iMovie '08 Rewrite Fully Supports AVCHD & Radically Improves Making Good Movies Fast

[Multimedia]

Wow you have got to watch the video of Steve's presentation today. A little more than half way into it he goes into the all new iMovie '08 which is a total rewrite of the application and has so many new improved features in it I can't explain it all with text.

Steve's particularly high on the $799 Panasonic model that writes 1 hour of High Def AVCHD to 8GB SD Cards. Check it out.

 

[sigamy]

Are you guys serious? Complete removal of the effects engine and themes? Serious limitations on audio tracks and levels? No timeline feature?

This looks like Windows Movie Maker for the Mac. Yuck.

Terrible Update. Five steps backwards. How did we go from iMovie HD, with beautiful motion graphics themes, basic color correction and audio effects to this???

 

[megfilmworks]

It's the support for the advanced HD codec that is exciting. Also audio is usually prepared in other programs like ProTools or Soundstage, GarageBand, etc. and then you layback to picture. Some favorite features may go, but the new ones will soon be favorites.

 

[Multimedia]

Snap Negative Judgement?

Are you guys serious? Complete removal of the effects engine and themes? Serious limitations on audio tracks and levels? No timeline feature?

This looks like Windows Movie Maker for the Mac. Yuck.

Terrible Update. Five steps backwards. How did we go from iMovie HD, with beautiful motion graphics themes, basic color correction and audio effects to this???

Motion graphics themes are still in there. I think the timeline is an optional view as well. You may be making a snap judgement based on incomplete information.

 

[lostless]

Motion graphics themes are still in there. I think the timeline is an optional view as well. You may be making a snap judgement based on incomplete information.

For your info. I just got the new iLife, and every app is very improved except imovie. Imovie has become a joke. There is no timeline view. You cant add black (fade in from black, kinda basic) . cant start music before video. Cant fade audio in and out. NO EFFECTS! NO THEMES. All you can do now is color balance the video. It doesn't even open old projects. Ive made some pretty good videos out of old imovie HD, but this new one would be impossible to do what ive done in Imovie. The possible pro power of Imovie, and I have done 1 professional video with imovie, has been stripped away and thrown out. Its now for beginners only that want to make cutsie home movies. Cheapest way to get many features back is to pay 300 for FCE. At least apples doesn't uninstall Imovie HD when ilife 08 installs.

Now if anyone can proove me wrong. Ill be glad to hear, cause im just not finding anything of old. Especially the effects which i love using. seems to be a sad day for 3rd party effect makers.

 

[Flowbee]

At least apples doesn't uninstall Imovie HD when ilife 08 installs.

So what's your beef? You now have two movie making apps on your Mac.

 

[lostless]

So what's your beef? You now have two movie making apps on your Mac.

Minor beef. but still a beef. If i got my MBP after Ilife 08 came out, ill be out the ability to work on old projects.

 

[SWC]

For your info. I just got the new iLife, and every app is very improved except imovie. Imovie has become a joke. There is no timeline view. You cant add black (fade in from black, kinda basic) . cant start music before video. Cant fade audio in and out. NO EFFECTS! NO THEMES. All you can do now is color balance the video. It doesn't even open old projects. Ive made some pretty good videos out of old imovie HD, but this new one would be impossible to do what ive done in Imovie. The possible pro power of Imovie, and I have done 1 professional video with imovie, has been stripped away and thrown out. Its now for beginners only that want to make cutsie home movies. Cheapest way to get many features back is to pay 300 for FCE. At least apples doesn't uninstall Imovie HD when ilife 08 installs.

Now if anyone can proove me wrong. Ill be glad to hear, cause im just not finding anything of old. Especially the effects which i love using. seems to be a sad day for 3rd party effect makers.

In the demo he inserted black, I beleive it was under transitions.

But in all honesty it seems like they just made a better distinction between imovie and FCE which overlapped quite a bit. Now there is a compelling reason for a lot of people to upgrade. Does this suck for some people? absolutely. I think they shouldve called it something else to make people realize this is a 1.0 app and im sure new stuff will come in the future instead of "stripping features" from an exisint app. Not saying you are wrong just my observations.

EDIT: Looking at it even more this screams iPhoto for video for my workflow. I use iphoto to catalog etc. and aperture/photoshop to edit. I can see this be my catalogging software for home videos and then editing in FCP.

 

[66217]

But in all honesty it seems like they just made a better distinction between imovie and FCE which overlapped quite a bit. Now there is a compelling reason for a lot of people to upgrade.

iMovie and FCE? iMovie HD '07 and FCE 3.5 are SOOOO different.

They are by no means similar. The distinction should be between FCE and FCP, which are VERY similar.

And sometimes iMovie was great to make quick videos with the themes it included. Sometimes you don't need the advanced features of FCE or FCP.
I haven't used the new iMovie, but it would be a shame it is indeed as bad as people are saying it is.

 

[kgarner]

If they removed the timeline and effects features then I am going to be much less impressed. In all honesty, I probably don't need those features for the types of movies that I make in iMovie, but I preferred to work in that environment anyway and seeing it go is a definite minus. Everything else looks really good though. I guess I'll reserve final judgment until I can try it myself.

 

[mrgreen4242]

Good to hear some opinions on this program. I was really impressed with the demo, but maybe it's not all it's cracked up to be. However, I think that it's good they are starting something new with iMovie... aside from adding more themes, widening hardware support, new transitions, etc. there wasn't a lot they could do with the application imo.

The new iMovie looks like a good starting point for something new at least. I suppose we'll see. Also glad to hear that you can have iMovie 07 and 08 installed at the same time without and work-arounds/hacks. iMovie can be a bit on the intense/complex side for doing a quick little home movie, so they both have their purposes I suppose. To bad they didn't do a small update to iMovie '07 (themes, hardware support, etc) and add this as a new application in iLife (iTube or something, since it's big new feature is a video catalog it sort of makes sense).

 

[telecomm]

Hmmm... Might be nicer if it ran on any sort of G4.

 

[MacAficionado]

Timeline in iMovie was not very good anyways. iMovie 08 rocks. Looks good, to make quick movies without much fuss. When I need the timeline, I'll just work with FCE. Love the AVCHD support.

 

[mrgreen4242]

Hmmm... Might be nicer if it ran on any sort of G4.

Eh? The Apple website lists G4 as the minimum requirement... http://www.apple.com/ilife/systemrequirements.html

 

[telecomm]

Eh? The Apple website lists G4 as the minimum requirement... http://www.apple.com/ilife/systemrequirements.html

Yeah... so, did you actually read it? See the second line.

 

[GFLPraxis]

Eh? The Apple website lists G4 as the minimum requirement... http://www.apple.com/ilife/systemrequirements.html

G4 is the min requirement for the iLife package, but iMovie itself requires a single 1.9 GHz G5 or higher.

Even the single 1.8 GHz PowerMac won't run it.

 

[telecomm]

G4 is the min requirement for the iLife package, but iMovie itself requires a single 1.9 GHz G5 or higher.

Even the single 1.8 GHz PowerMac won't run it.

No wonder it "improves making good movies fast."

 

[zioxide]

So now when's FCE4 coming out with AVCHD support?

 

[mrgreen4242]

Yeah... so, did you actually read it? See the second line.

D'oh my bad. I read the min requirements on the store page for iLife (which does mention it, but it's all just jumbled together and a bit harder to see) and linked the other page without reading it since links to the store never work right.

Anyways, sorry about that! Very lame to hear about the lack of G4 support, though!

 

[telecomm]

D'oh my bad. I read the min requirements on the store page for iLife (which does mention it, but it's all just jumbled together and a bit harder to see) and linked the other page without reading it since links to the store never work right.

Anyways, sorry about that! Very lame to hear about the lack of G4 support, though!

No problem, I was disappointed and surprised to hear this myself. I'd be even more frustrated if I had a low spec G5 instead of a nearly 4 year old PowerBook.

 

[mrgreen4242]

No problem, I was disappointed and surprised to hear this myself. I'd be even more frustrated if I had a low spec G5 instead of a nearly 4 year old PowerBook.

Heh. Apple is usually so good about supporting old hardware this really surprises me. After hearing about how dramatic some of the changes are from iMovie 07 to 08 and now the drop of G4 support (and even some G5 machines that aren't that old) I'm really starting to think they should have added it as a new app to iLife. Update the themes and transitions in iMovie, nothing major, just little updates and additions, and then added the new iMovie as being iTube or iVid or something like that... market it as being more like iPhoto for movies (catalog, sort, browse, view, create quick and easy slideshow type movies, etc).

Ah well.

 

[diamond3]

If anyone installs the new iLife on a G4 be sure to let us know. I'm curious as to whether or not it will even open the app. Apple seems to be dropping the idea of supporting older computers and os. For example I don't know how many programs I've come across that are only for 10.4 or higher. I'd hate to find out that my computer can run FCP 5, yet not be able to run imovie 08.

 

[sigamy]

I agree that Apple should have kept iMovie around and added this new app to iLife. iFlicks or something...

I can see the usefulness for newbies and basic home users. I guess I have no problem with creating a new app for that audience. It looks like a great new, efficient, fun, fast way to edit video and create nice 2-5 minute movies...or should I say videos?

But, isn't one of Apple's traits making great and powerful software that is also very easy to use? Software that brings prosumer features and quality down to a consumer level? Isn't that how iMovie has always been viewed?

I do have a problem with going backwards in features/functionality especially in an app that many people use and love.

And yes, we still have iMovie HD. But, most of us heavy iMovie users were looking for more of the same. More themes--I'm so hooked on themes, more effects, more stability and increased performance tuning for the Intel chips. I was really hoping that the new iMovie was going to scream on my C2D iMac. To know that I'm stuck with iMovie HD and no performance gains isn't great news.

Finally, I don't buy the "move up to FCE" argument. FCE is much more FCP than it is iMovie. It is a different animal. iMovie HD gives us some great features in an easy to use tool.

 

[SWC]

iMovie and FCE? iMovie HD '07 and FCE 3.5 are SOOOO different.

They are by no means similar. The distinction should be between FCE and FCP, which are VERY similar.

And sometimes iMovie was great to make quick videos with the themes it included. Sometimes you don't need the advanced features of FCE or FCP.
I haven't used the new iMovie, but it would be a shame it is indeed as bad as people are saying it is.

Yes they were quite a bit different now they are completely different. Instead of going from a similar (in a very simple way) but much less fully featured app you go from a basic app to a light version of "what the big buys use".

I'm sure we will see a few of the features of 06 creep back in but you also have to consider this is a 1.0 app which does have a lot of innovative new features. I still think they should've renamed it or changed the title a bit to help people realize this more as average joe who upgrades won't know this.

Like when premiere went to premiere pro, they started over, most but not all of the features of premiere were there but there was also a lot of new ones and over the last few versions the stuff people missed has come back.

 

[bloodycape]

They should have just added AVCHD support, along with a few new transitions, effects(audio and video) to imovie and call it new. Well Apple could have also added some of the bonuses(what the consensus thinks is a plus) of imovie 08 and the new found speed to the current imovie at least. Real disappointment. At leat for me it is.