Hi all,

I've ordered iLife '08 and iWork '08 and am just waiting for them to arrive. The iLife demo interested me....
www.apple.com/ilife/guidedtour/
....although it really is focussed on a few specific applications....I wonder if iDVD has changed much (I read it has only a few extra animations on the web). Anyway, iMovie kinda worried me....it is completely new, but it also looks very different to use.

Then this morning, Apple have made the interesting move of making iMovie 06 free to download....
www.apple.com/support/downloads/imovieHD6.html

Wow...that's amazing and not very Apple like! Then I read this....

www.macnn.com/articles/07/08/09/imovie.hd6.joins.ilife.08/

[quote]Apple is allowing iLife '08 owners to download iMovie HD 6 for free, which may appease a crowd of upset Mac users gathering on various forums across the internet to protest the company's removal of important editing functionality in iMovie '08. Apple's own support forums are bustling with complaints from Mac owners who need or had grown used to the enhanced functionality that the previous version of iMovie offered. Apple's decision to offer iMovie HD 6 as a free download to all iLife '08 customers provides those users accustomed to more advanced editing tools with the familiar functionality they need to continue their work, while allowing new Mac users to learn the simplified new iMovie '08 application.[/quote[

Doesn't sound good

Phil

iMovie has some great new features, however has been simplified for newer users, and possibly for more advanced uses to move to FCE or FCP. Control over timeline and streams has been given the chop.

Simplified in what seems (from clips I've seen) a more complex setup/interface...but I'll wait and see. If they have indeed simplified it to the point of needing FCE or FCP then I think that is a huge mistake. I have a number of friends who avidly use it....and I find it much faster and quicker then FC when I'm in a hurry and not wanting to do anything overly complex.

Phil

The objective behind the rebuild was to provide an environment to create clips quickly. Not targeted at pro NLE.
I would say it is a 'different' interface to what we know, but not necessarily more complex for some having never used editing suites.

I think you're confusing two different things there...functionality and complexity of interface. The new iMovie looks slightly confusing re the interface (I should check this now I have the install disk here) but it sounds like they have made the functionality more limited. One thing I've always wondered as iMovie went from version to version was "how are the going to add new features but keep it simple".....it is sounding like they've decided to keep both things simple.

Going back to my earlier comments....iMovie has appealed because of its simple interface which then allows you to do some complex things quickly. I know someone who does some very fancy and complex editing with it, but will not be happy if in order to to that, they now have to go to FCE. They'll find that challenging...even though they obviously can do complex stuff...but they've managed it because the interface is simple....not because the functionality had been removed.

iMovie was (and I hope is) an app that really masked the huge range of opportunities it provides (from beginner and up) in a simple interface.

I'm off to see how the new one shapes up.

Phil

Interesting to note that the install process actually moves iMovie 06 into a folder called "iMovie (previous version)"....which is a very rare approach for Apple. Obviously because iMovie 08 is so different and that they appreciated that people might react or need to use the old version.

Phil

There's a reason for iMovie being different. It's not iMovie it's a completely NEW package and quite frankly I love it from what I've seen.

That being said though, I'm not sure what the editing features missing are? Timeline editing IS there, you simply drag it from the top to the bottom and you can do it from there. That feature alone looked awesome.

I'm going to get iLife next week when I get paid so I'll play big time with it then, except I won't be at home during the weekend so maybe I won't.

lowededwookie wrote:


Well yes and no...yes, absolutely it's new from the coding up...including layout. No in terms of the fact they're still calling it iMovie. The point I was getting at (after 30 seconds play) is that to find a new version with less transitions and less text effects than the previous version (from what I can see and quickly count) is going to frustrate regular users.

I think the interface will take some getting used to...but once it's established I think the layout will have more room to breathe. I really noticed on first opening up that it was more consistent in design to something like GarageBand....so ultimately blending and consistent interfaces is a good thing.

Phil

That's odd, I thought they said there was MORE text effects and transitions. That's what I heard in the keynote address.

As with anything a new interface will always take a bit of getting used to. The first version of iMovie was different to iMovie '06 but it didn't take people that long to get used to it.

From what I've seen, and I'm only going from what I saw on the keynote, I think the interface is much nicer and clearer than the previous.

The skimming feature is a godsend making edits so much easier and getting rid of the garbage BEFORE it makes it to the timeline is a fantastic touch. Adding music and effects is faster and more accurate as well from what I saw. I'm not sure about the sound track of the video though whether or not you can strip that but then GarageBand is heaps better for that anyway.

I am so looking forward to getting this next week. I've got some video a friend wants me to play with and I think the iLife '08 suite is going to make this a better, faster tool than previous. It's a pity that GarageBand's interface hasn't been bought back inline with the rest of the apps though.

Anyone using the Web Gallery yet? I had a play with the demo one that Apple has and when I showed it to a couple of guys at work they were blown away.

Don't use iLife all that much myself, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting iWork '08.