Imovie11
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iLife '11 Software Updates: GarageBand, iMovie
iLife '11 users -- fire up Software Update, as updates to GarageBand and iMovie have just appeared. The GarageBand update to version 6.0.1 weighs in at 42.7 MB in size, improves stability and: Fixes an issue related to undoing Flex Time edits Removes occasional latency that can occur on guitar tracks Restores ability to use the Quantize Note Timing menu for tracks with Groove Matching The iMovie 9.0.1 update (28.5 MB) improves stability and: Fixes an issue where stabilization would not be applied correctly to some video clips from iPhone and iPod touch Fixes an issue that prevented use of some valid Facebook passwords that contained non-alphanumeric characters Improves compatibility with some cameras that create content in multiple formats Improves performance when scrolling the Project Library [Pay no attention to that iPhoto 9.1.1 update in the screenshot... unless your Mac has been on vacation since December 21, you probably already have it!]
iMovie '11: The TUAW review
One of the more widely-used members of the iLife suite, iMovie, has been around for quite a while, although the original iMovie hit a dead end with iMovie HD 6 and was reborn as a completely new app as iMovie '08. It's now in version 9.0 as part of iLife '11, and this edition has both new features and a bit of added polish across the entire product. In this hands-on review of iMovie '11, I won't be pointing out every menu item or movie-making feature; instead I'll focus on the new capabilities. I've been dabbling with video production since I was in high school (yes, television did exist back then). The tools available for editing video have come a long way in that time, but for the most part they've still been rather difficult to master. iMovie '11 introduces some new tools that make it easy for just about anyone to take advantage of expert-level effects that would have been difficult or impossible for novices to achieve before. Read on to hear about some of those tools and how they work.
Timeline tweak returns iMovie '11 to old school
iMovie '11 makes it easy to regain the traditional horizontal timeline that was lost with iMovie '06, to the delight of many. When Apple released iMovie '08 in August of 2007, many users were upset by the decision to move the timeline from the bottom of the app's window to the upper left-hand corner. The outcry was so loud that Apple made iMovie '06 available for download. Now, version '11 lets you put a vertical timeline back in place. As TidBITS explains, it's a simple as swapping the Events and Projects browsers. Yes, you can make that swap in iMovie '08 and '09, but this is the first time it will result in a horizontal timeline.
iMovie blocks studio names in new trailers
Perhaps its testament to the quality of the iMovie '11 trailers that Apple is blocking the use of big name studios in the titles. Ironic since Apple provides templates that ape the Paramount snow-capped mountain (pictured after the break) and familiar Universal Studios globe. Just don't try to enter those studio names into the title sequence -- the words "Paramount" and "Universal" will be replaced with hyphens. We suspect other studios are affected as well. Hard to say if this is Apple's doing or the studios as both are notoriously controlling. We'd laugh if only we could stop crying.
iMovie '11 Trailers feature won't let you spoof Universal trailers
Loyal tipster Tarik sent word that the iMovie '11 Trailers theme using a globe (very similar to the Universal Studios opener) won't allow you to use the word "Universal" in the title. He's currently testing other themes for similar censors, but it looks like Apple didn't want people spoofing Universal Studios trailers. Because I'm sure "Me and my dog go to the beach" could easily be confused with "Marley and Me,"* right? As you can see in the picture, Tarik tried to input Universal for the "studio name" field. iMovie detected this, and substituted the hyphens. Further, he reports you're able to use the string 'Universal' in other themes, just not in this one. Was this accommodation reached directly with Universal, perhaps to prevent any derailing of Universal's deal for distribution on iTunes and Apple TV? I doubt we'll ever know. Let us know in the comments if you find more examples of this. UPDATE: iMovie '11 won't let you write in the text string "Paramount" without the adding the hyphenations either. Image on the next page. *Yeah, I know "Marley and Me" is a 20th Century Fox production.
iMovie '11 features audio editing overhaul, movie trailer creation
Steve Jobs said that the top feature request for iMovie was an overhaul of the audio editing. This is the highlight of the just-announced iMovie as part of iLife '11, with a new audio editing panel with the ability to add effects. Other features include: One-step effects with the ability to add several complex effects in one step. A people finder to isolate clips with certain people in it. This uses the face-detecting technology currently found in iPhoto. News and sports themes The ability to construct movie trailers which has some fantastic effects, logo and the ability to showcase your family and friends in your latest action-packed flick.
Apple announces iLife '11, $49 upgrade or free with every new Mac, available today
There you have it. Shockingly enough, iMovie, iPhoto, and GarageBand have all been modernized sufficiently to merit having their names appended with '11. iPhoto '11 is taking the early demo lead in the live event, with hot new slideshow themes. Gee, Steve, you're building it up nice and slow, huh? There are added Facebook and email sharing enhancements and new full screen modes that make it look a lot like ... an iPad app. %Gallery-105511% iMovie '11 will freshen up the audio editing options (finally!) and add "one step effects," a People Finder that identifies individuals in movie clips, and an apparently effortless movie trailer maker. Intriguing. The audio tweaks include per-segment sound levels adjustments as well as easy fade sliders, there are also additional new audio effects for people to play around with. 24fps video editing and output is now supported, allowing you to export more film-like trailers using the templates thrown into this new software. Good news on the upload front too, as direct sharing to Facebook and Vimeo has also been added.%Gallery-105516% Apple is adding FlexTime, Groove Matching, more guitar and amp effects, new piano and guitar lessons, and finally a "How Did I Play" feature to GarageBand '11. Groove Matching can be summarized with a quote from the Cupertino crew's Xander Soren: "it's like an automatic spellchecker for bad rhythm." As to "How Did I Play," that's a mixture of post-play analysis and a Rock Band-like live note monitor, which highlights in green the notes you strike correctly or in red the ones you miss. It works with both the guitar and piano.%Gallery-105523% iLife '11 is available today, as a free extra on new Macs or as a $49 upgrade on differently new Apple machines. Full press release is now embedded after the break.
Apple.com reveals iLife upgrade, reaffirms MacBook Air refresh
Ah, it's good to see Apple can leak its announcements ahead of time just like the rest of the world. Overzealous forum mods on Apple's own site have been setting up Discussions sections for products to be announced at today's Back to the Mac event a little early, which has inevitably been picked up by some sleuthing souls over in Poland. A little bit of URL manipulation has revealed separate forums for a new iMovie '11, iPhoto '11, and GarageBand '11, all three of which are core components of the iLife suite, leading us to go ahead and presume that Steve Jobs will be discussing an iLife '11 later today. There's also confirmation of the new MacBook Air with an "MBA (Need official name)" forum emerging, alongside a mysterious "Reserved 20 10" destination. [Thanks, MM]
