iMovie is a proprietary
video editing softwareVideo editing software, is application software which handles the post-production video editing of digital video sequences on a computer non-linear editing systems...
application which allows Mac, iPod Touch 4th generation, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and iPad 2 users to edit their own home movies. It was originally released by Apple in 1999 as a
Mac OS 8Mac OS 8 is an operating system that was released by Apple Computer on July 26, 1997. It represented the largest overhaul of the Mac OS since the release of System 7, some six years previously. It puts more emphasis on color than previous operating systems...
application bundled with the first FireWire-enabled consumer Apple model – iMac DV. Since version 3, iMovie has been a
Mac OS XMac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
only application bundled in the
iLifeiLife is a suite of software applications developed by Apple for organizing, editing, and publishing photos, movies, and music. The suite comprises five applications: iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, and iWeb, all of which run on the Mac OS X operating system....
suite of Macintosh applications.
iMovie imports video footage to the Mac using either the FireWire interface on most MiniDV format digital video cameras, the USB port, or by importing the files from a hard drive. From there, the user can edit the video clips, add titles, and add music. Effects include basic color correction and video enhancement tools, and transitions such as fade-in, fade-out, and slides.
iMovie HD 5
iMovie HD includes support for
HDVHDV is a format for recording of high-definition video on DV cassette tape. The format was originally developed by JVC and supported by Sony, Canon and Sharp...
(720p and 1080i) and integration with the rest of the
iLifeiLife is a suite of software applications developed by Apple for organizing, editing, and publishing photos, movies, and music. The suite comprises five applications: iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, and iWeb, all of which run on the Mac OS X operating system....
suite, with toolbox buttons allowing the importing of images from
iPhotoiPhoto is a digital photograph manipulation software application developed by Apple Inc. and released with every Macintosh personal computer as part of the iLife suite of digital life management applications...
, music from
iTunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
and the setting of chapter markers ready for exporting to
iDVDiDVD is a DVD creation software application made by Apple Inc. for Mac OS X. iDVD allows the user to add QuickTime Movies, MP3 music, and digital photos to a DVD that can then be played on a commercial DVD player. It is often considered the last step of Apple's iLife suite, bringing together all...
.
iMovie HD 5 imports mjpeg files as dv by default, which introduces noise; mjpeg files are cryptically lumped with "isight" files in this version.
Another new feature is the 'Magic iMovie', which attempts to automate the whole process of video editing, by allowing a common transition to be added between scenes, a music track to be synchronised with the video and a
DVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
to be created with the accompanying iDVD software.
iMovie HD 6
iMovie 6 was released in January 2006 as part of the
iLifeiLife is a suite of software applications developed by Apple for organizing, editing, and publishing photos, movies, and music. The suite comprises five applications: iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, and iWeb, all of which run on the Mac OS X operating system....
'06 suite and in iLife '08 as a substitution for iMovie '08 (due to the new version's incompatibility with older Power PC Macintosh computers). It was integrated with
iPhotoiPhoto is a digital photograph manipulation software application developed by Apple Inc. and released with every Macintosh personal computer as part of the iLife suite of digital life management applications...
,
iTunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
,
iDVDiDVD is a DVD creation software application made by Apple Inc. for Mac OS X. iDVD allows the user to add QuickTime Movies, MP3 music, and digital photos to a DVD that can then be played on a commercial DVD player. It is often considered the last step of Apple's iLife suite, bringing together all...
,
GarageBandGarageBand is a software application for Mac OS X and iOS that allows users to create music or podcasts. It is developed by Apple Inc. as a part of the iLife software package on Mac OS X.-Audio recording:...
and
iWebiWeb was a template-based website creation tool developed by Apple Inc. The first version of iWeb was announced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 10, 2006 as part of the iLife '06 suite of digital lifestyle applications...
. iMovie 06 included new themes and was designed for ease of use, themes allow the user to drop movie clips or photos into professionally-designed backdrops. Each theme included full-motion graphic bumpers and transitions. iMovie 06 also contained Real-time effects which took advantage of the computer's graphic processing unit to perform some effects without rendering. iMovie 06 also contained Real-time titling, Enhanced audio tools and effects, Multiple open projects, Video podcasts and blogs (using integration with iWeb) and Refined look based on iTunes 5 and 6.
iMovie '08
iMovie '08 (Version 7.0) was released in August 2007 as a part of the iLife '08 suite. iMovie '08 was a complete redesign and rewrite of iMovie. It had much better HD output, and more formats to convert to. This was limited however by an undocumented restriction on supported codecs.
iPhotoiPhoto is a digital photograph manipulation software application developed by Apple Inc. and released with every Macintosh personal computer as part of the iLife suite of digital life management applications...
uses the QuickTime library and can create thumbnails for all
QuickTimeQuickTime is an extensible proprietary multimedia framework developed by Apple Inc., capable of handling various formats of digital video, picture, sound, panoramic images, and interactivity. The classic version of QuickTime is available for Windows XP and later, as well as Mac OS X Leopard and...
supported formats, but most of these cannot be used by iMovie '08. Indeed, even some of the very few formats that iMovie '08 is able to import will not be recognized when they are added to an iPhoto library. Though Motion JPEG encoded AVI files do appear to be recognized, this was the most common format used by digital cameras. The tile based editing interface was also promoted as something unique and groundbreaking, even though it is functionally identical to the interface of the Toaster Flyer non-linear digital editing systems released for Amiga computers by NewTek, Inc. in 1993. A new feature called
skimming for quickly previewing video in the library at a user controlled speed was used, and so was a feature that allows one to highlight parts of video clips just like highlighting text. iMovie 08 also had the ability to add more than two layers of background sound, including multiple music, narration and sound effects; previous versions only had two spare audio tracks. It included more exportation formats with support for iPhone size video and many other sizes and supported non-tape based HD such as DVD camcorders HDD camcorders, &
AVCHDAVCHD is a file-based format for the digital recording and playback of high-definition video....
. iMovie 08 also has the ability to export movies to
YoutubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
According to Apple's
system requirements iMovie '08 requires at least a PowerPC G5 1.9 GHz or an Intel Processor. G4s are not supported, though Apple sold its last G4-based Computers (iBook G4) 14 months before the release of iLife '08. However, a system hack enables iMovie 7.1 or higher to run on a PowerPC G4.
Criticism of iMovie '08
iMovie 08 was criticized due to a drastic abandonment of some iMovie HD 6 features. New York Times reviewer
David PogueDavid Welch Pogue is an American technology writer, technology columnist and commentator. He is a personal technology columnist for the New York Times, an Emmy-winning tech correspondent for CBS News Sunday Morning, weekly tech correspondent for CNBC, and a columnist for Scientific American...
said "iMovie ‘08 is an utter bafflement... incapable of the more sophisticated editing that the old iMovie made so enjoyable...All visual effects are gone—even basic options like slow motion, reverse motion, fast motion, and black-and-white. And you can’t have more than one project open at a time."
Features removed included the classic timeline, the ability to create DVD chapter markers, support for plugins, and in-timeline audio adjustment and control. Most surprisingly, iMovie '08 imports a much more limited set of video codecs and metadata formats than previous versions of iMovie or today's QuickTime Player. For example, QuickTime Player can be extended to support the FLIP Video 3ivx MPEG-4 codec, but iMovie cannot. Limited import formats also excludes the DV format for storing raw format. As a result, all resulting videos have lossy compression applied and there is no facility for managing full format video. The peculiar lack of QuickTime support means QuickTime Pro can edit a far larger range of video than iMovie '08.
Apple released iMovie HD 6 as a free download to those who had purchased iMovie '08. However, in response to the release of the subsequent newer version of iMovie '09, Apple removed that official iMovie HD 6 download in late January 2009 while Apple also reduced the price tag for
Final Cut ExpressFinal Cut Express is a discontinued video editing software created by Apple Inc. It is the consumer version of Final Cut Pro and is designed for advanced editing of digital video as well as high-definition video, which is used by many amateur and professional videographers...
. Several of the features removed from iMovie '08 that were previously in iMovie HD 6 have been restored into iMovie '09 and more recently iMovie '11.
iMovie '09
iMovie '09 (Version 8.0) was released January 2009 as part of the iLife '09 package. It introduced some new features and restored some features from previous versions of iMovie, including basic video effects (such as fast/slow motion and aged film) and image stabilization as well as travel map functions for marking locations where a video was shot. iMovie '09 also introduced simple implementations of more advanced features such as picture-in-picture and greenscreening. It also improved editing (with a precision cut editor and a clip trimmer), improved support for hard drive based cameras (such as the Flip Mino), added some new titles and transitions, and added full iDVD support which was unavailable in iMovie '08. It now has Full-Screen Library Browser via which you can find and examine all your video in one place. However, it is still lacking in several of the effects that iMovie HD 6 had, leaving out simple effects such as "lightning". Like iMovie '08 it is not supported on PowerPC G4 computers, although hacks are again available that will allow it to run on any G4 provided that it has a Core Image-capable video card.
iMovie '11
iMovie '11 (Version 9.0) was released on October 20, 2010 as part of the
iLife '11iLife is a suite of software applications developed by Apple for organizing, editing, and publishing photos, movies, and music. The suite comprises five applications: iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, and iWeb, all of which run on the Mac OS X operating system....
package. It has the ability to make trailers for home movies, more control over audio, instant replays, flash and hold, facial recognition, news themes, and the ability to watch the video on a Mac, iPad, iPhone/iPod touch, Apple TV, Facebook and YouTube. It now supports the
AVCHDAVCHD is a file-based format for the digital recording and playback of high-definition video....
Lite format.
Apple worked with
Abbey Road StudiosAbbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
in London, England to bring original music/film scores to iMovie '11. Most notable is the music used in the "trailers" feature provided by the software.
iMovie for iOS
On June 7, 2010, Steve Jobs announced in the WWDC keynote that the upcoming
iPhone 4The iPhone 4 is a touchscreen slate smartphone developed by Apple Inc. It is the fourth generation iPhone, and successor to the iPhone 3GS. It is particularly marketed for video calling , consumption of media such as books and periodicals, movies, music, and games, and for general web and e-mail...
would support an iOS-native version of iMovie that supports many of the basic features which are available in the Mac OS X version of the software. The App may be obtained by downloading it from the App Store for iMovie for iPhone was available June 24, 2010 to coincide with the launch of the
iPhone 4The iPhone 4 is a touchscreen slate smartphone developed by Apple Inc. It is the fourth generation iPhone, and successor to the iPhone 3GS. It is particularly marketed for video calling , consumption of media such as books and periodicals, movies, music, and games, and for general web and e-mail...
. On September 1, 2010, iMovie was made compatible with the 4th generation
iPod TouchThe iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...
. iMovie was made available with the release of
iPad 2The iPad 2 is the second and current generation of the iPad, a tablet computer designed, developed and marketed by Apple. It serves primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, presentations and web content, and is available in black or white...
, announced on March 2, 2011 during Apple's held media event at the
Yerba Buena Center for the ArtsYerba Buena Center for the Arts is a multi-disiplinary contemporary arts center in San Francisco, California, United States. Located in Yerba Buena Gardens, YBCA features visual art, performance, and film/video that celebrates local, national, and international artists and the Bay Area's diverse...
in San Francisco. The new version was released on March 10, 2011.
Version history
| Version |
Release date |
Availability |
System |
Notes |
| iMovie |
October 5, 1999 |
Bundled with iMac DV, later issued as a free download. |
Mac OS 8.6 and OS 9 |
|
| iMovie 2 |
July 19, 2000 |
Bundled with FireWire-enabled Macs, also a separate purchase and later bundled as part of Mac OS X. |
Mac OS 9 and OS X |
Added new sound effects (including some from Skywalker Sound), but removed older ones; also removed the Water Ripple effect. |
| iMovie 3 |
January 7, 2003 |
Bundled with all new Macs, also a separate purchase (iLife), later as a free download. |
Mac OS X |
Bundled as part of iLife. |
| iMovie 4 |
January 6, 2004 |
Bundled with all new Macs, also a separate purchase (iLife '04). |
Mac OS X |
Bundled as part of the iLife '04 package. |
| iMovie HD 5 |
January 6, 2005 |
Bundled with all new Macs, also a separate purchase (iLife '05). |
Mac OS X |
Bundled as part of the iLife '05 package. |
| iMovie HD 6 |
January 10, 2006 |
Bundled with all new Macs and separate purchase (iLife '06), later as free download for owners of iLife '08. |
Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther), Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger), Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) |
Bundled as part of the iLife '06 package. |
| iMovie '08 |
August 7, 2007 |
Bundled with all new Macs and for separate purchase (iLife '08). |
Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and 10.5 (Leopard). |
Bundled as part of the iLife '08 package. Redesigned. |
| iMovie '09 |
January 27, 2009 |
Bundled with all new Macs and for separate purchase (iLife '09). |
Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) |
Bundled as part of the iLife '09 package. |
| iMovie for iPhone and iPod Touch |
June 24, 2010 |
Available to purchase in the Apple App Store. |
iOS 4 and iOS 5 |
|
| iMovie '11 |
October 20, 2010 |
Bundled with all new Macs sold on or after October 20, 2010 or for separate purchase in iLifeiLife is a suite of software applications developed by Apple for organizing, editing, and publishing photos, movies, and music. The suite comprises five applications: iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, and iWeb, all of which run on the Mac OS X operating system....
'11. |
Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6.3 and later) |
Bundled as part of the iLifeiLife is a suite of software applications developed by Apple for organizing, editing, and publishing photos, movies, and music. The suite comprises five applications: iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, and iWeb, all of which run on the Mac OS X operating system....
'11 package. Also available for purchase in the Mac App StoreThe Mac App Store is a digital distribution platform for Mac OS X applications developed by Apple Inc.. The platform was announced on October 20, 2010 at Apple's "Back to the Mac" event. Apple began accepting app submissions from registered developers on November 3, 2010 in preparation for its launch...
. |
| iMovie for iPad |
March 10, 2011 |
Available to purchase in the iOS App Store. |
iOS 4.3 and iOS 5 |
|
External links