How to save extracted audio?

Question

I'm editing my wedding video and I want to extract the audio of the clips I have so I can play them over music, rather than the actual audio. However, I currently only have these clips in this project, this is the only place they exist for me, so I really don't want to get rid of the sound forever, obviously (if the only record of the vows is destroyed, does it still apply? Only joking!)
Is there a way to save the extracted audio as a separate sound file? Or can I export copies of the clips (not the whole project) to a different project? I haven't worked as much on HD as I did with the previous iMovie, so I'm not sure how that would work. Thanks for any help!
Shannon

Answer 1

"Extracting" the audio (vows!) doesn't really extract it. It copies the original audio, and puts that copy in the audio track, just below the video, and then just turns off the audio within the video clip.
So the original audio is still embedded within the video (..no escaping those vows!..) but is just temporarily silenced. But it can have its volume turned up again, just as it was before.
If you want to just "..play them over music.." you could simply leave the audio where it is, within the video, and add music to one of the audio tracks below.
But if you mean that you want to play that bit of audio elsewhere within the movie, with added music - e.g; as a reprise at the end - you could 'Extract' the audio (..but that doesn't destroy the original audio; just quietens it ..though you can later bring it back up to its original loudness..) and then Copy that extracted audio clip, and Paste it back into an audio track anywhere else that you want in the project!
[..To Export the separated (extracted) audio out of iMovie and into some external file, you can select the video clip locked to it, above it, choose 'Share' and click the 'Selected clips only' check-box, and save the audio as whatever kind of audio you want, from the drop-down selection which appears. Oddly, you can't just select and share just the audio clip; you need to select the video clip associated with it ..an oversight on the programmer's part, I think..]
So, the original audio's never lost - sorry: ..a vow is a vow! - but having "extracted" (..i.e: copied..) the audio, you can then Copy and Paste that 'extracted' audio as often as you want!