Apple to release iMovie 3.5?

MacRumors · Dec 8, 2003, 12:05 PM

ThinkSecret reports that Apple is wrapping up development on what appears to be iMovie 3.5.

ThinkSecret is unable to provide details as to specific improvements found in the upcoming iMovie revision, but speculates it may be released at MacWorld San Francisco 2004.

The last major revision to Apple's consumer DV editing application came at MacWorld San Francisco 2003 with the release of iMovie 3.0.

Doctor Q · Dec 8, 2003, 12:21 PM

If there are no details about the changes in iMovie, I guess it's up to us to speculate. Apple could easily add features beyond previous versions, but it has to maintain the distinction between iMovie and the "prosumer" Final Cut Express and Final Cut Pro, so Apple's motto should not be "the sky's the limit" for iMovie. Apple should add features to keep iMovie up to date and "best of breed", while resisting the temptation to add features that will complicate the interface and reduce ease of use for the majority of users.

So what features do we WANT to see?

jMc · Dec 8, 2003, 12:24 PM

This is also just a point release (admittedly a .5), so I'd expect nothing more than speed improvements and interface tweaking...

jx

johnnyjibbs · Dec 8, 2003, 12:26 PM

It would be nice for it to be a little faster. In comparison to Final Cut Express it's pretty slow on my machine, but then I do only have 256MB RAM (FCE is fine though, and you're supposed to have >384!)

liloconf · Dec 8, 2003, 12:29 PM

i'd rather have a final cut express 1.5 but hey thats cool, i like ken and his effects

Swinny · Dec 8, 2003, 12:32 PM

This is good news...would be nice to see iMovie getting a bit of a push on its own like the other iLife Apps have in recent times - seems to have become the poor relative of the 4...If they can match at least some of the functionality of Avid's Free DV then that'd be cool!

-----------------------------------
Webmaster // www.iMovie-user.com
The only iMovie resource.

crawdad62 · Dec 8, 2003, 12:33 PM

I certainly hope so. iMovie3 when it was released was buggy as heck. They (Apple) have kind of put it on the back burner with the release of FCE. While FCE is certainly much cheaper than FCP it's learning curve is fairly steep and more than most people need for putting together a home movie. iMovie fits the bill quite nicely.

Bandit · Dec 8, 2003, 12:36 PM

Maybe we will see an entire ilife update on MWSF. It seems like iPhoto is about due for an update. I'd be happy with an updated iLife aat MWSF and nothing else. I don't have the money to buy any new hardware announcements.

SeaFox · Dec 8, 2003, 12:47 PM

Sounds like it's going to be a real movie-oriented Macworld SF. Final Cut Pro being a major topic and now this.

...and NO everyone, that does not mean video iPods.

milatchi · Dec 8, 2003, 12:53 PM

It's about time because iMovie 3 is a P.O.S. Oh Well, good thing I use Fianl Cut Express.

ITR 81 · Dec 8, 2003, 12:57 PM

Hmm looks like my new iLife update predication is now coming true.

entropy1980 · Dec 8, 2003, 01:01 PM

Doubt it would happen but.... I would love it if they would add a feature like Muvee Auto-Producer...http://www.muvee.com/
If you haven't heard of it, it's a pretty sweet piece of windows software I wish they had a mac version, Windows crappy built-in Movie editor even has a similar feature that takes raw footage and "magically" cuts out junk and matches the tempo of the music... pretty neat that's my wish for iMovie 3.5

Gymnut · Dec 8, 2003, 01:01 PM

Well I use FCP 3 but considering I started using iMovie and then eventually outgrew it, any updates to this fantastic beginner editor is good news.

MCCFR · Dec 8, 2003, 01:07 PM

G5-savvy and designed for a 970FX iMac announced at MWSF to mark the 20th anniversary of the original Mac.

All the signs point to this, you mark my words.

Trowaman · Dec 8, 2003, 01:09 PM

Agreed, I use FCP 3 as well, but let's give the newbies some more stuff to work with. I think people in iMovie should finally get the ability to use infinate video and audio tracks. We gave them audio pen points in iMovie 3.0.

Enjoy your new toys

andyeah, let's update the entire iLife.

lewdvig · Dec 8, 2003, 01:31 PM

Hopefully they get some of the annoying audio sync issues fixed. I have read all the tips on the subject, but I still find that anything over 40 minutes loses sync whther its output to tape or DVD. Argh!

I have FCE now, so hopefully I can try a few of the audio track tricks I have read.

JoeRadar · Dec 8, 2003, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SeaFox
...and NO everyone, that does not mean video iPods.

It is called an iBook.

Seriously, I would like to see a sub-12" iBook with a low power G3-based chip. The goal: small, good battery life, email & web. Maybe call it the iTraveler. Add iTunes and ripped DVDs, and you have an iPod-like that does video.

sethypoo · Dec 8, 2003, 01:53 PM

An update for iLife would be awesome. iPhoto needs help, it's due for an update.

I'd like to see some tutorials for switching from iMovie to FCP or FCE built into iMovie, that would help a lot of comsumer users switch (eventually) over to the pro line.

memphismac · Dec 8, 2003, 02:24 PM

Potentially stupid question:

I just ordered Panther (upgrading my 400mhz DVSE iMac).

If upgrades come in January, will I be able to upgrade the iLife apps that I'll be getting in Panther? Say I get iMovie 3 in Panther, will I able to up it to iMovie 4?

(can you tell that I've been behind the iLife/OSX revolution?)

Brian

mkaake · Dec 8, 2003, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by memphismac
Potentially stupid question:

I just ordered Panther (upgrading my 400mhz DVSE iMac).

If upgrades come in January, will I be able to upgrade the iLife apps that I'll be getting in Panther? Say I get iMovie 3 in Panther, will I able to up it to iMovie 4?

(can you tell that I've been behind the iLife/OSX revolution?)

Brian

yeah, the iapps are free for download (kind of... if you don't have a superdrive on your mac, there't no idvd in your future, but other than that)... so upgrading them is always free...

matt

javabear90 · Dec 8, 2003, 05:47 PM

Somtime awhile ago, I heard somthing about Steve having some intresting things up their sleeves involving iLife. I wonder if these things could be released at MWSF. that would be cool

Da Tedsta

zaphoyd · Dec 8, 2003, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by milatchi
It's about time because iMovie 3 is a P.O.S. Oh Well, good thing I use Fianl Cut Express.

Amen

FCE is fast, non buggy, and a joy to use.

iMovie may be easy, but it's performance is so bad that it frustrates the people who it is designed for. I have used it on a dual 2.0Ghz G5 with 2GB of ram. It is still unbelievably sluggish and annoying. The window mode introduced in version 3 I think has something to do with it. 2.1 was a full screen app and seemed to hog the processor and actually work. 3.x went to window mode and performance dropped off a cliff. How can FCE be soooo fast, and iMovie sooooo slow?

Once I needed to use imovie's fairy dust effect [one of iMovie's high points is it's great effects, and all the effects avaliable via third parties] getting a clip into imovie, applying the fairy dust in the right place, then exporting it back to FCE was almost an all day task.

One thing I would like to see in a new iMovie is the ability to play your iMovies back on a TV. This feature was present in 2.x and to an extent in 3.0.0, but apple promptly killed it with 3.0.1.

[rant about Apple's stupidity with the above tv issue, feel free to skip]
In 2.x you could plug a TV into your mac's video out port, mirror the display and press the full screen preview button, thus playing the movie on the tv. No need go buy a DVD burner or waste a dvd on it. In 3.0.0 you couldnt launch the program on a mac whos resolution was less than 1024x768 [now my ibook is effectively locked out of iMovie BOO ONTO YOU APPLE] however, Apple in it's infinite wisdom forgot one little thing. The most common TV resolution is 800x600. 3.0.0 let you change your resolution back to 800x600 after you launched it [letting you go into tv mirror and play full screen] 3.0.1 pops up a cute little box that says [HI THIS IS APPLE, ENOUGH FULL SCREEN FUN, WE ARE GOING TO SCREW YOU OVER NOW HAAHAHHAHAHA] when you try to change the screen resolution, then proceeds to force quit the app without a chance to save.
[/rant]

so yeah, my iMovie wish list:

Make it fast enough so I can show it to pc people and have them actually be impressed.
Fix full screen output to tv
higher quality ken burns effects
better titling support. like let you have two titles that are the same size on the screen at once... [is it *that* hard]
a box that warns you when you try to capture video to a device that is not fast enough [laptop hard drive].
a feature that tells you when its about to unexpectantly quit, so you can save your work before it does.

iMovie is pretty decent feature wise, it is free, but free is no excuse for crappy buggy performance.

Oh, and my FCE wishlist:

scroll wheel support for the browser, please please please please

thats it, FCE is great!

johnnyjibbs · Dec 8, 2003, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by zaphoyd
FCE is fast, non buggy, and a joy to use.

iMovie is pretty decent feature wise, it is free, but free is no excuse for crappy buggy performance.

Agreed. With FCE so good there is no reason for iMovie to be so bad.

Quote:

Oh, and my FCE wishlist:
scroll wheel support for the browser, please please please please

thats it, FCE is great!

Yes! I could do with AAC support as well but I found that MP3s played in dire quality (skipping all the time) so now I have to use AIFFs (better quality anyway) for music.

legion · Dec 8, 2003, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by liloconf
i'd rather have a final cut express 1.5 but hey thats cool, i like ken and his effects

At some level, I've always thought that the "Ken Burns" Effect should really be an effect/process that turns a 5 minute storyline into a 20hr multivolume documentary....

Macco · Dec 8, 2003, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mkaake
yeah, the iapps are free for download (kind of... if you don't have a superdrive on your mac, there't no idvd in your future, but other than that)... so upgrading them is always free...

matt

Actually, not quite. You can only upgrade iDVD by buying the iLife box. iDVD is over a gigabyte in size, so even if Apple wanted to make it free, people wouldn't be able to download it.

Dec 8, 2003, 12:05 PM	#1
MacRumors macrumors bot Join Date: Apr 2001	Apple to release iMovie 3.5? ThinkSecret reports that Apple is wrapping up development on what appears to be iMovie 3.5. ThinkSecret is unable to provide details as to specific improvements found in the upcoming iMovie revision, but speculates it may be released at MacWorld San Francisco 2004. The last major revision to Apple's consumer DV editing application came at MacWorld San Francisco 2003 with the release of iMovie 3.0.

Dec 8, 2003, 12:21 PM	#2
Doctor Q macrumors god Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: at the table with countless relatives	If there are no details about the changes in iMovie, I guess it's up to us to speculate. Apple could easily add features beyond previous versions, but it has to maintain the distinction between iMovie and the "prosumer" Final Cut Express and Final Cut Pro, so Apple's motto should not be "the sky's the limit" for iMovie. Apple should add features to keep iMovie up to date and "best of breed", while resisting the temptation to add features that will complicate the interface and reduce ease of use for the majority of users. So what features do we WANT to see? __________________ "You've just been abducted, of course you need crepes!" -- Walter Bishop

Dec 8, 2003, 12:24 PM	#3
jMc macrumors 6502 Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: London N8, Late-16th Century	This is also just a point release (admittedly a .5), so I'd expect nothing more than speed improvements and interface tweaking... jx __________________ Bed and Breakfast in Rye, East Sussex?

Dec 8, 2003, 12:26 PM	#4
johnnyjibbs macrumors 68030 Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: London, UK	It would be nice for it to be a little faster. In comparison to Final Cut Express it's pretty slow on my machine, but then I do only have 256MB RAM (FCE is fine though, and you're supposed to have >384!) __________________ johngriffithsapps.com - Get It Done! \| Grocery Checkout 15" MBP, iPhone 3G, 12" PB, iPod 4G, iPod shuffle

Dec 8, 2003, 12:29 PM	#5
liloconf macrumors newbie Join Date: Sep 2002	hmm... i'd rather have a final cut express 1.5 but hey thats cool, i like ken and his effects

Dec 8, 2003, 12:32 PM	#6
Swinny macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Oxford, UK	This is good news...would be nice to see iMovie getting a bit of a push on its own like the other iLife Apps have in recent times - seems to have become the poor relative of the 4...If they can match at least some of the functionality of Avid's Free DV then that'd be cool! ----------------------------------- Webmaster // www.iMovie-user.com The only iMovie resource.

Dec 8, 2003, 12:33 PM	#7
crawdad62 macrumors member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Greencastle, IN	I certainly hope so. iMovie3 when it was released was buggy as heck. They (Apple) have kind of put it on the back burner with the release of FCE. While FCE is certainly much cheaper than FCP it's learning curve is fairly steep and more than most people need for putting together a home movie. iMovie fits the bill quite nicely.

Dec 8, 2003, 12:36 PM	#8
Bandit macrumors member Join Date: Dec 2001	iLife Update Maybe we will see an entire ilife update on MWSF. It seems like iPhoto is about due for an update. I'd be happy with an updated iLife aat MWSF and nothing else. I don't have the money to buy any new hardware announcements.

Dec 8, 2003, 12:47 PM	#9
SeaFox macrumors 65816 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Somewhere Else	Sounds like it's going to be a real movie-oriented Macworld SF. Final Cut Pro being a major topic and now this. ...and NO everyone, that does not mean video iPods. __________________ "In the room was the last person on Earth. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door..."

Dec 8, 2003, 12:53 PM	#10
milatchi macrumors regular Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: U.S.A.	It's about time because iMovie 3 is a P.O.S. Oh Well, good thing I use Fianl Cut Express. __________________ "Waffle King, it's cheaper than the Huddle House and cleaner than the Huddle Whore." --milatchi

Dec 8, 2003, 12:57 PM	#11
ITR 81 macrumors 65816 Join Date: Oct 2003	Hmm looks like my new iLife update predication is now coming true.

Dec 8, 2003, 01:01 PM	#12
entropy1980 macrumors regular Join Date: May 2003 Location: Canyon Country, CA	Doubt it would happen but.... I would love it if they would add a feature like Muvee Auto-Producer...http://www.muvee.com/ If you haven't heard of it, it's a pretty sweet piece of windows software I wish they had a mac version, Windows crappy built-in Movie editor even has a similar feature that takes raw footage and "magically" cuts out junk and matches the tempo of the music... pretty neat that's my wish for iMovie 3.5

Dec 8, 2003, 01:01 PM	#13
Gymnut macrumors 68000 Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Hawaii	Well I use FCP 3 but considering I started using iMovie and then eventually outgrew it, any updates to this fantastic beginner editor is good news.

Dec 8, 2003, 01:07 PM	#14
MCCFR macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Guildford, Surrey, UK	G5-savvy and designed for a 970FX iMac announced at MWSF to mark the 20th anniversary of the original Mac. All the signs point to this, you mark my words.

Dec 8, 2003, 01:09 PM	#15
Trowaman macrumors 6502a Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: CD: TX-22	Agreed, I use FCP 3 as well, but let's give the newbies some more stuff to work with. I think people in iMovie should finally get the ability to use infinate video and audio tracks. We gave them audio pen points in iMovie 3.0. Enjoy your new toys andyeah, let's update the entire iLife.

Dec 8, 2003, 01:31 PM	#16
lewdvig macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: South Pole	Hopefully they get some of the annoying audio sync issues fixed. I have read all the tips on the subject, but I still find that anything over 40 minutes loses sync whther its output to tape or DVD. Argh! I have FCE now, so hopefully I can try a few of the audio track tricks I have read. __________________ Zealot without a cause. 2.66 MBP, 2.4 iMac

Dec 8, 2003, 01:53 PM	#18
sethypoo macrumors 68000 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Sacramento, CA, USA	An update for iLife would be awesome. iPhoto needs help, it's due for an update. I'd like to see some tutorials for switching from iMovie to FCP or FCE built into iMovie, that would help a lot of comsumer users switch (eventually) over to the pro line. __________________ Weeeeeee!

Dec 8, 2003, 02:24 PM	#19
memphismac macrumors member Join Date: Oct 2003	Potentially stupid question: I just ordered Panther (upgrading my 400mhz DVSE iMac). If upgrades come in January, will I be able to upgrade the iLife apps that I'll be getting in Panther? Say I get iMovie 3 in Panther, will I able to up it to iMovie 4? (can you tell that I've been behind the iLife/OSX revolution?) Brian

Dec 8, 2003, 05:47 PM	#21
javabear90 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Houston, TX	Does apple have things up their sleeve's? Somtime awhile ago, I heard somthing about Steve having some intresting things up their sleeves involving iLife. I wonder if these things could be released at MWSF. that would be cool Da Tedsta

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