How would you change iMovie '08: special emergency software edition
By Ryan Block 
posted Aug 9th 2007 8:56AM
posted Aug 9th 2007 8:56AM
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If people want all those features, get Final Cut Express/Pro. iMovie is pointed towards the simple consumer who doesn't know/doesn't want to know about all those special things. They want to literally drag-n-drop to make a "UbAhCoOl" movie for their family ;)
But I do feel that iMovie should work/look a bit more like iPhoto, especially when it comes to themes and/or menu's.
I use iMove a lot. It has just enough features for me to make a decent video and export it to iDVD to make a decent DVD. It is for a person who doesn’t want to know a great deal about video editing. If I wanted to learn FCE guess what I would have bought? FCE and a FCE book! iMovie is the closes thing you are going to get to point and click with some simple F/X and video editing without actually knowing what you are really doing.
So the question is why did Apple remove features that they know people use and need?
One answer/theory could be that Apple wants to quietly bump people from iMovie to FCE. So the math could be -- what's the price difference between the 2, how many people out there user iMovie, equals, this could be higher profits for Apple!
Thoughts anyone...
Thank you for contacting Apple, we appreciate your concern. Regarding your issue, please purchase Apple's Final Cut Pro.
Sincerely,
Apple Customer Support
Ho Ho
Engadget using iMovie? Who would've thought?
A porno theme would be good - the program would insert cheesy camera angles, a pizza-boy plot line and jarring 70's music.
OH YEA!
GET A ZUNE!
Jackass.
EPIC FAIL
What in the hell does iMovie have to do with a Zune? I use iMovie all the tiem and i own neither an iPod or a Zune.
I don't see what was wrong with the One window and Clip bar at the bottom, with all the effects and clips and audio coming from the right side panel. ive been using my 800mhz g4 imac for a long time, and the only thing i wish it had in imovie was widescreen, but that is in the newer versions. they could have just added more effects and gone for new High capacity disc supports and more smaller things like they do with new versions of OSX. its never a major overhaul.
Bring the time line back. Geez. Apple is pushing us all to Final Cut Pro/Express with this new dumbed down version of iMovie.
And would it be asking too much to acutally be able to BURN a High Def Disc! iMovie supports all the HD video formats (has for several years) but then won't alow us to burn ANYTHING in HD. Blu-Ray drives are now less than $500 and available in several flavors. Thats what I paid for my first CD burner 9 years ago.
I was initially appalled by the lack of a timeline. However now that I have grown more accepting, this new editing concept it slightly appealing. Plus they still leave an old copy of iMovie on the computer if you want to go back to the timeline later. Im still a little miffed about the lack of audio volume control and chapters, but I can at least get by with the old version.
I'm just waiting for my new iLife software to be delivered; but from what I've seen, I won't be 'upgrading' from iMovie HD. It seems to have lost the key features that make iMovie easy to use, but none-the-less flexible.
I'm sure Apple had a reason. They figured (or though research most likely) that most do not use any of the more advanced features and will push those who do to get Final Cut Express. It's the way to go for the price. All of Apple's software is a steal at their pricing. Just get used to it and use a better program if you want the more advanced features.
At the same time, those who do not use all the features, now get a simpler, cleaner iMovie that's easier to use and more straight forward.
I wish they would've kept the timeline... I understand the idea of letting users make "quick" home movies, but it doesn't allow users to make much more. I haven't had too much time to spend with it, but from what I can see they'll be disappointing a lot of young filmmakers who use iMovie to edit their projects.
Also, does anyone know how to cut a clip quickly in this new version? In the old iMovie, I used to use COMMAND + T. I can't find any similar replacement.
I'm just glad I have Final Cut. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't...
On another note: I love the video library, and the skimming feature.
How about talking about Gadgets and consumer electronics like your about page says you will do. Enough of the Apple junk and their software. Why not dig around and find out of Nikon and Canon are coming out with new cameras.
Heck nikon came out with new software update this week...nothing
Canon came out with a new firmware for their top of the line camera...nothing.....
Why do we have to talk about new SOFTWARE from Apple.
We don't. It's not mandatory. Why are you reading it???
To make you annoyed.
allow it to work on g4 powerbooks
seconded :( You cant even install it manually, because when the app loads up it checks what its running on :(
Problem is that PowerBooks just aren't powerful enough to do this kind of stuff. Sorry, but they weren't fast when they were new and they're pretty much useless for any kind of heavy duty task these days - try playing H.264 video on one for example.
can't believe that i cant run it on my PB G4.... i use final cut Pro without problem!!!
Funny thing is you can run the latest FCE and FCP(for the most part on a G4) on a G4 and G5 below 1.9mhz, but you can run the simple consumer oriented imove.
If they haven't got chapter markers, there's no *way* I'm buying it.
Be aware that iMovie '08 does not replace '06, it's still on your hard drive -- a good thing, as projects do not move forward that smoothly.
Like Steve said, different program.
wait... do you mean that both iMovie '06 and and '08 are on the new iMac? If thats the case I hope that when you purchase iLife 08, you get iMovie '06 with it too. If not, the people who dont already have older iLife are getting ripped off when they purchase the new one.
I love all the old features of iMovie (timeline, audio fading etc) I used every single one of them when making a wedding video for a friend of mine. I am definately going to miss them. :(
Exactly, this is a completely redundant post as the two apps co-exist quiet happily in your Applications folder.
No, but if you buy '08 you can download iMovie HD.
Or not at all in my case. My Mac Pro choked 3 times importing any of my old iMovie projects! Sad...
Well, I watched the video last night on my iPhone (thanks for having an iPhone friendly iLife demo, Apple!) and I must say that the program looks amazing. I have ordered my copy of iLife '08 and iWork '08 that should arrive tomorrow or perhaps next Monday.
I will say this much about iMovie though, it looks leaps and bounds better than ANYTHING you can get for a similar price. Heck, it's free when you a buy a new Mac.
I can't wait to get my hands on this program!
Hey Engadget, did you guys say Apple monitors your site once in a while? Or was that once a day?
Make a windows version. :-)
get a mac
@Deep: Yeah, but then people always complain that Microsoft doesn't make more nicer Mac versions of their products.
So I guess we're just ok that Apple can flaunt with whatever they want, while we just love to blame Microsoft for not doing anything for us. Yeah, I'm ok with that.
Not a chance buddy. Get a Mac and experience some real applications.
Why get a mac when OSX runs just fine on my PC thanks to the OSX86 project? My 800$ PC runs your precious OS just as good as your overpriced desk bauble the mac.
P.S. running full iLife 08 also. God bless the hackintosh.
"overpriced desk bauble the mac"
... this has already been defused many times before, think of a new insult.
Don't worry, I'm sure Apple will do something to finally shut down the hackintosh community.
Here's a iMovie HD 6 download for all who purchased and installed iLife '08.
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/imovieHD6.html
don't change anything it's great!
Apple rarely makes really complete version 1 products, and that's really what this is in my mind. They've nailed down the new UI and now they'll patch the crap out of it over the next year to flesh it out.
this isnt supposed to replace finalcut express hd here people, if you wanted hardcore video editing you shoulda dropped the 200 bux to get the final cut express hd pre-installed
You're right, it isn't supposed to replace FCE, it is supposed to replace iMovie. It fails at that pretty badly. Here are just some of the things missing from the new iMovie that you could do in the old iMovie:
* No chapter markers
* No audio tracks playing over black (No matter what, your audio clip ends when your video clip ends)
* No ducking audio at specific points (You can duck audio, but only for the length of the entire clip)
* No video effects other than color correction
* No ability to set timing on and preview transitions before you apply them. (You can set custom timings on transitions, but you have to drop the transition in then guess again and again until you get the timing right.)
* No themes (If you import an iMovie HD project with themes, it will just strip them out.)
The list goes on and on, and you can read more in the Apple Discussion Forums, where iMovie '08 is getting hammered. I will be sticking with iMovie '06, but I am pretty annoyed that I paid for iMovie '08 and find it almost entirely useless. (None of its new features overcome the damage done by dumping the ability to do detailed editing.)
iMovie doesn't make movies anymore, it makes clip shows. I guess this is what happens when you redesign your entire application based on the experience of one engineer.
Aaron,
"I will be sticking with iMovie '06, but I am pretty annoyed that I paid for iMovie '08 and find it almost entirely useless. (None of its new features overcome the damage done by dumping the ability to do detailed editing.)"
iMovie '06 is still available after installation of iLife '08, so for those who want or need any of those features missing from the new iMovie, they can still use the old one just fine, it's not like that's such a bad app. For people who want to quickly and easily make video clips put together from many small sections, the new iMovie is fantastic.
Slightly different purposes between the old and new versions, but I'm sure in some future revision of the new iMovie, a lot of those "dropped" features will be added back in.
In response to Aaron:
iMovie is great for establishing the timeline of the movie. If you want basic audio management it's there as well. If you want chapter markings or more in depth audio editing, then simply import your iMovie project in to Garageband. Garageband's interface is specifically designed for such things and gives you all of the flexibility you need.
I like the idea of a suite of apps that do individual tasks well much preferable over one app that does everything mediocre.
Ok, granted it's not supposed to replace final cut express, but what apple did was strip it of features that were present in the previous version. That sir, is a legitimate consumer complaint.
If I can have both 06 and 08 installed at the same time, I'm happy - otherwise I won't install 08.
Yes, you can. iMovie 06 gets moved to an iMovie (previous version) folder and still works the same.
How about support for all the plug-ins I bought last January after MacWorld? That would be a simple move and definitely in the right direction. After that: themes. I always wanted to be able to make my own themes, so maybe that would be a safe compromise? But plug-ins, for sure or else a couple of hundred effects, filters, titles, transitions, etc. built in.
Phew! The themes are a big part of why I use iMovie. It's good to know that although they're not in '08, I can still use the older version.
Anyway, the publish to web with "real Web 2.0" high def viewing is worth it.
The major problem with iMovie 08 is that it focuses too much on clip selection at the expense of editing once the clips have been chosen. Skimming and selecting the clips is great and can make creating a movie a very quick and easy process. I also appreciate the way content is now stored and represented.
But once those clips are chosen and arranged there should be options to make the editing window at least as powerful as previous versions of iMovie. I want to see, and certainly was expecting to see, the timeline view with separate tracks restored for those situations where precise control over video, audio, and polish is necessary.
I'm also very disappointed by the lack of integration with iDVD. That was one of the strengths of iMovie in the past. It is true that home movies are increasingly ending up on the web. But the fact is that a major form of video sharing occurs by exchanging DVD's which while tedious to burn are nevertheless an important form of video distribution and archiving. The new iMovie seems to be positioning itself as a YouTube!/AppleTV content maker and disregards that many users have not adopted those outlets and perhaps never will. This preference by Apple on what kind of devices we should be publishing our videos too is clearly demonstrated in the Media Browser where exports occur.
I do think that Apple has taken this strategy because the interest in digital video editing and web distribution is increasing. I suspect they would like to see those legacy iMovie users who became familiar and proficient at digital editing migrate to a higher end application such as Final Cut (and thus use the Final Cut XML export option). I actually don't have much of a problem with that as I would rather work on my videos in a more advanced environment and it's no doubt a benefit to Apple to leverage two products against one another. But it is certainly an annoyance to legacy users who were expecting iMovie 08 to follow the previous trend and become a more powerful editing tool rather than a quick and dirty movie maker for beginners.
So in summary I would ask Apple to return the advanced timeline view to the edit window in iMovie as well as reconnect to iDVD.
From the description:
http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/#polish
it looks like many editing features are still there ("adjust volume of clips"). If the scaled down the editing capabilities of the software, that would really be a rip-off.
I already purchased Aperture for superior photo editing, but having to buy Final Cut Express just to edit some movies (fading music, viewing timeline etc. I don't care about picture effects, movies look so "cheap" in my opinion using them) then it starts to be heavy on my wallet...
Too heavy....
iMovie 06 was good, but I thought they would add some more features to it (better interface overall, better external Harddrive support, maybe faster overall editing and the "library concept" (which they indeed added)).
I didn't care that much about lightning effect.
I purchased iLife 08, I hope some of the features will be there when Leopard hits the shelves (maybe they are going to take advantage of Core Animation).
I guess I'll just have to wait and see....
Now we can see why someone was able to make a video in less than 30 minutes with iMovie 08- just strip out all those boring features that real movie-makers like to fiddle around with for hours.
Well said!
Stand up and take a bow Mr. Peter John Dean, you've made the best observation/comment yet!
If you're a "real movie maker" , you shouldn't be too tight to buy something such as Final Cut Express.
iMovie 08 is a sodding awesome consumer app, which is exactly what iLife is about. If you think you're a pro or semi-pro, you should be buying the right software. That's not iLife, dude.
If you are looking to do actual serious video editing and not "hey look i own a dv cam and this is my family on vacation" actually buy proper video editing software. Notice his demo's was of family video type stuff.. not "hey we went out and shot a short film or documentary and are gonna edit it using iMovie". iLife is geared towards families and consumer level users, if you are anything more than that consumer level user you are looking at the wrong software. If you are serious about video editing and looking at iMovie you might want to consider looking into a different field. Bitching that iMovie isnt as robust as a Final Cut Express or FCP is like complaining that Garage Band isnt as robust as Pro Tools.
Bottom line. A tool is only good to the person that knows how to use it!
"iMovie 08 is a sodding awesome consumer app, which is exactly what iLife is about."
If it's a consumer app, why does it require a G5?
As a matter of fact I do have Final Cut Express but it's often unnecessarily complicated to use. 08 offers very easy visual editing but the key feature which seems to be missing is the ability to edit audio independently from the visual. As 08 removes most effects from an imported video edited in earlier versions of iMovie, it means keeping three types of software. What's more, 08 must use a huge amount of disk space (like iPhoto but more)if all clips are stored in one place.
"If it's a consumer app, why does it require a G5?"
Because a G4 doesn't have the horsepower required to play high definition video.
"The key feature which seems to be missing is the ability to edit audio independently from the visual..."
I can't comment on the audio editing besides what has been released - I know that you can change the volume of individual clips, for instance. I suspect that more detailed control will follow in a future update - whether free or paid - but I don't think that's a serious drawback as fine-grained audio control is not what the app is about any more. I think they've probably made iMovie appeal to a far larger demographic, and I'd encourage those who feel it's now too simplified to really give some of the semi-pro tools out there a chance.
"As 08 removes most effects from an imported video edited in earlier versions of iMovie, it means keeping three types of software."
It's a drawback, but if you're really not an iMovie 08 fan you can happily remove it, of course.
"What's more, 08 must use a huge amount of disk space (like iPhoto but more)if all clips are stored in one place."
Fortunately, it doesn't. You can store video in multiple places. Check out all the information Apple's released about it. :-)
"If it's a consumer app, why does it require a G5?"
Because G4s are ancient technology (seriously - the chip is over 6 years old!). All vaguely recent consumer machines can power it... Remember, iMacs have had G5 or better for 3 years now. Time flies.
It requires actually a mid-higher end G5. 1.9mhz or higher for the Powermac G5, and 2.0ghz for the iMac. Again funny that FCP can run on a 1.5 Powermac G5.
Mike: "If it's a consumer app, why does it require a G5?"
smilespray: "Because a G4 doesn't have the horsepower required to play high definition video."
Not true. iMovie HD 6 works with HD, and Apple states its requirements as: "High-definition video (HDV) requires 1GHz G4 or faster and a minimum of 512MB of RAM"
When I bought my mac earlier this year and started toying with iMovie, it became clear prettty quickly that I needed more power- Final Cut Express is such a great program for the price and does so much more. Yet, iMovie has it's place- I still use it to create very quick movies with no fancy editing involved. From what I've seen of iMovie 08, it appears to be targeted towards that user-- quick editing job that's easy to use where you don't need the extra power.
I see iMovie 08 as a gigantic revolution in editing. It may take some people longer than others to warm up to this but it's here. Stop thinking about what is missing are start pondering why it needed to be there in the first place.
-Unless you're a professional, audio mixing can be reduced to a set of rules that a computer can handle for you (ducking, fading, normalizing, etc).
-You have a timeline---just more Minority Report and less 1970s.
-Chapter markers have a big future so Apple is getting us to stop thinking of them as chapters (IMHO). See iPhoto Events for more insight.
-Themes maybe but you'll hate them in two weeks because everyone will use the same ones. (Think iWeb 06).
Thats enough for now.
I'd still love a simple A-B roll.
I have not yet really played around with iMovie 08. Though I am glad they made the changes they did. I have thought the same thing as the programer before -- "I want to make a movie in 30 mins." I don't care for really fancy stuff I just want to something I can make look half decent without blowing a whole afternoon. I think Apple has delivered.
no audio control, seriously? that's wack. themes schmemes, for those of us who don't have an extra $200 floating around, editing out audio gaffs in kid movies just became ludicrous. what's up Apple, did your extensive user testing miss this one? WE USE AUDIO TOOLS! and don't need FCX just to drop down Uncle Harry belching next to the camera during Sally's 2nd birthday. kthxbye.
Don't worry, people. You can still download the last version of iMovie if you want to:
http://www.macrumors.com/2007/08/08/imovie-6-hd-available-for-download/
give us back the old editing format. make it like two separate views. much like in iPhoto you have the classic photo view and the "events" view, give us the old editing view AND the new simpler design. that will make everyone happy.
Some times innovating too much isn't a good thing.
Windows MovieMaker does a better job than iMovie8...and Vista's HD MovieMaker. No matter, I'm a Premiere/Encore boy myself...No, I'm not an Apple hater, but c'mon, no timeline? No fade/track-volume...chapters? Does it even blend?
thanks god there is no themes
but an audio mixer would be nice(hint apple)
2 video tracks superposition too
the ability to keep the audio from one track while inserting pieces of video over it (lets says you have a show with good sound and you want to patch in additional shots your frioends made on their cell/digicam
It looks like it's built over the framwork of Final Cut Server, since that's basically how it works. FCS includes the ability to do basic editing on any Mac or PC on the same network as your FCS box, and is also built around easily manipulating multiple codecs and resolutions in the same project, and allowing you to export in almost any format and resolution you want. Sounds like the engineer Steve referred to just chopped up existing code to do it.
It looks like it's built over the framework of Final Cut Server, since that's basically how it works. FCS includes the ability to do basic editing on any Mac or PC on the same network as your FCS box, and is also built around easily manipulating multiple codecs and resolutions in the same project, and allowing you to export in almost any format and resolution you want. Sounds like the engineer Steve referred to just chopped up existing code to do it.
@ tehpwnmstr
I said, "GET A ZUNE!"
I said "GET A MAC"
I say, "GET A YEP!"
I said, "GET A LIFE AND A CLUE."
So they stripped down iMovie 06 and decided to call it iMovie 08? I haven't seen 08 yet but am planning to buy iLife 08 pretty soon. Did Apple F it up this badly? I like iMovie 06 because of it's simplicity. I used to use Adobe Premiere Pro before and found that to be too much work for a simple family movie. I can't see how Apple could remove transitions, chapter markers, etc and still call it a Home Movie editor. Does iMovie 08 even integrate with iDVD? If so, how dows iDVD know how to break up the chapters in the DVD if there are no chapter markers?
The new iMovie is what I've been looking for. I use a Sanyo C6 camera that records video to a SD card. The old iMovie never handled my clips well because it was for DV mostly. I have always disliked how iPhoto handles the movies that come from my camera and have been looking for a program that would hold my library and allow me to edit. If I need the old style iMovie I'll just use FInal Cut Express.... maybe they will drop the price of it. To end I must say..... Great job Apple!
I messed around with it last night at the Apple Store.
LIKES-
the whole media bin idea. I can use the same clip multiple times. That is a big improvement over the old iMovie.
the whole "make a movie quick" idea. I actually believe that iMovie 6 was too daunting for the average iLife user [don't go crazy...I'm making a point]. So this release focus's iMovie to that user.
DIDN'T LIKES
- my daughter and I use the "separate audio from video" option (she likes to make 'music videos'). Didn't see how to do that with the new one. Seems like in the effort to make it easier, they gutted the audio choices a bit too hard.
- didn't notice the lack of iDVD integration...didn't think they'd mess with that. If they did, that's a bad idea.
All in all, I like the product, but it's not a true competitor to iMovie 6. What this says to me is that Apple is keeping FCE, which I've honestly moved on to (does a lot of things easier IMHO). At $200, FCE is a stark raving bargain. You wanna crank out quick and dirty vids (like you might see on YouTube)? iMovie. Slightly more options? FCE. Total Pro? FC Studio. Seems to make sense from Apple's POV.
I am bummed that the power of iMovie has been diminished a bit and there will naturally a large amount of users "upset". But here's hoping that Apple has some good things in store for the FC Express type of user!
Good observations. I think the jump from 08 to FCE is pretty big and most people won't bother. FCE may be good value but it's still more money.
I can't even believe the conversations I am seeing in here! Let’s see -- Just finish spending money on a NEW/Upgrade product here and I am missing some KEY FEATURES which all of the pervious version had and this one should have had. Oh well let me go back to the store and BUY the product that I didn't want to BUY in the first place, and then get the upgrade I thought I was gonna get!
An upgrade – going to a higher version should have equal of what it had in the previous version. Not less. Why would a person want to pay more money for even less functionally?
Dam... when Apple started investing in "hype marketing" the knew EXACTLY what they were doing! We don't even buy products anymore from Apple just pure hype-ware.
Excuse me Mr. Apple. Can I get another smack in the face please, I don’t think the first one was hard enough... *SMACK* “First smack was for buying iLife”, *SMACK AGAIN* “Second smack was for going back to the store and then apologizing to the sales clerk for not spending enough money on an Apple product in the first place”.
abtw I have MAC’s and PC... Maybe we should do something ole fashion like boycott! Just don’t upgrade that will teach Apple a lesson. Oh we can’t, we are to use too buying iHype!
I don't get why everyone keeps talking as though this new concept in iMovie of getting out a quick movie means you shouldn't be able to do detailed editing. They aren't mutually exclusive. Apple could have added a timeline view with all its granular goodness, and made it so this view only shows up when you need it to. They didn't do that, though, and I think that it was a relatively major mistake.
As I said before, iMovie '08 doesn't make movies, it makes clip shows.
And for all those commenters telling people to buy Final Cut Express, please keep in mind that there are no iMovie '08 features in FCE. If I had needed to buy FCE, I would have bought it already. Even though I spent money on iMovie '08, I personally am going to stick with '06 until they fix the former.
IMOVIE 08 CRASHES EVERYTIME i try to transfer video from
a panasonic hd1 (avchd).
So yeah not really happy with imovie 08 im using the same camera
steve demoed-i know is not my computer is a 2.66ghz macpro with 8gb of ram.
Boo..but i love iphoto
yeah same here: panasonic HD SD1 (which Steve Jobs called a great AVCHD cam) seems to be incompatible with iMovie 08. What a joke!
this the experience of me and many others as well. it just doesn't like a lot of files. Casio Exilim also not supported.
If iMovie 08 wont have iMovie 06 functionality then I wont buy it. No, I am not happy with having 2 separate iMovie applications. Elegance is lost.
Apple, you are one smart company. But boy can you be arrogantly stupid sometimes.
1. First off you design lousy generation 1 products. You constantly ship things too soon - and thus with essential features missing. (ical couldn't have custom colors for calendars until 2 updates, and the iphone is missing tons of needed features other cells have). The features you include work well, but gen 1 products are not very usable.
2. You kill or change things that don't need it. In the past you killed off the iPod mini even though it was the best selling ipod. you kill off the external isight even though many of us own older macs. Now you kill the old iMovie. Why not create another version of iMovie in tandem, or allow a new 'quick edit' interface along with all the old interface. IF IT AINT BROKE, DON'T FIX IT. yes, you can improve upon it, but don't delete it. The old iMovie worked great for some things, and bad for others - same goes for this new iMovie. But wait... why not combine the new and old interfaces, and shazam! the newest iMovie could be great at everything. gasp. what a concept.
3. the new imovie might be good for youtube videos, but nothing more. and whats worse is that the old iMovie could make more sophisticated youtube movies.
4. in creating new products, you make transitioning from older products impossible or a pain. Take the pre-tiger, pre-spotlight mail. The tiger mail app can't even read old archived mail messages! The new imovie destroys imported 06 projects. if you create both the old and new software, and have members of both teams still employed at your company, why are updates so hard? You can move to the intel chip smoothly, but making software updates is hard, WTF? actually, this new iMovie is intel and g5 only, why no g4 support? you betray us loyal users who have not upgraded yet. shame.
I was really hoping that iMovie 08 would harness the power of Core Animation, through a simplified interface.
iMovie is really about making home movies: meaning they'll probably be a mixture of short clips (from point & shoot camera), short movies, and pictures. The default way to rend a picture slideshow in iMovie and iDVD is very limited (zoom & pan effect, or some sort of blending effect). Try doing that for more than 5 mins and not boring your audience to death ! Using core animation photos and short clips could be integrated in a home movie using all sorts of 3d effects (flying windows, wall of video ala Apple TV) which would make the movie actually entertaining !! Kind of like what the theme has... except expanding on that and using the fancy 3d stuff not just for transitions and intros, but for the whole movie (kind of like what PhotoPresenter does)
I went down that road recently using iMovie'06, and its doable by editing the themes with quartz composer. Except its very tedious !! Core animation could make this way easier i'm sure !!
Steve, are you listening ??
Is it possible to export from 08 into 06? This would combine the excellent quick visual editing of 08 with the added audio features of 06 and transfer to iDVD.
I like iMovie '06 because it allows advanced users to create great videos, while being easy to use for a novice. I don't think i'll be upgrading to iMovie '08 anymore.
1. the argument that we should all stop complaining because we should use FC Express if we want those features might be the dumbest thing i've heard in a while. yes... if you're a more serious editor, you probably should get FC Express or FC Pro. but the fact is, iMovie was so awesome because it was a simple movie editor that could do some of the more detailed tweaking that someone who likes to edit but isn't quite serious about it enough to get one of the FC applications could appreciate. i've used it for weddings, short films, commercials, etc... just because it was so easy to use and i could make the little tweaks i needed to. if they didn't want to market it towards me, then they shouldn't have done so for the past few years.
2. if you're sick of Engadget posting about Apple related things, then don't read anymore. it's their site and clearly there's an interest (since the Apple postings tend to have more user comments than the non-Apple ones), so of course they're going to post about Apple related things. if it bothers you that much, when you see the word "Apple" or "i______", skip that post and move on to the next!
I'm just glad that Apple are giving all iLife '08 customers a free download of iMovie '06 HD.
They must have seen the error of their ways...
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/imovieHD6.html
I'm quite disappointed by the lack of Video 'FX'.
when you install ilife08 you can just chose not to install imovie 08
there problem solved, and you can carry on using 06, while using the rest of 08
The problem is that iMOvie 06 will bethe last one of a serious movie editor. Having it on the Hard disk (from two years now) is not something to thank apple for. Just imagine your next car to have just the driver seat. Wouldn't complain for that? Imagine your car dealer answering that you still have your older car and that if you need more seats you can just buy a full sized bus. Who cares if it will cost so much more and you will never bring more than your family with you (leaving about 80% of the bus seats empty). There is someone that drives alone. for them is better!
C'mon.. someone is kidding in this blog when saying those things, isnt'it?
I would have to say that when you first start to play around with the app it's definitely not intuitive (dare I say the UI reminds me quite a bit of Window Media Player 11, oy veh, it's supposed to be simple and yet isn't). It took me about 2 hours to figure out how to search within a clip without selecting it (with the yellow box). Cursoring over to movie through the clip is innovative but it took a long time figure out that was the way to do it.
It's also annoying that going back and forth that when I cursor over I get nasty ugly static playing out of my speakers it would be nice somehow for iMovie to intuitively decrease the volume of the clip.
As a video editor I don't like not having a timeline view, that's just how my mind understands editing. I think have an clip editor box with a timeline view would help out a lot.
I must say that with an upgrade you expect a product to have more features, the transitions are a little ho-hum and one would expect more control over the transitions that what iMovie 08 provides. iMovie 08 feels more like a first generation of a new video editing product than an improvement on iMovie 06 (which was pretty good). I think the idea is to push more people to purchase FCP Express. But the automatic push to youtube and itunes are pretty awesome features. I think one strategic area where apple missed it, is why not have a movie cast rss based feed that I could subscribe to on my computer or through the apple tv?
BTW if people from apple are reading this, if you were to add iChat capability with a iSight Camera to apple tv, I know a lot of parents who would be getting apple tvs for Christmas. But I digress.
Overall, it's a beyotch for apple, but with their products I expect excellence, and iMovie 08 is just good.
My guess is that Apple marketing did some research and found out that people were happy with imovie and not seeing the reason to buy FCP, so Apple stripped this version hoping to turn entry level consumers onto a stronger drug like FCP express or studio.
Apple marketing department-- gotta love them for what they do, but gotta hate them for it too.
The best part of iMovie '08 is the ability to import AVCHD footage. Thats one reason why it requires a G5 or higher. I'm buying iLife '08 just to get the ability to upload AVCHD footage, then I'll take that footage (because it converts it) and drag it over to Final Cut Express. My Panisonic AG-HSC1U would love to finally be used in a proper fashion.
-Joshua Duffy
Hey! Apple gave what they were told (by marketing).
Only so many actually use iMovie.
Those that do, want either less features (iMovie 08 wins!) or want more control (FCE or FCStudio).
The average Mac user wants it simple. They got it!
Why is the export to Final Cut Pro via XML crippled? I tried this at the Apple store and discovered that it basically only sends the clip edits and cross fades in place of all transitions (just like when you import old iMovie projects!) No audio fixes/additions, etc. I was sort of hoping to use iMovie '08 as a catalog/rough assembly tool for Final Cut Pro. I guess it will only be "rough" cuts that make it over there. Seems a waste not to take advantage of that link better.
--Judd