the tone of your video. By utilizing proper background music and especially sound effects, your video becomes more storytelling and the viewers get more immersed. But how to add sound effect to video? Here we'll set iMovie as an example for its extensive stock of sound effects and show you how to add sound effect in iMovie and another AI-powered solution for even smarter editing. Let's dive in!

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Part 1. How to Add Sound Effect on iMovie

iMovie includes a collection of sound effects that make your video charming. You can apply these sound effects in various manners like professional, leisure and horror. Follow the steps below to learn how to add sound effects in iMovie on your Mac.

Step 1: Open an iMovie Project

Open iMovie on your Mac and click on the Create a new project to enter the editing page. Now import videos by selecting File > Import Media. When the video is loaded, drag it to the timeline.

Create a New Project in iMovie

Step 2: Add Sound Effect in iMovie

To get to the built-in sound effects library, you need to go to Audio and then look on the left here. You should see Music, Sound Effects and GarageBand.

Music will show you songs that you have in your Music Library.

GarageBand gathers things that you've created in GarageBand.

Sound Effects gather these built-in sounds and you have to go here, Click here, and it gives you a list of all of the different things you have installed. So you should see Sound Effects, which are part of iMovie, and they are actually built into the app.

Select your favorite one and add it to your video.

Add a Sound Effect to Video

Step 3: Edit Your Sound Effect

Slide your sound effect on the timeline and place it anywhere you want to insert it. Adjust the duration and change the sound volume to match your needs.

Edit Your Sound Effect

While iMovie is a free and user-friendly tool for adding sound effects, its limitations can significantly impact your editing workflow in the following ways:

The available sound effects are limited, making it difficult to find the right one for your project.

iMovie doesn't support layering multiple soundtracks to enhance your video’s depth. Instead, it plays them sequentially that quite limits your audio control.

The software is exclusive to Mac users and lacks flexible features, limiting the ability to incorporate AI-powered creative tools into projects.

So, to give you a more pleasant editing experience with completely flexibility, an AI-powered solution called FlexClip is introduced to you in the following part. Let's move on.

Part 2. AI Solution to Generate and Add Sound Effects with Great Ease

Say goodbye to the hassle of finding your dreamed SFX to perfect your video! Welcome to FlexClip's revolutionized SFX world. Whether you want to generate unique sound effects that perfectly match your visuals, look for an AI-powered way to automatically specify and add realistic SFX to video or need an extensive stock to access thousands of royalty-free options, FlexClip can all get you covered without any editing experience needed!

AI Solution to Generate and Add Sound Effects to Video in FlexClip

Can't wait to have a try? Now follow our lead to explore various ways for adding sound effects to video in FlexClip!

1) FlexClip's AI Sound Effect Generator to Turn Text into Realistic Sound Effects

Bring your imagined sound effects into reality with FlexClip's AI sound effects generator. The sound effects generation is endless, from ambient sound effects like wind, transition movement effects like whoosh or animal sound effects like bird calls or other objects sound like phone ringing. Simply describe the SFX you need, and FlexClip's AI will generate it instantly. Here's how to transform text prompts into realistic sound effects with FlexClip:

Turn Text into SFX

Step 1

Access FlexClip's AI sound effects generator and tap on Generate Now to start your creation journey!

Access FlexClip's AI Sound Effect Generator to Get Started

Step 2

Under the Prompt box, describe the sound effects you want to generate. If you need inspiration, let AI help you by clicking on Inspire Me icon.

Enter Your Prompt for Sound Effects Generation

Step 3

When you're ready, hit on Generate button and AI will understand your prompt and create custom sound effects for you. Once the SFX is available, you can download it or seamlessly use it to match your video content.

Download Generated Sound Effects to Your Computer

2) Video to AI Sound Effects Generator to Automatically Add SFX to Video

Finished editing your video but missing the perfect sound effects? Throw your video to FlexClip's video to sound effects generator and let this AI machine to add natural and realistic SFX that sound like it born to match your video content. No manual edits are required. Simply describe the content and watch the AI work its magic. Here is how to do it.

Video to AI SFX Generator

Step 1

Go to FlexClip's video to AI SFX generator and upload the video you want to add sound effects. If you don't have an existing one, use FlexClip's AI video generator to instantly create one from text or image.

Open FlexClip's Video to AI SFX Generator and Upload Your Video

Step 2

Describe your video's content to help AI generate matching sound effects. Use the 'Remove Original Audio' option if you want to replace existing sounds completely.

Describe the Main Content of Your Video with Simple Text Prompt

Step 3

Within minutes, you'll get the video with matched sound effects. You can download the video to local or combine it with other clips with FlexClip's feature-rich video editor.

Download the SFX Added Video or Add More Personal Touches with FlexClip's Feature-rich Video Editor

3) Add Royalty-free SFX to Video with FlexClip

Need high-quality, royalty-free sound effects to instantly enhance your videos? FlexClip offers a massive library of 74,000+ music and SFX options, letting you find your perfect match with just one click. Thanks to its intuitive interface, both beginners and pros can add professional sound design in minutes. Here's how to add sound effects to your video with FlexClip:

Add SFX to Video

Step 1

Open FlexClip's video editor with your browser and import your video from local file, mobile, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.

Open FlexClip's Video Editor and Upload Your Video

Step 2

Add the video to timeline and make basic edits like trimming to to refine raw footage.

Add Video to Timeline and Refine the Raw Footage

Step 3

Place the playheader to where you want SFX to add. Then move to Audio > SFX panel and use keywords or theme category to find your desired sound effects. You can layer as many as sound effects you want to create the vibes. Freely change the position, volume or use the fade in/out to create a smooth flow. If necessary, use the audio speed changer function to emphasize the sound effects.

Search and Add Sound Effects to Your Video

Step 4

Click the Export button to save it on your computer or directly share the video to YouTube, TikTok and other popular platforms.

The Before-and-after Video of Sound Effects Using FlexClip

In addition to flexible solutions for generating and adding sound effects to video, FlexClip can help you more in audio editing from your video project. You can use AI noise reducer to remove unwanted background noise, separate vocal/instrumental from audio file with AI vocal remover, reach border audience by translating your speech into 140+ localized languages, generate natural-sounding voiceover from text, create your own music with AI music generator, etc. Try FlexClip and explore endless possibility of your video and audio creation right now!

AI Audio Editing Features in FlexClip You Can't Miss

The Bottom Line

A proper sound effect can be your video's icing on the cake. To add sound effects, iMovie is the safe bet to have a try but it containing limited sound effects. If you want to archive more effects, FlexClip is our recommendation for more flexibility and diversity. Now, it's your turn to make a decision!

Bella /

Full of vitality, curiosity and hope, Bella is an energetic copywriter at FlexClip. She mainly concentrates on video creation and troublesome issues related to video editing, providing users with practical solutions and tricks. Personally, Bella loves novels, sci-fi movies, cooking and travel. And, she believes that all her life is the best arrangement from God.