[moonmonkey]

I just watched the demo of iMovie 08 and checked out the Apple site.
Correct me if i'm wrong, but have Apple removed all the templates and effects (I know they were terrible) you can apply to the movies? also it looks like you have less control when syncing movies to audio.

You used to be able to switch from a simplified "clips" view to a more detailed "thumbnail" view but it doesn't look like you can do this either?

It all looks a bit simpler than before but have they stripped out features in the process?

Can someone confirm?

[BRussell]

Yup, I can confirm. A lot of functionality is gone.

[lpkmckenna]

Apparently, installing iLife'08 will keep iMovie'06 on your computer, not over-writing it.

[analogika]

Is it true? No timeline view?

[Meritocracy]

Originally Posted by analogika 

Is it true? No timeline view?

Sad, but most definitely true.

[moonmonkey]

eeks, its going to be very hard to sync video to audio if you can't see the waveform of the audio.

I can see why they did this, but some of the templates that shipped with 06 were fantastic, and you could zoom into the timeline and do some very closeup stuff.

This may take some adjusting to!

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally Posted by Meritocracy 

Sad, but most definitely true.

WTF? How can you edit video without syncing to audio and having a frame-accurate timeline-view of your video? Has iMovie really been reduced to just a video toy?

[nate_02]

if you do THAT much video editing, maybe it's time to consider to Final Cut Express.

[Eriamjh]

Originally Posted by nate_02 

if you do THAT much video editing, maybe it's time to consider to Final Cut Express.

Bullshit. There's nothing wrong with a consumer app being reasonably powerful. Maybe if FCE was $100...

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by nate_02 

if you do THAT much video editing, maybe it's time to consider to Final Cut Express.

Yeah, I should really have to pay $300 to make a stupid home movie when there's an app included on the computer for that express purpose.

[squeeks]

there's no export to DVD option either

[bluedog]

OK, its a little worse than that for using the new iMovie. You can't import your older iMovie files intact either if you've used extra soundtracks,etc. It brings in the proper video clips but not the audio files in my preliminary testing.

You DO have the older version to fallback on if it was installed (it gets moved into a folder).

[squeeks]

too bad they didnt do the same thing for idvd 06 becuase idvd 08 DOSENT OPEN

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally Posted by nate_02 

if you do THAT much video editing, maybe it's time to consider to Final Cut Express.

I am a pro editor who uses Final Cut Studio 2.

However my Fiancé uses iMovie all the time to edit video. She's been using the templates to great effect, and also uses the timeline for accurate and rhythmical editing. The current non-timeline way of editing in iMovie is useless for anything other than toying around, and it doesn't look like the new iMovie improves THAT much on the toy-view, while also removing the timeline view. Is this supposed to be an upgrade or what?

[Eug]

This is rather disturbing. The descriptions above make it sound like they tarted up Windows Movie Maker.

Can you install iLife '06 on the new iMacs?

P.S. Does iMovie '08 even install on G4s? Apparently the specs say a fast G5 or better is required.

[Art Vandelay]

iLife '08 users can download iMovie HD 6 from Apple.

Apple - Support - Downloads - iMovie HD 6

[moonmonkey]

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - 

I am a pro editor who uses Final Cut Studio 2.

However my Fiancé uses iMovie all the time to edit video. She's been using the templates to great effect, and also uses the timeline for accurate and rhythmical editing. The current non-timeline way of editing in iMovie is useless for anything other than toying around, and it doesn't look like the new iMovie improves THAT much on the toy-view, while also removing the timeline view. Is this supposed to be an upgrade or what?

same for me, explaining this "upgrade" to my wife is going to be tough, all she does is sync clips to music!

[OwlBoy]

I was so excited by the new look and feel of iMovie, until I used it…

The Timeline is wack.
There are no Video effects (other than all of the brightness/levels/saturation type things)
There are no Audio effects (But the record audio now has noise reduction)
Fewer transitions
Fewer Title Styles
The ability to speed up or slow down clips
The ability to change the level of audio dynamically throughout the clip using that old 'dot and line' system
The ability to make still frames from video clips
Exporting to iDVD - That is not at all understandable when iDVD comes with it.
Chapter-markers are gone.
The video themes are gone.
You can no longer extract audio from clips.
It no longer works on G4s and is show on G5s not 2.0ghz+
Along with lots of other tiny things I might be missing.

-Owl

[bluedog]

Originally Posted by bluedog 

OK, its a little worse than that for using the new iMovie. You can't import your older iMovie files intact either if you've used extra soundtracks,etc. It brings in the proper video clips but not the audio files in my preliminary testing.

You DO have the older version to fallback on if it was installed (it gets moved into a folder).

Well, I found you can click on a small clock icon in your 'timeline' which really is not a timeline as such. Its more like a word processor with videowrap enabled. You can go in and adjust the placement of sound and it sits behind the video. Its going to take some getting used to and the frame accuracy may be a little harder to accomplish but at least it appears that option is still available.

Importing existing projects from the previous iMovie is really a joke though. Its more like it just grabs the content that was in the file for you to use again. I guess that's why it doesn't uninstall the older version (to keep your files intact).

In all fairness the ability to browse and scrub across all your video as if it were a photo is pretty amazing. It is Apple's answer to iPhoto for movies. The updated iPhoto even has the similar scrubbing action.

[Art Vandelay]

Originally Posted by OwlBoy 

I was so excited by the new look and feel of iMovie, until I used it…

Exporting to iDVD - That is not at all understandable when iDVD comes with it.

-Owl

I don't have it but from what I gather from Apple is that iDVD natively supports iMovie media now. You don't need to export anymore. Just go into iDVD and browse your video in the media library.

[Art Vandelay]

Originally Posted by bluedog 

In all fairness the ability to browse and scrub across all your video as if it were a photo is pretty amazing. It is Apple's answer to iPhoto for movies. The updated iPhoto even has the similar scrubbing action.

The new technical term for that is "skimming."

[squeeks]

to update your list owlboy...

you cant save projects either, so if you have to reinstall, everything is saved in your application so all will be lost

[analogika]

Originally Posted by squeeks 

to update your list owlboy...

you cant save projects either, so if you have to reinstall, everything is saved in your application so all will be lost

Wha?

That is flat-out impossible.

No.

[- - e r i k - -]

Big Apple blunder here, at least they realised it and are now including iMovie 6 with iLife 08 too. Even as a free download.

Replacing iMovie with MovieBooth was a baaaaaad idea.

[BRussell]

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - 

Replacing iMovie with MovieBooth was a baaaaaad idea.

Perhaps, but if their most basic app isn't used by people because it's not accessible, they're doing something wrong, and if more people use this new version, it's hard to argue that it was a bad idea.

[Chuckit]

I have never heard anybody argue that iMovie is not accessible. My mom was terribly intimidated by the prospect of editing things, but as soon as she sat down with iMovie, she got it.

[analogika]

Originally Posted by BRussell 

Perhaps, but if their most basic app isn't used by people because it's not accessible,

I've never met anybody who thought so.

And I sell these machines to complete newbies.

[BRussell]

I remember there being a bit of a learning curve when I learned iMovie several years ago. Much more than, say, iPhoto. My guess is that this will be much, much easier, like iPhoto is for photos.

[moonmonkey]

i'm hard pressed to think of any upgrade to anything which strips half the features out (except OS 9 to OS X)

I guess I will have to try it before I pass judgement, but Windows Movie maker looks more powerful from where I am standing.

[hamertime]

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - 

Replacing iMovie with MovieBooth was a baaaaaad idea.

Haaa! Moviebooth. That's exactly what I thought when I found out about this travesty -- make it an "accessible" extra program, like Textedit is to Word, and keep the old iMovie. They won't do that, but it'd be much better than what's going on.

[hamertime]

Originally Posted by BRussell 

I remember there being a bit of a learning curve when I learned iMovie several years ago. Much more than, say, iPhoto. My guess is that this will be much, much easier, like iPhoto is for photos.

iPhoto is an organizational tool, not meant for creating anything. iMovie makes quality, professional-looking albeit consumer-level movies. There's hardly a comparison.

I'd say they should have gone the route of GarageBand, in a way -- give it levels, where a newbie can make a cute little YouTube video, but more knowledgeable users can use the timeline and other stuff for the things they need. Maybe they still will.

[- - e r i k - -]

They already have levels in iMovie '06. There's a Magic Movie feature, just like GarageBand now has a Magic Music feature.

The forums are an entertaining read. Make sure you get in before the next wave of rampant cencorship sweeps through. Apple does not like dissent.

[BRussell]

Originally Posted by hamertime 

iPhoto is an organizational tool, not meant for creating anything. iMovie makes quality, professional-looking albeit consumer-level movies. There's hardly a comparison.

With iPhoto, you can make books and order prints, make slideshows, and now .Mac galleries. You don't just put them there and never look at them. iPhoto is for organizing and "sharing" photos, and the sharing is extremely simple. I think they're trying to make iMovie the same.

[trumptman]

Anyone here defending Apple find it strange that if Microsoft created a consumer app that had half the power and required double the processing power of a similar Mac product, that it would be defended as a good thing?

Nick

[Eug]

Originally Posted by BRussell 

iPhoto is for organizing and "sharing" photos, and the sharing is extremely simple. I think they're trying to make iMovie the same.

Judging by all the reports, it sounds like they've failed.