# Do you think iMovie 08 sucks? Tell Apple about it.



## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

I have no idea at all if anybody down in Cupertino reads these things, but if you're compelled to do so, you can voice a complaint regarding iMovie 08's terrible feature set reduction at the page below:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/imovie.html

The chatter of disapproval with iMovie 08 is fairly loud:

http://penguinsounds.org/2007/08/07/imovie-08-trepidations/

http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/09/how-would-you-change-imovie-08-special-emergency-software-edit/

http://www.podcastingnews.com/2007/08/09/imovie-08/

And in Apple's forums:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1082399&tstart=0

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1082960&tstart=0

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1081311&tstart=45

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1082400&tstart=45

And on and on -- although Apple is deleting or locking some threads critical of iMovie 08.

I listed a bunch of problems I have with iMovie 08 -- but I JUST read that you cannot put iDVD chapters in an iMovie project!! The big problem is that iDVD only allows for chapter markers at fixed intervals, NOT precise points in time.

An ironic point is that, along with a long list of feature clawbacks, iMovie 08 cannot import iMovie 06 project files with edits and titling events as being editable! The irony of this? I don't care that it can't because I won't be using iMovie 08. I CANNOT believe what they did to iMovie. For the first time since 1995 when I started using Macs, I am truly disappointed in their efforts tptptptp Some one at Apple's forums is referring to iMovie 08 as "iMovie Lite (v. 01)". Truer words were never spoken.


----------



## dona83 (Jun 26, 2005)

I'm seeing very mixed reviews for now. Seeing how Apple did put out iMovie 06 for download, why? Were they expecting even more transitions? Even more themes? I love iMovie 06 but find it tedious at times for certain projects. If iMovie 08 can be that quick and easy movie editor then that's pretty awesome, and use iMovie 06 for more advanced things, or why not just go with FCExpress?


----------



## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

Problems with your suggestions, dona83, are:

The handwriting's on the wall as to why Apple pointed out that iMovie 06 is available for download -- AND that iLife 08 does not overwrite iMovie 06; the handwriting reads that Apple KNOWS there is a huge divide between these two versions of iMovie in terms of features. They KNOW it.

I was expecting more themes and hoping for greater flexibility in configuring a theme render (length, number of dropzones, etc.). But it goes WAY beyond their destruction of animated themes. How about the lack of a plugin architecture, "rendering" (pardon the pun) people's investment in iMovie plugins useless unless they stay with iMovie 06. How about the lack of DVD chapter creation? Or the restrictive audio manipulation environment? I tell you, they've ruined a good thing here, and I wonder just how long Apple will choose to support iMovie HD as time goes on? Will support die with OS 10.6? I hope not, because I want to keep using iMovie -- not PAY for another licence with FCE -- long past 10.6 or 10.9 for that matter.

As for switching between 08 and 06, project files are incompatible. I have read that you lose ALL titles, transitions etc. when moving a project from 06 to 08, and I'll bet that the 08 project files -- wherever they are -- are NOT backwards compatible to 06.

If Apple maintains iMovie HD ad infinitum, I can live with that... but will they? "Knowing" Steve Jobs as we all do, I can't see him being comfortable with such an imbalance in Apple's product matrix...


----------



## CubaMark (Feb 16, 2001)

...I'd hate to be the "brilliant engineer" who came up with this... if he's reading the forums, he's gotta be on the receiving end of a big ego blow...

Maybe it's time for Apple to pull a "Coke". Continue to support and release updates for "iMovie HD Classic" and also offer "New iMovie" for the uncomplicated crowd...

M


----------



## psychodad (Apr 30, 2004)

Interesting stuff.

I can certainly see that if you were comfortable with iMovie 06 then this change would be a blow.

I have not used iMovie 08, but I am looking forward to it. I used '06 a few times, but found the learning curve too steep for my needs. This new version appears to be everything I was looking for. 

I would guess that Apple has detected a large user base that barely edits movies but would like too - but without the time and learning sacrifices needed with iMovie 06. The new version seems to be a great basis for a nice, easy to use consumer movie editor.

For those who feel let down, then hammering Apple with feedback may be the way to go. Who knows, maybe the next version of FCE will be rebuilt and re-priced too.


----------



## Wako (Oct 11, 2006)

I seriously think they killed the easiest video editing program out there. The '08 version is more complicated, IMO. Lack of clear cut clips, timeline, less transitions, no live preview of text and trarnsitions... wtf?! Also I'm not sure about this one, but I haven't found out how to change the length of your transitions (it's Standard throughout the project). The new timeline which is more of a time square is hard to read in my opinion. I often make beer movies with 50 or so clips and they all have the same image. With '06 it was easy to see where I was at in the timeline. Now you don't even properly see the time progress. 

There are some upgrades, like when you rollover the clip and see it play, or the new export features, but seriously in terms of features, user-friendlyness and plain video editing possibilities, I feel like I just came back from a time travel to 2001.


----------



## Amiga2000HD (Jan 23, 2007)

I guess I'm telling Apple what I think since I'm not planning to buy iLife 08. Of the lot, the only program I use regularly is iMovie. I don't have a need or desire for an 'iPhoto for movies' type program, so I just don't feel any compelling reason to upgrade iLife.

If anything, since I'm more interested in the usual way of editing video, I'd be far more likely to buy Final Cut instead of upgrading iLife. Perhaps Apple was intending to force people interested in video editing into two streams? If so, it's unfortunate that the costs of the Final Cut route are so significantly higher than iLife for those of us on small budgets.


----------



## TroutMaskReplica (Feb 28, 2003)

the whole ilife '08 suite kinda sucks. i played around with iphoto and imovie at the sherway apple store and left unimpressed.


----------



## psychodad (Apr 30, 2004)

> the whole ilife '08 suite kinda sucks. i played around with iphoto and imovie at the sherway apple store and left unimpressed.


Anything specific that left you unimpressed: what do you need that was not there, or what were you expecting?


----------



## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

TroutMaskReplica said:


> the whole ilife '08 suite kinda sucks. i played around with iphoto and imovie at the sherway apple store and left unimpressed.


Well, despite iMovie 08 I'll probably pick it up after I complete some current projects and let some patches come down the pipe, first. I use EVERY iLife app regularly except for garageband (and even that one I use some times). The photo editing improvements in iPhoto are nice, like shadow reduction and the copy-paste function in the editing palette. If iDVD is faster (even on my MBP) then this is good news... and I look forward to using the new iWeb features, too. I currently have TWELVE unique iWeb sites on the go!


----------



## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

Apple Insider covers the iMovie 08 controversy:

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/08/14/apple_stirs_controversy_with_imovies_08_overhaul.html


----------



## psychodad (Apr 30, 2004)

MacWorld has a “first look“ at iMovie 08 online - it covers both sides of the story pretty well:

http://www.macworld.com/2007/08/firstlooks/flimovie/index.php


----------



## zarquon (May 24, 2005)

Well, after a few days with iLife'08, I'm really glad I didn't have to pay for this. (new tower) iPhoto seems ok, but I have to agree with the iMovie comments. The interface is less than intuitive, and those nice previews as you mouse over a clip are extra QT files that are taking up even more room on your drive.

The cake though really is the little button beside the camera button. If you click it, the 'Event' library and the 'Project' library swap places in a pseudo-genie effect that is all about eyecandy and nothing to do with functionality. Pure wasted code imho.

Z.


----------



## Kosh (May 27, 2002)

yeah, I read the Macworld article and it sounds like you have two different beasts here. One that is a simple movie editor (made to import moves from camcorder and fix them up a bit), and another that is a movie maker (made to create movies from various bits and pieces). And as one person stated, it looks like Apple knew this, so they sort of separated the two. Maybe they want to see everybody's reaction. Of course maybe it would have been better to call the new one a different name. What sounds good to me is that the new one catches up on technology in camcorders. When I was reading various reviews of camcorders, it was hilarious that they would recommend buying an older tech DV camera vs a camera with a hard drive or DVD for Mac users, because DV cameras worked better with Macs. 

Of course I don't have a camcorder or use iMovie, so it's no big deal to me.


----------



## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

zarquon said:


> The cake though really is the little button beside the camera button. If you click it, the 'Event' library and the 'Project' library swap places in a pseudo-genie effect that is all about eyecandy and nothing to do with functionality. Pure wasted code imho.


Lemme get this straight: Apple thought it was logical to assign what is a fairly useless set-and-forget preference... _a button of its own on the main screen??!_ But oooouu... it looks really kewl when you click it??

What are those guys down there THINKING?!


----------



## dansgil (Aug 16, 2006)

While I am disappointed with the new iMovie, I am glad that Apple had made iMovie HD available for download. If they hadn't I would most definitely not have purchased the new iLife. The new iMovie is fine for very basic projects, but for more advanced movies, I will continue using the old iMovie.

Apple should combine the two apps and has a "Simple Movie" mode for very basic movies, and an "Advanced Movie" mode for more serious projects that require timeline view, 3rd party plugins, etc. Hopefully they will release this as a free updates rather that including this app only with the next iLife.


----------



## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

The future is a BIG unknown regarding iMovie 06. Who knows how long what features Apple may bring back? And who knows how long iMovie 06 will be supported?

As far as combining the two, someone posted somewhere else that the combination of the two code sets into one just might be too bloated to do. Given the radically different natures of these two beasts, this problem seems valid to me. But I'm not a developer...

We'll have to see what happens...


----------



## Carl (Jun 7, 2003)

I like it. iMovie 6 stays on your HD, so you can do both. I found 08 very intuitive, fast and easy to use.
My beef was with iPhoto f*cking up my pictures into events by deciding that dates made separate events. That'll take me weeks to fix.


----------



## psychodad (Apr 30, 2004)

A balanced take on the iMovie story:

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/business/appleaday/blog/2007/08/another_take_on_the_imovie_deb.html


----------



## a7mc (Dec 30, 2002)

I didn't get a chance to try out iMovie 08 yet (my new iMac is only arriving next week) but I did finally get a chance to check out Apple's tutorials and videos. I think the people who complained initially were just hit by the shock of an unfamiliar workflow and perceived "less features". Based on the videos I've seen, I think iMovie is a great little app. It has some great functionality changes that will make quick edits very easy. 

People say the timeline is gone, but it's not really entirely gone... the main "clip linker" section is very much like a timeline... the clips are visually represented by length, just without the actual "time" ruler.

People say audio editing is gone, but it's not really gone. iLife comes with Garageband. It's a common pro workflow to export audio to another app (like Soundtrack, or Garageband), do your audio edits, then reassemble the mix. I'm guessing that's the flow Apple had in mind when creating the new app.

People say it's missing a bunch of features because now they can't do spinny toilet flush transitions, or kaleidoscope effects. I say good riddance. It's about time Apple gets rid of the cheese and forces people to make cleaner videos.

I'm looking forward to playing with it hands on. It looks like a neat little entry-level program (which is what iMovie is supposed to be). And if you're at the point where you NEED a real timecode-based timeline and multiple overlay tracks, you should be using Final Cut (express or Pro) in the first place. 

A7


----------



## iMatt (Dec 3, 2004)

I have a question: just how close are iMovie 06 and FCE in terms of capability? 

Seems obvious enough that if the answer is "pretty darn close" then Apple noticed that the dirt-cheap iMovie was cannibalizing sales of its $300 package as well as putting off newbies with its learning curve (that's me, more or less). Like the Baltimore Sun guy says, iMovie 08 is generally a sensible move for Apple despite the inevitable ruffled feathers. 

Upgrade pricing from iMovie 06 to FCE would seem impractical given the millions of iMovie licences given away with new Macs, but maybe they should either find a way or bring the FCE price closer to iLife pricing. Then again, that could cause a pricing problem for the full Final Cut package. 

Looks like they painted themselves into a corner by making iMovie 06 too powerful...


----------



## psxp (May 23, 2006)

I was Sad to hear about iMovie 08 problems.. or lack of features. I love the templates etc in iMovie 06 - I hear they removed Slowmotion?

I guess I will end up doign some editing in iM06 and finish off in iM08 or vice versa. 

iMovie06 is what sold me on a Mac..


----------



## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

psxp said:


> I guess I will end up doign some editing in iM06 and finish off in iM08 or vice versa.


Good luck with that, friend. iMovie 08 only imports the edits from an iMovie 06 project. All transitions, titles and effects are NOT compatible. The only way to move such elements from 06 to 08 is to export your 06 project as a rendered movie... which introduces a friggin' headache if you want to redo something in 06 later on.

As for backwards compatibility? It aint there.

All I can do is this @ Apple:

      

And a couple of these:

tptptptp


----------



## Pelao (Oct 2, 2003)

Another take on the iMovie 08 Story:

http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/14669/


----------



## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

While the simplicity factor of skimming and selective drag-and-drop in iMovie 08 is great, the feature clawback is a major problem.

Despite iMovie 06 still being offered, those features missing in iMovie 08 have been marginalized. There is no stated roadmap for either the continued support of iMovie 06, nor for the addition of features missing in 08.

Jobs surely does not like the unsightly bulge of iMovie 06 still being in his product matrix. This, more than anything, scares the hell out of me with regards to iMovie 06's survivability.


----------



## Oakbridge (Mar 8, 2005)

I haven't played with iMovie 08, and I've only played a bit with iMovie 05 (didn't upgrade). 

One of my biggest complaints with iMovie 05 was that I have almost 14 years of video that I would like to digitize. I want to create multiple projects, perhaps one of just my daughter, one of just my son, one of the family, etc., yet it seemed to be next to impossible for me to digitize a tape, and then separate the clips into multiple projects. 

From what I saw of iMovie 08, I should be able to do this now. This to me was a major flaw with the older versions. Or am I mistaken?


----------



## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

Oakbridge said:


> I haven't played with iMovie 08, and I've only played a bit with iMovie 05 (didn't upgrade).
> 
> One of my biggest complaints with iMovie 05 was that I have almost 14 years of video that I would like to digitize. I want to create multiple projects, perhaps one of just my daughter, one of just my son, one of the family, etc., yet it seemed to be next to impossible for me to digitize a tape, and then separate the clips into multiple projects.
> 
> From what I saw of iMovie 08, I should be able to do this now. This to me was a major flaw with the older versions. Or am I mistaken?


Pity you didn't upgrade because, as of iMovie 06, you could open *multiple* projects. So, you could use one project to dump your video in, trim your footage, then open other projects that represent any manner of organization you desire. It isn't as "open" as iMovie 08's strategy is but it works... with all the editing options that iMovie 08 _doesn't_ have.


----------



## Pelao (Oct 2, 2003)

> Pity you didn't upgrade because, as of iMovie 06,


But he can download iMovie '06, right?


----------



## Macaholic (Jan 7, 2003)

Pelao said:


> But he can download iMovie '06, right?


Yes. He can!  Now _there's_ an advantage to iMovie 08: _free iMovie 06!_


----------

