Comments on: iMovie: Maybe you shouldn't compare the remake to the original

The Macalope says The New York Times' David Pogue is getting a bit too worked up over iMovie '08.

[spyroland]

The myth of iMovie complexity

"The loss of all those extra features means little to people who can't bear the thought of opening the application because of all the work."

And The Macalope is one of them.
But these people won't open iMovie 08 either...

I personnally am more afraid of opening iMovie 08 because it is much more cluttered, with, like, 3 tool bars dispatched in the window, poping trays everywhere (library, projects, etc.).

How can you write about "all the work" when the simple ability to adjust the sound never went in your way if you did not need it ? (Hey Apple, just add that to the "audio adjustements" mode please).
And... changing the length of transitions in the preferences ??? how absurd is that ? How about changing the saturation in iPhoto in the prefs while you're at it !

iMovie 08 brings libraries and the smart live selection, but they could as well have been added without removing the rest. And in the end there is just as much "all the work" with iMovie 08 as with iMovie 6.

Except that since you can do less, well, you DO less.

And you have to deal with poor localization. (No not you O Horned One, but I do).

[monkyhead]

Won't anybody think of the in-laws?!

The failings of iMovie 06 smacked me right in the face the day I tried to show
my mother-in-law how to use it. I haven't tried 08 yet, but if it doesn't
intimidate the in-laws, then it's already better.

[mini.boss]

So then what do you compare sequels to?

It's always amazing to see people defend things that aren't defendable. iMovie 06 is a good app. iMovie 08 is a good app. An iMovie that contained the good things of both apps would be great, but instead we get two copies of similarly named programs and this shouldn't be criticized?

When your next product focuses on a sub-character rather than the hero then it's called a spin-off, not a sequel. What we got here is the next Indiana Jones movie which happens to focus purely on short-round. Change whatever you want, but make it clear to your audience that this is something different by giving it a unique name like "Short Round and the Vanishing Timeline" or "iVideo Express".

[Dave Metzener]

The people who are complaining about iMovie...

are the ones who really need to be using Final Cut, but can't afford it.

I know very few people who would understand how to use iMovie '06. I personally had difficulties using it.

When I started up iMovie '08 and saw the clips and how to bring clips into my movie. It made perfect sense to me. I'm not sure if folks like my parents could figure it out, but the way it works now, I would say that it's way more likely than with '06.

People that use iLife, are not professionals they are not really even prosumers. They are parents that want to take the movies that they got from their children of their grandkids and put together a DVD to send to their friends to show off and I would say that Apple has come way closer to having a program for those folks than they ever have.

[ksoc]

Complicated ..... NOT

My son, who was 12 at the time, took to iMovie like a duck to water. Titles,
fades, soundtrack. He loves video games, but leaves all the computer and tech
stuff to his Old Man. I can understand making an easier product, but usually
that also means it is more limited.

[ksoc]

Complicated ..... NOT

My son, who was 12 at the time, took to iMovie like a duck to water. Titles,
fades, soundtrack. He loves video games, but leaves all the computer and tech
stuff to his Old Man. I can understand making an easier product, but usually
that also means it is more limited.

[L_K_M]

There's too much room between iMovie 08 and FCP

My mom - who would never touch something like Final Cut Express - has finally
managed to learn enough about iMovie to cut movies, add titles, and add sound.
She doesn't know a whole lot about computers, but even for her, iMovie 08
simply does not do enough.

If Apple is scared that iMovie 06 cuts into the FCP revenue, why not rename it
"iMovie Pro" and sell it for 80 bucks as a separate product?