You’ve probably seen split screen – an effect where the screen is split into two or more parts in a video.

In this iMovie Tutorial for Beginners, I’m going to show you how to do Split Screen (or side by side) video using iMovie, both on your Mac and iPhone/iPad.

Let’s begin!

Quick Navigation

• An Easier Way to Create Split Screen Videos
• How to Create Split Screen Videos in iMovie for Mac
• How to Create Split Screen Videos in iMovie for iPhone & iPad

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1. An Easier Way to Create Split Screen Videos

Movavi Video Editor is a comprehensive and easy to use video editing software. Apart from just adding the split screen effect to your video, you can also add other effects such as transitions and music, plus you can export the video in various formats.

To create a split screen effect using Movavi, follow the steps below;

Step 1. Download and Install the Split-Screen Video Creator.

Once you complete the setup, the program will launch itself.

Step 2. Import Video to Movavi

Open Movavi, select New Project in Full Feature Mode in the welcome window.

To add media files that you want to play side-by-side, click Add Media Files and choose your videos.

Step 3. Transfer Video to an Overlay Track

The imported videos should automatically be added to the Video Track on the timeline located at lower part of your screen.

To begin with, select one of your videos then drag it up the timeline – this will create an Overlay Track on top of the main video track, then drop the video on the Overlay Track.

Step 4. Decide How You Want The Split Screen To Look

You can either have your split screen appear vertically or horizontally. To enter the editing mode, double-click the video on the overlay track.

Open the list on top of the Preview Window and select Side by Side.

Select one of the four available split screen templates to choose the position of the main video track.

Once you have chosen a mode you like, click Apply.

Step 5. Export the video

At this point, your split screen video is ready to go. Click the Export button at the lower right corner of your screen and define the export parameters for the final video.

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2. How to Create Split Screen Videos in iMovie for Mac

If you want to use iMovie, then here is how to create a side-by-side split screen effect video on Mac.

Step 1. Import video to iMovie

Import the two videos into iMovie. You can do this by dragging them to the timeline one by one.

Step 2. Apply Split Screen Effect

Now, click on the first video on the timeline and be sure it is highlighted, then in the drop-down menu of the preview window, change it to Split-screen mode:

Note: if you don’t see the overlay controls, click on the Video Overlay Settings button as shown below.

Here you can choose where you want to place the overlay video. (top, bottom, left or right) click the Apply button to effect this change.

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3. How to Create Split Screen Videos in iMovie for iPhone & iPad

 Step 1. Open iMovie on your iPhone or iPad. Click on the “Projects” tab located at the top, and then select “Create Project” and then Movie to enter the editing panel:

From your camera roll, import one video clip to add it to your timeline:

Step 2. To import a second video clip and add as the split screen video, click on the music and video icon located at the left-hand side of your screen.

Choose the target video, and you will find various ways to add the video. Select the Two Rectangular buttons to continue:

This will add the second video to the timeline.

Next up, highlight the overlay video by clicking on it, then click the Split screen button in the lower left corner as shown below:

You can then choose to display the video horizontally or vertically:

Step 3. You can either zoom in or out of the split screen video by tapping on the magnifying glass symbol:

Step 4. Preview the movie with the split screen effect. If you like what you see, then select the “Done” button to save and share your new split-screen project.