“When Apple releases new products, they’re often hailed as breakthroughs,” Jefferson Graham reports for USA Today. “But with the recent update of its beloved iMovie software, Apple finds itself in an unusual position: defense. Longtime iMovie fans aren’t happy.”
“Apple isn’t apologizing. It says it wants a new audience for iMovie and that the redesign had to happen. ‘The consumer video-editing industry is dying,’ says Rob Schoeben, Apple’s vice president of applications and product marketing. ‘It got crushed by digital photography,'” Graham reports.
Graham reports, “Most camcorder owners never bother with video editing. Yet they will use software programs such as Apple’s iPhoto to manage their pictures and growing collection of video clips from still cameras, Schoeben says. Apple was forced to do a ‘radical reinvention’ of iMovie to get its users to work with their video clips, he says. Schoeben believes video novices will find it easier to edit with iMovie and, thus, use the program more. ‘This may be controversial at first, but long term … we’ll be fine.’
Graham reports, “Schoeben says iMovie has more advanced features than many on the message boards realize. Apple just hasn’t done a good enough job of letting people know about them, he says. More tutorials will be posted online like the ones at http://www.apple.com/ilife/tutorials/#imovie
Much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take by SteveJack: Longtime iMovie users aren’t happy, but average consumers should be ecstatic with the new iMovie ’08; it’s actually a triumph. Just so you know where I’m coming from, in addition to my brief bio below, I am a former 15+ year professional TV producer and video editor. Chances are good that you’ve seen something I’ve edited – most likely on a Mac-based Avid system costing over $100,000.
Schoeben’s right: people weren’t using iMovie because iMovie was too daunting (believe it or not). iMovie used to be and was designed to be a baby non-linear editor (NLE). I hated the thing personally and never used it, either. It was too “consumerish” in spots and too “pro” in others; in other words, a hodgepodge. I moved to Final Cut Pro long ago. What Apple has done with the new iMovie ’08 is what Apple typically does: shift the paradigm. In this case, they’ve done so radically and, in the process, revolutionized consumer editing. When all is said and done, iMovie ’08 will go down as an important transformative milestone in digital editing history.
Apple has shown the world the future and some people whine that they can’t sepia tone it.
It’s no surprise that longtime iMovie users are up in arms – hey, back in the TV stations and production houses where I worked, we used to complain when Avid moved one button or changed an icon with a new Media Composer version! We were used to the way things were, dammit, and didn’t want to change because it slowed us down – at first. With iMovie ’08, Apple has done more than move a button, they’ve blown up and the reassembled the entire app! They weren’t kidding with Think Different.
Longtime iMovie users will have to give the new iMovie a proper chance. I hope that with time, you’ll come to love it as I do. Some won’t and to those I say, it’s your loss. You are most likely already too advanced an editor for iMovie anyway (hint, hint: Final Cut Express – you’ll love it). New users or those that can adapt more quickly will find a fast, intuitive, easy-to-use video editing application in iMovie ’08.
iMovie was meant to be an editing application for beginning editors and camcorder users who wanted to quickly edit footage into shorter, more interesting finished products. iMovie ’08 finally achieves that vision.
Apple deserves credit for recognizing the problem and totally rethinking an application that relatively few of its target audience used. iMovie ’08 will bring video editing to many more people than previous versions, which was Apple’s goal all along.
While I’m disappointed that some iMovie users aren’t embracing change as readily as I believe Mac users should, I can empathize. You used to know how iMovie worked and now you don’t. The temptation to just give up and scream is very real, but change is hard and, in this case, it’s worth it. This whole brouhaha reminds me so much of the move from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X!
iMovie ’08 does need some more effects and a fuller feature set, but the foundation Apple has now laid is very, very strong and I fully expect iMovie to evolve and get even better over time. Start working with it now for simple projects, so you’ll be ready for the next version of iMovie. I doubt future iMovie changes will ever be so radical – Apple’s on the right track now – we’ll just get more features, refinements, and capabilities, but the basic premise of editing will be what iMovie ’08 has now established.
In the meantime, iMovie ’06 HD is there for the taking (and maybe Apple can rework it, rename it, and find a place for it in their lineup between iMovie and Final Cut Express where it belongs). I recommend that longtime iMovie users take advantage and use both applications, but give iMovie ’08 a real chance. Watch the tutorials (http://www.apple.com/ilife/tutorials/#imovie) and put in the time; I know it hurts, but “no pain, no gain!” Properly used, iMovie ’08 can create excellent quality product. With a little less knee-jerk and a little more exploration, I think you’ll find that iMovie ’08 is a revelation.
SteveJack is a long-time Macintosh user, web designer, multimedia producer and a regular contributor to the MacDailyNews Opinion section.
319 reviews of iLife 08 at the Apple Store online. The majority of them overwhelmingly negative towards the iMovie portion of the software release.
I guess, according to Steve Jack, that the negative reviews are “knee jerk” and the positive reviews aren’t.
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Steve Jack said… “While I’m disappointed that some iMovie users aren’t embracing change as readily as I believe Mac users should, I can empathize. You used to know how iMovie worked and now you don’t. The temptation to just give up and scream is very real, but change is hard and, in this case, it’s worth it. This whole brouhaha reminds me so much of the move from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X!”
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ok.. a couple of things, maybe three.
1. it’s not about not knowing how the new program works. I’ve used the program a ton since it’s release trying to learn to like it… It’s about FEATURE LOSS!
Gawd.. if I have to read one more paternalistic post implying “I know it’s hard to learn a new program, but come on little one, you can do it!!!” – I’ll just puke. IT’S ABOUT FEATURE LOSS DAMMIT!
And don’t give me that crap about still having iMovie 06. Yes, I still have iMovie 06, but who knows if it’s gonna work on Leopard. Who could imagine that the mac’s sold just 1 1/2 years ago wouldn’t be able to run this software release.
2. About the brouhaha over iMovie 06 becoming Magic-Movie 08 and it reminding you of the OS9 to OSX dust up. It’s easy to say that from this side of the OS9/OSX dividing line. That’s also assuming that what Apple has named iMovie 08 will be successful, which by the looks of it’s reviews so far it won’t.
3. I can’t imagine that Apple didn’t do some research to see how this version of iMovie would be received by the large user base it has. Knowing that this would be a tough sell, and having an extra 8 months to get it right. I don’t understand how they couldn’t get a few more of the previous software features in iMovie 08 to help. Oh like, how about Chapters that you can set the time on, or a few more video effects, or a second audio track. How about an audio fade at the end of the movie – now THERE’S something you don’t think of every day. Right now it’s set at 1 second and you can’t change that. Even for beginners this is gonna suck.
This is an entry level piece of software in features, that is replacing a mid range piece of software in features. The fact that people don’t get this baffles me. The fact that Apple didn’t see this coming, or did see it coming and decided to FSCK their current user base for new sales seriously pisses me off.
Branded,
• AppleWorks had a price. Fool.
• New versions of Mac OS X always had a price. Fool.
• New versions of iLife always had a price. Fool.
• Jobs said that when he wasn’t with Apple. Fool.
• If you think the “The PC wars are over,’ you’re an even bigger fool. Which would make you the most immense fool ever. Fool.
name withheld…,
319 reviews of iLife 08 at the Apple Store online is a pitifully small percentage of users. Knee-jerkers, obviously.
You need to re-read SteveJack’s take – he’s 100% right.
iMovie is SUPPOSED to be an entry-level app. It wasn’t. Now it is. It has been fixed.
Apple deserves to be applauded.
iMovie ’06 HD will work with Leopard, guaranteed.
That will give you more time to finally wise up and realize that iMovie ’08 is indeed the revelation and triumph SJ has described it to be.
Just amazed with all those ‘long time mac-using fan-base whiners’.
It’s not you ‘fan/user base’ that brings in the money or market-share. It’s the crowd that starts to buy Apple products right now. If you are one of those long-time users with so much knowledge, then you’ve voided your rights on complaining about a program become more mainstream.
Wake up and just face it. Mainstream has, in Apple’s perspective, always been: more easy to use and with less bells and whistles to confuse.
And exactly that is what Apple is doing and SteveJack is defending right here.
What’s the point anyway. Apple is more than generous with continued support for ’06 HD…
Using Apple products since 2003, became a zealot talking to other people about it, converted quite some people, but can’t agree more on SteveJack’s comment.
iMovie was not for J6P…period…
I’m sick of reviewers saying if you don’t like iMovie 8 then just buy Final Cut Express. Most consumers are not going to spend $299 on a piece of software to make home movies. If you’re using it for a small business perhaps. Even David Pogue was using iMovie 6 for his videos.
The exclusion of chapters markers is a deal breaker for me. If they put them back, I might consider using iMovie 8. I had heard something about using GarageBand to add chapter markers. If Apple expects me to export my iMovie into GarageBand, then export that into iDVD; I’d hardly call that a speedier workflow. Apple… just put back all the missing features in an updater. Do NOT wait until iLife 09. Half your audience will be missing.
@Final Cut Pro Pro
thanks for taking the time to read and respond.
“319 reviews of iLife 08 at the Apple Store online is a pitifully small percentage of users. Knee-jerkers, obviously.” – and the 90+ positive reviews of iWork 08 are not? Come on, it’s representative of the larger group. What… you think there is an organized group of upset iMovie 06 users typing away on their macs astroturfing the Apple Store online? Get real. If this isn’t a big enough sample for you. Check out the iMovie discussion boards. There are thousands of posts there. Just hang there for awhile during the day and see what get’s posted, what get’s deleted, and how fast.
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“You need to re-read SteveJack’s take – he’s 100% right.” – at your suggestion I did, and I disagree.
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“iMovie is SUPPOSED to be an entry-level app. It wasn’t. Now it is. It has been fixed.” – Frankly – this argument is silly. And is my car SUPPOSED to be just about getting from point A to point B? What it’s supposed to be and what it’s become are two completely different things. Your argument smacks of the original MDN post on this subject that basically said, “you’ll eat what is put in front of you, and like it.” – well no, I don’t like it. I have grown used to a certain feature set, and to sell me less and call it an upgrade, or to suggest that all of the previous versions were too feature rich, or that I should be happy to have gotten what I did for $15 and change is specious at best.
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“Apple deserves to be applauded.” – as a loyal Apple customer since 1982, a mac owner since 84, and stockholder who stuck it out through the nightmare of Scully, again I disagree. Screwing over your current customers to find new ones is never good business. Apple dropped the ball on this and should be told so.
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“iMovie ’06 HD will work with Leopard, guaranteed.” – BEST news I’ve heard so far. How do you know this as fact?
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“That will give you more time to finally wise up and realize that iMovie ’08 is indeed the revelation and triumph SJ has described it to be.” – iMovie 08 is a great piece of software to go after new customers. I disagree that – 06 was difficult. My 74 year old mom learned it in a weekend. Let’s leave the hyperbole of “revelation and triumph” out and call it what it is. A feature poor, entry level video compositing program that works for the lowest common denominator of customer. Apple made this change either knowing that it would upset the user base of customers it has and didn’t care if it did, or didn’t do it’s homework and didn’t come up with a plan to minimize this cluster fsck.
iMovie 08 is way ahead of iMovie 06.
Far better organisation, far quicker interaction, no rendering and non-destructive editing – what’s not to like?
Instead of complaining about iMovie 08, why don’t you give it a try?
If you use iMovie 08 for editing and GarageBand for the sound edit – you can make very pro stuff super quickly.
It looks like many long-time iMovie users are really angered by the omission of the timeline. But who said the timeline is the best way to edit movies? Even though I’ve yet to get my hands on iMovie ’08, I love it allready. It’s a great and nessecary paradigm shift. I discovered something similar in music production, when I picked up a copy of Ableton’s Live 6.0. There’s a timeline, but the main creative concept is very much like iMovie. Small blocks containing audio or midi, which are very easy to mix and match quickly. I believe we’ll se a lot more development away from the timeline in both audio and video in the coming years.
What makes me laugh are all those people that believe that iMovie was a difficult program with an ever increasing learning curve. As part of the iLife suite, I find it difficult to believe that anyone would be able to work with Garage Band and/or iWeb, but yet find iMovie a daunting piece of software. And yes, I realize that not everyone uses Garage Band and iWeb, but the point is that they are both part of the iLife Suite and, IMHO, have much more of a learning curve than iMovie.
Apple is catering to the UTube idiots ( sorry, that is redundant), Proof : Steve’s dismissal of the future use/importance of DVD’s as a means of sharing your movies.
I’m getting sick of all these iMovie HD commentards. Please spare us the drama queen routine. SteveJack has it totally right.
You don’t need to love everything about iMovie ’08 but most you haters act like Apple drop kicked your dog into freeway traffic. Don’t try to convince me or anyway else that’s the way you feel either because we frankly don’t give a damn about your hurt feelings. Maybe if the lot of you acted like reasonable adults instead of screaming spoiled rotten children, the rest of us would feel more sympathetic but most of us don’t appreciate virulent foaming-at-the-mouth commentards.
If iMovie is such a deal-breaker, shut up and vote with your wallet. That will allow the rest of us to enjoy iLife ’08 in peace, with or without iMovie. Go and organize a boycott or whatever but stop trying to hold the rest of us back by insisting iMovie should be Final Cut Express. Either you really are video gods who need a program like FCP or you are just elitist snobs for insisting anyone who likes iMovie ’08 must be brainwashed morons.
I’m SOOOOOO glad Apple refuses to apologize because many of you were spewing the hate when Apple moved to OS X, when Steve Jobs secured a truce with Microsoft to insure continued development of Mac Office (“BOOOO!”), when they introduced the iPod (“this means Apple is abandoning the Mac!”), when they switched to Intel, when they dropped “Computer” from their name etc. Apple would be long dead and buried if it had kowtowed to you “thinking different” hate-every-new-change-because-it-lowers-me-to-the-level-of-peasant-boobs.
Just go back to Windows and pretend life is better over there because Microsoft is always about more of the same. Apple truly doesn’t need customers like you, and the only reason is that the lot of you insist like it’s a holy right to act so destructive, close-minded and anti-constructive.
iMovie 08 is super quick. We moved certain works from FinalCut Pro to iMovie 08 just for the cheer speed of editing. (ie low budget editing like weddings and stuff.) Apple is heading to the right direction. Did you buy more AAPL? There is a good window of oppotunity now.
Apple’s old message to PC users: Come over to Apple and see how software can actually be both powerful and simple to use.
Apple’s new message to PC users: Nevermind, we’ll just make crappy software, and you’ll feel right at home.
It’s not a question of not being able to learn iMovie ’06, I rarely have video footage to edit and I just can’t be bothered to spend the time learning and using an app to trim a few bits out, combine others together and add a quick soundtrack on video that I don’t plan to archive or watch hundreds of times. Most of the stuff I have I want to watch in a reasonable form a few times whilst it’s still relevant to me. Anything I want to keep I can spend the time to do in iMovie ’06 but basically I typically couldn’t be bothered. iMovie is quick and easy – that’s what suits my workflow for my limited video requirements.
Geez…so much energy for essentially a $20 application (either iMovie 06 or 08). Prior users…you still have iMovie 06, so why the fuss.
I’m glad for iMovie 08. I don’t care about the bells and whistles. I just want a basic video editor. Thanks Apple for making things simple again. MDN is right on the money.
I work in video editing too, and we are moving from Final Cut to iMovie 08. It’s amazing with it’s non-render, realtime, non-destructive, super-fast interaction. It’s also wicked how easy it is to move from projects from iMovie 08 to Final Cut for finishing up.
iMovie 08 is the best thing that has happened in video editing in 10 years. My colleagues and I are completely blown away.
I find it baffling that some dislike iMovie 08.
I don’t use either program but whenever something like this happens, I basically don’t listen for a few months. There is always resistance to change and, yes, there are always people who will blindly worship products out of brand loyalty, so you have to let all that get filtered out before you can start taking anyone seriously.
Ask a hundred people on the street their favourite movie of all time and often what you’ll get is their favourite movie this year because they’re still excited about it.
Objectivity requires distance.
“we used to complain when Avid moved one button or changed an icon”
Always loved Avid… a little piece of Windows on a Mac. Avid’s GUI is better known as an “inyerface.” Glad to see that Apple isn’t afraid to stir things up. I’ve seen beginning editors labor over how many frames to hold or cut a shot, and I’d tell them, “you edit with your eyes and your ears. Ignore the numbers.”
Steve Jack’s right. iMovie 08 is a great piece of software, unusual for some to use, but the right direction. And I’m really glad to see Apple ain’t excusing. And to see more folks that are pro-iMovie.
Funny to see how people become more rational once a balanced opinion is published… .
I still don’t get all the complaints. If you all love iMovie ’06 so much, why don’t you just keep using it? When a new version of a software program comes out the old version doesn’t just automatically stop working. Apple even took it one step further and made sure that the new iMovie didn’t even upgrade/overwrite the old one. If you don’t like ’08, just drag it to the trash and keep using your beloved ’06.
As for why the general response online seems to be negative, isn’t that ALWAYS the way? The unhappy are always more vocal than the satisfied…
I think that Apple has reposition iMovie ‘08. Is has less abilities but you have to look to the iLife suite has a global thing. If you want to adjust the movie soundtrack or add bookmarks to your movie you have to jump to GarageBand now. And when done jump again to iDVD. This is a new way with more steps but it gives you more than iLife’ 06.
I’ve published on my blog an extensive opinion about this new iMovie ‘08 issues. If you want to know more about my thoughts go to here:
http://armpauloferreira.blogspot.com/
I don’t get the explaination SJ gave during the iLife ’08 presentation. An Apple engineer couldn’t do a short film with iMovie 06 ? What SJ demonstrated (well, rather like ‘showed’) with iMovie 08 can be achieved easily with iMovie 06, should you spend a little time to learn how to use it – no more (or hardly) than you need to learn iMovie 08.
The positive enhancements of iMovie 08 are the movie library and the fact that you don’t remove the video sequences when you drag and drop them in your video project. These don’t quite justify the removal of previous functions iMovie users were used to.
I also don’t quite agree with SJ when he says online video is the future and DVD are passé. Why not say we get rid off paper and printers because online publications are the future ? Users have a need for both online and DVD viewing.
“if what Apple is stating were true there would not have been such a strong negative reaction to the less than “improved” iMovie ’08.”
No, if what Apple said is true,there SHOULD have been a strong negative reaction. Did you get the point of SteveJacks commentary?
Reading for comprehension my friend. Try it sometime.
SteveJack has it exactly right! I’ve used any version of iMovie maybe 2x, and I’ve been using Macs since before OS X. iMovie 08 looks to be exactly what I need and wanted all along. Apple knows it’s intended market and how to cater to me, the CONSUMER. iMovie 06 was just too much like a pro app to be truly easy to use. It was powerful, and with many options, but easy? NO WAY!
BS. Don’t try to tell me what I want and don’t want MDN.
I have no problem learning iMovie ’08. What I’m not happy about is all of the editing features that have been removed. I’m perfectly happy keeping iMovie ’06 as long as Apple tells me that they will continue to support and develop it.
iMovie, too much like a pro app ? I wish.