In this guide
On Mac, reveal the fade handles over the audio portion of the clip. On iPhone, tap an audio clip, choose Audio and Fade, then drag its handles. iPhone video audio must be detached first. Listen through the edit and check your export.
To fade audio out in iMovie on a Mac, move the pointer over the audio portion of a timeline clip to reveal its fade handles, then drag the handle at the end to where the fade should begin. On iPhone, select an audio clip, tap Audio → Fade, and drag the ending handle. Apple's guides document the controls for Mac and iPhone; labels can vary with the version.
Choose the audio clip whose level should change. A visual fade to black is a separate project setting; check the actual soundtrack rather than assuming a picture transition has faded the audio.
Editing music in GarageBand instead? See the GarageBand fade guide for track automation and the iPhone song-end setting.
Fade audio out in iMovie on Mac
- Find the clip in the timeline. Play the ending and decide when the volume should begin to fall. Leave space for the last word or note.
- Reveal the audio handles. Move the pointer over the audio portion of the clip. The handles appear at its beginning and end.
- Drag the end handle inward. Set it where the fade-out should begin. Drag the beginning handle to set a fade-in.
- Listen and adjust. Play from before the fade through the end. If it cuts off a syllable or effect tail, shorten it or adjust the edit. Export and listen to the actual movie.
Fade audio out in iMovie on iPhone
- Open a movie project. Locate the audio you want to change. If the audio is attached to a video clip, Apple's instructions say to detach it as a separate clip before creating fades.
- Tap the audio clip. The inspector appears at the bottom. Tap the Audio button, then Fade to reveal the handles.
- Drag the end handle. Set the fade-out duration. Use the beginning handle for a fade-in, if needed.
- Preview in context. Listen to the words or music immediately before the fade and check the final exported movie. If you detached audio, confirm it remains aligned with the picture and that another copy is not also playing.
Apple's iPhone audio guide explains the detach requirement and fade controls. Its transition guide separately describes picture fades and transitions.
What if the music fades but the voice does not?
That is expected when music and voice are separate clips and you faded only the music. Select and adjust the voice clip separately if that is the intended result. If speech and music are mixed together inside one audio clip, a normal fade changes both together; it cannot remove music while preserving speech at the same level. You can test music separation on the recording, but review the remaining dialogue and effects for bleed or missing detail.
On iPhone, iMovie may automatically lower a background music clip when video audio plays. Apple calls this ducking; it is separate from a manually adjusted fade. Listen to the full sequence to distinguish a temporary dip beneath dialogue from the ending fade.
Fade an audio file before importing it
For a standalone file, the free audio fade tool applies adjustable edge fades to supported short MP3 or WAV recordings locally. Preview and download the result, then import it into iMovie. The tool does not edit the project or create a crossfade between clips. WAV is 48 kHz 16-bit PCM; MP3 is newly encoded and can add delay or padding. Keep the original and check alignment.
Common questions
Why can't I see fade handles on my iPhone video?
Apple says that audio attached to a video clip must first be detached to create audio fade-ins or fade-outs. Then select the audio clip, tap Audio and Fade, and adjust its handles. A project type or app version may present different controls.
Does a fade remove background noise?
It lowers everything in the affected clip during the fade, including any noise. It does not independently remove noise while retaining the wanted voice. For a noise problem throughout the recording, choose a method suited to the sound in the cleanup guide.
How long should the fade be?
There is no universal duration. Compare the fade against the sentence, music and picture; a brief fade may reduce an abrupt ending, while a longer musical tail may need more room. Avoid cutting the first or last words.