[pscates2.0]

Can't believe I have to start the thread.

Discuss!

I like. The new iPhoto and iMovie - two applications I use more and more with each passing season - look great. I'll be picking this up ASAP. $49 was unexpected too. Very generous.

[Robo]

I like the new "learn to play" features in GarageBand. New piano/guitar lessons, plus a real-time Rock-Band-style playalong mode.

[nikstar101]

Not really impressed as it seems iWeb is exactly the same as the 09 version!!

I mean there is so much they could do with it, integrate MobileMe Gallery and iWeb, increase Aperture and iWeb integration, new themes etc.

In fact i cannot even find the link to iWeb from the iLife page!!

Edit: Found it now. It is at the bottom with a super small icon....

[jdcfsu]

Originally Posted by nikstar101 I mean there is so much they could do with it, integrate MobileMe Gallery and iWeb, increase Aperture and iWeb integration, new themes etc.

That would mean someone would have to use the MobileMe Gallery...

iPhoto, Garage Band, and iMovie are obviously the big sellers here. I'll take the reduced price over having new versions of apps I never use.

[Robo]

Originally Posted by jdcfsu iPhoto, Garage Band, and iMovie are obviously the big sellers here. I'll take the reduced price over having new versions of apps I never use.

I hate to say it, but...I kind of feel the same way. Sorry nikstar, but iWeb is sort of a niche app.

[nikstar101]

But it is a great programme to write blogs and create simple but good look websites. I know that personal websites have started to fade due to the Facebook revolution but it runs circles round Rapidweaver and Freeway for creating home web pages!

[pscates2.0]

Nice to see they didn't "kill" iDVD, despite all the rumors saying so. But yeah, they're making no showcase of iWeb or iDVD, so they probably didn't change a bit. In fact, I don't think iDVD changed in the iLife '09 release. So it's really old and neglected. Kinda like Joan Collins.

[Robo]

Originally Posted by nikstar101 But it is a great programme to write blogs and create simple but good look websites. I know that personal websites have started to fade due to the Facebook revolution but it runs circles round Rapidweaver and Freeway for creating home web pages!

Oh I know it's a great program. And you know what? It's still just as great as it was yesterday.

They just decided to focus on iMovie, iPhoto, and GarageBand this time.

[pscates2.0]

I can almost imagine iLife '13 (because you know they won't put anything out for 2012) will be just these three core apps...iPhoto, iMovie and Garageband.

By then, Apple will probably own you-know-who (and the other one too), so there's no real need/use for consumer-level, from scratch website building. And, two years from now, DVD-burning/sharing will probably go the way of the floppy.

It's just too easy to YouTube/stream/upload video and photos now.

They might keep it around so you can make a DVD to give to your aunt who is still on AOL dial-up, but, after today, I don't think you'll ever hear another peep from Apple about iDVD.

[Robo]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 I can almost imagine iLife '13 (because you know they won't put anything out for 2012) will be just these three core apps...iPhoto, iMovie and Garageband.

I think there will be an iLife '12, released in early 2012. They're not on a two-year cycle, just an eighteen-month one, with the late-year releases taking the name of the following year. So there will be iLife '12, but no '13 — iLife '14 will be announced in late 2013 instead.

Assuming, you know, they keep to the same cycle they're on. But they haven't slowed down (yet).

iWork, they seem to be slowing down on. But of course, there's iWork for iPad, too. Maybe they'll eventually move to a tick-tock iLife-iWork cycle? Go easier on our wallets?

[jdcfsu]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 And, two years from now, DVD-burning/sharing will probably go the way of the floppy.

Bingo. Which is exactly why the iPad/MBA/iPhone have no optical drive. It's not just to save space. Apple was the first to kill the floppy so why wouldn't they be first to kill the CD/DVD? It would also make sense to wait and update iWork with the App Store so as to have something new at launch.

[Robo]

Originally Posted by jdcfsu Bingo. Which is exactly why the iPad/MBA/iPhone have no optical drive. It's not just to save space. Apple was the first to kill the floppy so why wouldn't they be first to kill the CD/DVD? It would also make sense to wait and update iWork with the App Store so as to have something new at launch.

During the App Store demo, you could see the iWork apps available as a la carte purchases. Pages was $19.99.

[PKIDelirium]

Hmm. I hope installing the new iLife won't wipe out my old iMovie HD 6. I'm fine with it replacing iMovie 09, but I'm NOT giving up the last good version of iMovie.

[bassplayinMacFiend]

If by any chance that happens, let me know and I'll hook you up with the iMovieHD DMG file. Think I have it in 3 or 4 locations just in case the unthinkable occurs.

[pscates2.0]

What, exactly, is so damn hot about iMovie HD (6) at this point? I understand that iMovie '08 was a colossal mess (lacking features from previous versions, etc.). But starting with iMovie '09, they've made something that is both easy-to-use and full-featured/powerful (not many software titles out there can legitimately claim such a thing). And, from what I've seen today, they've nicely added to that with iMovie '11.

Yeah, I know it's a "non-standard" video editing environment, but so what? If you're a low-level, amateur user and hobbyist, this new design (since iMovie '08) seems way friendlier and easier-to-use than older iMovie or any of the FCP stuff.



Three years later and people are still griping about iMovie? iMovie HD (6) couldn't possibly hold a candle to iMovie '11 (and probably not even iMovie '09, once they added all the missing stuff back in).

If you're a serious, pro-level video type, what are you even doing in iMovie anyway? Shouldn't you be in one of the two Final Cut Pro products, where the editing environment is more linear and traditional and goes with the territory? I don't think iMovie is/was ever intended to "bridge any gaps", and its departure from the standard iMovie HD editing timeline is, to me, a friendlier, more inviting design that is accessible to "regular folks". It was a smart move and a more-than-acceptable trade-off! I've done my best, most fun and nicest-looking work in iMovie '08 and '09. It's way easier to experiment (you don't wait on things to render or build), it's much faster and you have control over pretty much everything! In two years, I've not once thought "man, I really need iMovie HD for this...".

Yes, iMovie '08 sucked. Not because of the new interface, but because it threw everything out and went totally bare-bones. It immediately became "un-sucked" with the release of '09. People need to piss or get off the pot. iMovie is never going to go back to its old way, so embrace the new or shell out $199 for Final Cut Express and let it go. Or keep using iMovie HD for another 10 years, assuming you can still find it. I flung it off my iMac once I installed iMovie '09 and played with it enough to know that it had all the old transitions and effects back.



I would encourage hobbyists and dabblers to set aside their notions about the "new" iMovie and give '09 (and certainly '11) a serious try and an honest shot. Yes, it takes a little time to get your head around that funky, non-standard interface. I was perplexed for a while myself. But, within a day or two, I was flying! It really is better, IMO. And you can't continually gripe about shit from three years ago, after a point. Come on...

[bassplayinMacFiend]

I have two copies of FCE but neither of them are Intel compatible and I don't feel like dropping $99 on it for an upgrade when iMovieHD still works for me.

[pscates2.0]

I understand that.

But what if iMovie '09 (and '11) worked even better for you? That was my discovery...the time savings (and the freedom to quickly and easily experiment) was a huge improvement over the older iMovie releases. Working on home movies, weddings and reunions, ballgames, etc. actually became fun, once '09 came out. It was so easy to use, and you didn't wait for anything. I was very pleased.

To me, it's the best of both worlds...all the power, features and tools of iMovie HD, but a quicker, easier way to put it all together and manipulate it all (if you didn't mind taking a couple of days to get your head around the new look). There's no getting around that...it might take a few days to feel comfortable, but that's no big thing.

I save so much time and hassle now...I can't wait to get my hands on iMovie '11!

[Robo]

"New iMovie" definitely feels much more like an iLife app, not a scaled-down Pro app. There are good things and bad things about that, but "new iMovie" is definitely easier to use, and is probably a better fit for the YouTube generation (ugh).

[bassplayinMacFiend]

Luckily I can use iMovie HD and you can use iMovie '09 / '11 and the Earth continues to revolve about its axis.

[pscates2.0]

More or less...I never said, or thought, otherwise.

I just didn't want anyone unnecessarily hating/shunning something, three years on, if they've never given it an honest shot. That's all.

[PKIDelirium]

I didn't use iMovie 08 at all, so I don't even want to think about how bad it apparently was. I went straight from 05 to 09, then found myself scrambling to go download the DMG of 06 that Apple offered. I just can't "get" the new-style editing interface.

[arteggio]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 What, exactly, is so damn hot about iMovie HD (6) at this point?

I can't speak for everyone, but I'll speak for myself.

First off, I really love the new iMovies, especially '11. It just looks fun. I want to shoot useless action videos just to make a spotless trailer!

The dynamic feel of it is wonderful, modern, and heading toward the future. (Plus I think the new visual audio adjustment is amazingly intuitive.)

But, for how 'static' iMovie HD 6 was, there's still something about it... Maybe the fact that it's so static is what makes me feel like I know it like the back of my hand. If I want to assemble a video project, I know what iMovie HD 6 can't do, what it can do, and how to do it. That simple.

On the other hand, as much as I like the new iMovies, I still haven't learned them to the same skill set as I had in iMovie HD. I could, but I just haven't yet. Part of that problem might be the fact that the UI just is so new, and that's not an excuse to ignore it, but just a small hurdle that some people haven't bothered to jump yet. (I know it'd pay off if I did master it like iMovie HD though.)

So maybe why some of us are still so attached to iMovie HD 6 is just because it has a certain nostalgia and 'I'm a master at it' feeling? That's what it sort of is for me anyway. It's not better, it is outdated, but I still know how to get the most out of it.

[pscates2.0]

Originally Posted by PKIDelirium I didn't use iMovie 08 at all, so I don't even want to think about how bad it apparently was. I went straight from 05 to 09, then found myself scrambling to go download the DMG of 06 that Apple offered. I just can't "get" the new-style editing interface.

Yeah, it's definitely weird at first. It took me a solid couple of days of focused use and Help guide reading to really feel comfortable (and there were some nice tutorial vids at Apple's site that helped a lot, too). It looks weird and intimidating on the surface, no doubt!

Good points, arteggio. Might be the reason I still use Illustrator CS (as in "CS 1").

Then again, it suits how I draw/work - flat and graphic - and all these newer versions seem so hell-bent on being Photoshop Jr., Flash composer and 3D city...I'm not sure it would improve/enhance the stuff I actually do in Illustrator. Not for the associated expense, anyway. $49/free ain't $699.

But I understand what you're saying. However, no one has given me any compelling reasons to investigate Illustrator CS 3 or 4...

[PKIDelirium]

Seriously. It "just works" for me. I know how to use it. The interface makes sense and is capable of precision that apparently the newer ones can't do. Hell the newer ones can't even take still shots.

Only problem I've had with 6 is that it can't import AVI files over 2GB for some reason, so I'm trying to figure out how to work with video that I take on my Canon SX100 with 4GB SDHC cards. I ended up having to use QT7 Pro to take stills from it.

[bassplayinMacFiend]

It just works for me too. I can take 90 minutes of imported band footage and have it cut, titled and fade ins/outs in one lunch break. Maybe I've spent too much time in FCE / Premiere / Lumiere to grasp the post v6 UI.

Alternatively, I can't wait to get the latest iPhoto.

[pscates2.0]

Yeah, that's some impressive stuff right there. Robo(?) mentioned in the 'Nova iChat during the event that putting on that holiday-themed slideshow when you've got people over at your house (especially people who might be popping up in the pictures themselves) would be a great little background element.

iPhoto just gets cooler with each release. It's definitely one of my 3-4 "desert island" applications (Illustrator, iPhoto, SketchUp and iTunes). I'd look at pictures of friends and family for inspiration, as I used SketchUp and Illustrator to design a cool raft (and I'd have some motivating music to play in the background, via iTunes).

Don't ask me how I'm getting power there. That's not the point.

[Moogs]

Couple of the features in iPhoto 11 and the effects in iMovie 11 are decent. Not sure I'd buy it if I had '09, but I might just because there's been enough improvements since 08 (when I bought my Mac) that it's probably worth it.

[pscates2.0]

I'd feel the same way if it was still $79..."um, lemme wait a bit."

But for $49? Yeah, a no-brainer...

[Moogs]

Yah that too.

[arteggio]

Originally Posted by PKIDelirium The interface makes sense and is capable of precision that apparently the newer ones can't do.

I forgot about this part. For working within fractions of a second, I love iMovie HD. Video-audio syncing was quite simple. I've never tried such things the new iMovies though.

Only problem I've had with 6 is that it can't import AVI files over 2GB for some reason, so I'm trying to figure out how to work with video that I take on my Canon SX100 with 4GB SDHC cards. I ended up having to use QT7 Pro to take stills from it.

My personal solution to this would be duplicating your 4GB video file (hope you have enough HDD space!), open one in QT7 Pro and trim half off, then do the same to the duplicated file for the other half of the clip.