iMovie HD '06 is a user-friendly editing program that’s included on all new Macs. If you’re familiar with Apple programs, you’ll have no problem diving in and editing with iMovie.
There are many features and effects that allow for creative editing and the ability to make compelling home movies. iMovie doesn’t have many advanced capabilities, but for beginners and hobbyists it’s a great way to get started and get creative with your editing.
Handy Features
The biggest boon for this version of iMovie is the ability to edit in HD, as well as combine multiple formats (DV, HDV etc) within the same project. You can also have multiple projects open at once, so it’s easier than ever to combine sequences and use video clips in more than one movie.
Video FX Galore
iMovie HD '06 offers multiple video and transitions that users will appreciate when it comes to editing their videos. Users are given a lot of control over the video effects, with the ability to set start and end points. Unlike Movie Maker and previous versions of iMovie, which applied standardized effects to video clips, this new version allows users to customize many of the video effects, which allows for really creative video editing.
The Quartz Composer includes multiple video effects that can give your video clips an incredibly creative look (Edge Work and Water Color are two of my favorites). These effects allow editors to create dream sequences, flashbacks or real life animation that can add a lot of production value to a project.
Hear This!
There are also many new audio effects, which allow users to manually adjust the audio (through a 10-bar equalizer slider). Other audio effects, including Reverb, Delay, Pitch Changer and Noise Reducer, give you more control than ever over the sound of your project. The controls are intuitive and easy to use, as compared to many audio editing programs, which can seem overly complex and intimidating to beginners.
Another interesting audio feature is the sound effects panel, which offers close to 100 noises, from alarms and coyotes to tire screeches and xylophones, to enhance the audio track of you project.
Themes
The themes section is new to iMovie HD '06, though it will be familiar to users of iDVD. Users can choose from five themes (Travel, Road Trip, Pass Through, Reflection – White, and Reflection – Black), each of which offers different elements (for opening titles, chapters within the movie, closing credits etc.) for customization.
Themes let users create movie projects with various images on the screen at once and interesting backgrounds—something that can’t be done in iMovie otherwise. Place your videos and photos in the drop zones, and iMovie puts together a collage based on your media. Then, you can place the elements as clips within your larger sequence and give your movie an integrated visual theme.
