Compress a video on iPhone without iMovie
Apple’s published method uses iMovie: a new movie project, then an export at 720p, 540p or 360p, on an iPhone 12 or later with iOS 26. Without iMovie, you can trim the video in Photos, or use an app that compresses in place. ClipLeve works from iOS 18, can keep the resolution up to 4K, keeps HDR, and checks the copy against the original before saving.
Why look beyond iMovie?
- Requirements: Apple’s steps are written for an iPhone 12 or later on iOS 26. On older devices Apple says the steps and options may vary.
- Resolution: to get smaller than the 1080p default, the options are 720, 540 and 360. There is no smaller file that keeps 4K.
- Steps: each video goes into a movie project and is exported one at a time.
- HDR: Apple’s compression guide doesn’t say what happens to HDR in the export.
How do iMovie and ClipLeve compare?
| iMovie (Apple’s guide) | ClipLeve | |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone and iOS | iPhone 12 or later, iOS 26 | Any iPhone with iOS 18 or later |
| Smaller options | 720p, 540p, 360p | Nearly identical (up to 4K), Balanced (up to 1080p), Much smaller (up to 720p) |
| Size before you start | Typical ranges per minute, in Apple’s guide | An estimate for each option, for this video |
| Compare before saving | Watch the export afterwards | Drag a line over your video, or hold to see the original |
| Copy checked against the original | Not mentioned | Read in full and compared before and after saving |
| Many videos at once | One project at a time | A queue of up to 50 videos (ClipLeve Pro) |
| Price | Free | First light version free; Pro Annual or Lifetime after that |
Can you make a video smaller with Photos alone?
Only by making it shorter. In Photos, tap Edit, drag the ends of the timeline and save it as a new clip. A shorter clip is a smaller file, but every second you keep is the same size as before. To lower the size per second, the video has to be re-encoded, which is what iMovie’s export and ClipLeve do.
What does ClipLeve keep that a lower resolution loses?
Nearly identical keeps the original resolution up to 4K and spends up to 85% of the original’s bit rate, so the copy is smaller while staying close. HDR stays HDR: Dolby Vision is kept when the iPhone can write it again, otherwise the copy keeps the same HDR picture in HLG. The audio is copied as it is.
Questions
Is iMovie still the best free way to compress a video?
It is the free way Apple documents. It suits a single video you can send at 720p or lower. If you need to keep the resolution or HDR, or you have many videos, an app built for compression does more.
Does iMovie delete the original video?
Apple’s guide saves the export to Photos or Files as a new file and doesn’t ask you to remove the original.
Does ClipLeve work on iPad or Mac?
No. ClipLeve is for iPhone with iOS 18 or later.
