iMovie (Apple inc. $4.99) Universal App
iMovie was updated with the release of the iPad 2 last week and with the changes they have made to this app I am changing the rating from a 3 star to a 4 star app. There are many changes that come with this update including the ability to use iMovie on multiple devices. Although technically speaking it is a universal app, it doesn’t actually install on the first generation iPad. There are ways of getting around that and getting it to install on a first gen iPad but part of the reason left it off that device was because of the slow CPU and lack of memory. There are a few minor differences between the iPad and iPhone versions of iMovie but for the most part it is identical. This review covers both versions of the app.
When first released iMovie for the iPhone, it was more of a novelty than anything else. Many people sought out to make videos and movies using their iPhone 4 camera and iMovie (which was only available on the iPhone 4). I saw a few of them and although they were fairly well done, the peowho made them used a lot of professional equipment to make them so well done. The fact was that iMovie on the iPhone was severely limited in its functionality and of course that device was not the right platform for putting together a real video. I did manage to put a few together and it was fun albeit hard to do. And if I was making a video and it wasn’t for something professional, it certainly came out well done enough for something like a family video. I made a few fun videos of company parties etc. The app itself was limited in its use and functionality, for one there were only 4 or 5 themes and no way to add others but also the app did not allow me to use any videos that were NOT shot using an iPhone 4 (perhaps a 3GS too but I really cannot remember if we even had video at all on the 3GS).
This release changes the design completely adding in a good look and feel for the app which was previously missing. In addition to the new design and layout for the iPad version, some new functionality was added making this quite a useful app. With a bunch of new themes and the background music that goes along with the new themes, now one can make a video without making it look just like the last one. There are a bunch of features that I’d like to outline so I’ll just get right into them:
FEATURES:
- Additional new themes as well as theme music.
- Now ALL videos whether shot on the iPhone/iPad or not, as long as they are in a format that the iPhone/iPad can view, can be used when putting together a video in iMovie. This feature alone is enough to sell me.
- I can now fade in from black and fade out from black which is really nice and should have been there in the beginning. I previously dealt with this by having a black image I started with and ended with.
- New sound effects allow me to add them despite the background music. Things from applause to dog barking, all of your standard sound effects.
- View the audio track at the bottom of my video as well as the audio for each clip, this allows me to see the high and low points of the audio.
- Write text over images in the video where previously this was not allowed.
- Expanded export options including Facebook and CNN.
- Play your videos on an TV using AirPlay.
They’ve done a great job with this version and right now, the only thing stopping me from giving it 5 stars is the limited number of themes and inability to add more. It shouldn’t be too difficult to provide a means of creating new themes. Other than that, this is a great app and I really enjoy using it. I have made a few videos so far that I think have come out pretty well, I look forward to making a lot more. I am really pleased with the changes that made to this app, definite a big improvement.
