How to Edit a Video Tour on Your iPhone

As virtual tours continue to be an effective leasing tool, listings with video content will stand out online.

After you've filmed a property video with your cell phone, which you can watch a tutorial for here, you'll need to edit the footage into a final video for prospective tenants to watch. In this video, LoopNet photographer Isaac Bender takes you through the process of putting the final product together using iMovie. Below, you'll also find a step-by-step guide for how to use the app.

Don't worry—if you don't have an iPhone or just want to try out a different software, you can learn how to edit your video tour using the Adobe Rush App here, which is available for both iOS and Android devices.

iMovie Steps

Step 1: Go to the iOS app store

1. Type iMovie in the search bar
2. Select "Get" to download the app to your phone

Step 2: Select iMovie in your mobile screen

1. Choose “Create Project” where you see a “+” icon
2. There are two choices in your following screen: “Movie” at the top and “Trailer” at the bottom
3. Select “Movie” by touching the icon
4. The following screen is labeled “Moments,” which includes all your media from your mobile device such as photos and video clips
5. The “Media” option on the top left will bring up a submenu: Moments, Video, Photos, Albums. Select “Video” option
6. The “Video” option opens another submenu: All, Recently Added, Favorite, iMovie Media, Dropbox. The selection is based on where the videos are located. In this case, select “Recently Added” because it contains the most recent videos
7. The “Recently Added” screen has all videos. Select the needed video by touching it, which brings up the icon options of “Play” and a “Check Mark” in a circle
8. Select the “Circle” with the “Check Mark” until it is highlighted with a light blue color
9. When you've completed the selection of videos needed for the project, select “Create Movie”

Step 3: Create new project

1. All selected videos will be lined up in the previous order selected
2. Scroll from left to right or right to left to verify that all your videos are in the place needed to continue with the project
3. Move the movie by pressing, holding and dragging it if a video clip is not in the order needed

Step 4: Trimming clips

1. Select the video by touching it and a yellow box will appear around the video
2. There is a noticeable hard yellow bar at both ends of the video, which you can hold and drag to make the video shorter

Step 5: Speed of clips

1. A video needs to be slowed down if the “panning” is too fast
2. Select the video firmly with your finger until yellow box appear around it
3. Tools will appear in the bottom of the screen: Scissors, Speedometer, Volume, Text, Color
4. In the bottom of the screen the second icon from left to right is the “Speedometer”
5. Once selected, a level line will appear with a “turtle” (on the far left) and a “rabbit” (on the far right) icons. This means that going to the left will slow the video speed down, and it will speed up to the right

Step 6: Choosing transitions

The creation of a new project with multiple videos needs to be separated by “Transitions.” This is a way to keep viewers from getting bored and from having the video feel abrupt.

1. iMovie adds the “Bowtie” icon in between each video by itself. However, the most common transitions used are “Cross Dissolve” and “Fade In”
2. When “Bowtie” is selected the bottom panel options are: Theme, (Cross) Dissolve, Side, Wipe, Fade (In)
3. “(Cross) Dissolve” is used if you are have a continuation in the same floor or room. “Fade (In)” is used when changing areas, floors or rooms

Step 7: Music

1. Select the “+” icon in the middle left of the screen
2. The following screen contains: Moments, Video, Photos, Albums, Audio, Camera, Voiceover, Files. Select “Audio” which is located in the middle of the screen
3. Once “Audio” is selected, the following screen choices are “Soundtracks, My Music, Sound Effects.”
4. “Soundtracks” is a built in option for iMovie for free. The following screen offers a great variety of soundtracks based on your need
5. Once the soundtrack is selected, touch the icon circle with a + sign in it
6. The track will add up to the full length of the project
7. There is no need to trim the soundtrack

Step 8: Fade

1. Select the “Gear” icon in the bottom right corner
2. The following menu has “Project Settings” where the “Fade in from black” and “Fade out to black” toggle can be dragged to the right.
3. Select “Done” on the top right when finished