Still image settings

Question

When I try to change the settings of multiple photos in the new version of imovie it will not allow it. I don't use final cut for my slideshow motion movies for this reason. no the new imovie has that glitch. theoretically i should be able to do this, I can't even get below 00:15 for a single photo.

Answer 1

the slide jumps from 0:15 directly to 0:03 without
being able to incrementally choose the value. So of
course i have to type it in which is buggy.
Aha! I didn't understand the problem.
Yes, there is a workaround which will let you do what you want. (I'm assuming, by the way, that your Ken Burns imports do NOT include a zoom.)
The trick is to make a single clip that's the duration you want, then use its Ken Burns settings to make other clips with the same duration. Essentially, you use the clip as a template to make others.
So how do you make a template clip for 0:05 when you can't set the Ken Burns duration to 0:05? Here's how: Make a clip longer than you need, then split it at 0:05, creating two clips. After creating the long KB clip, select it, then press the right arrowkey 5 times. Hit Command-T, which splits the clip.
Now select the (new) clip that's 0:05. Show Photo Settings. Note the new KB duration is 0:05. Now select a Photo in the iPhoto list. Note it inherits that 0:05 duration. Drag it to the timeline.
You can create as many "template clips" as you need. To make it handy, you can store them in a template project. Open the template project too as you work on a real project. To apply a template clip to the upcoming photo imports, activate the template project, click on a template clip, then re-activate the current project. The template's Ken Burns settings will be applied to the next import(s).
If you already have clips the duration you want in iMovie 5 projects, they can be your templates. Copy and Paste them into a new iMovie 6 template project.
BTW, the duration textbox in iMovie 5 is buggy too, but with slightly different bugs. Perhaps it will work for what you need. The duration slider has smaller increments, which may be all you need.
Karl