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After the AAC version is rendered, you will see it next to the full version of the song. Your ringtone version is the one with the 30 second length. Right-click on this and choose “Show in Finder”.
Use Finder to rename the extension to “.m4r”. To rename a file, click on it once to select it, wait a moment, and click it again. The filename will turn into an editable field. Just change the end of the file name, which is known as the extension. A dialog box will pop up asking you if you are sure that you want to change the extension. Click on the “Use .m4r” button to confirm.
Using iTunes, go to the song you have created as a ringtone. It should still be listed under the album, next to the full-length version. Right-click on the 30-second version of the song and choose “Delete” from the pop up menu. Agree to the first dialog box (“Are you sure you want to delete this copy of the selected song?”). Since you want to keep the ringtone file, choose “Keep” on the second dialog box.
Finally, double-click the ringtone in Finder. The file will be imported as a ringtone and you will see it under the “Tones” view in iTunes.
Ensure that your iPhone is connected to iTunes. You can use a cable or wi-fi sync. Let your iPhone backup and sync before you proceed. This may take a long time if you haven’t connected your iPhone to iTunes recently. There are two methods of getting the ringtone on your iPhone. First, in iTunes, select your iPhone from the “Devices” button on the top right. Go to the “Tones” view for your iPhone and check the “Sync Tones” option. (Tip: If you want to get back to your iTunes Library, click the “Done” button on the top right.) Then you can simply sync your iPhone and the ringtone should be copied over.
Unfortunately, this will revert to automatically syncing music and video on your iPhone. Since I have chosen to manually manage music and video on my iPhone, this is not an option for me. There is another way to get the ringtone onto your iPhone. (continue…)