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iMovie

iMovie

Overview

What is iMovie?

Apple offers iMovie as a video editing platform supporting video creators with high quality effects, support for 4k resolution, audio editing, and other features supporting the creation of videos and movies.

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

iMovie, a popular video editing software, is widely used across various industries and professions for its user-friendly interface and …
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Easy to Use!

9 out of 10
June 14, 2021
Incentivized
I use iMovie to edit video footage. As someone with no formal editing training, I started using iMovie because it was a free app that came …
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Reviewer Pros & Cons

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Pricing

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Free Tier

$0.00

Cloud

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Product Demos

iMovie 10 Demo and Tutorial - How to Make Movies on Your Mac

YouTube

Basic German Pronunciation Practice - using iMovie to edit a teaching demo

YouTube

iMovie for Apple iPhone 4 review and demo

YouTube

Apple iMovie for iPad 2 video demo

YouTube

Show iMovie Projects Easily on Apple TV - iMovie Theater Demo

YouTube

iMovie 11 Trailer Demo i movie

YouTube
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Product Details

What is iMovie?

iMovie Technical Details

Deployment TypesSoftware as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

Apple offers iMovie as a video editing platform supporting video creators with high quality effects, support for 4k resolution, audio editing, and other features supporting the creation of videos and movies.

Reviewers rate Support Rating highest, with a score of 8.1.

The most common users of iMovie are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(98)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

iMovie, a popular video editing software, is widely used across various industries and professions for its user-friendly interface and cost-effectiveness. Users appreciate iMovie's simplicity, making it accessible to those with no prior experience in video editing. It serves as a valuable tool for marketers who need to create videos quickly and easily, allowing them to produce content for social media, product reviews, and online communities. Small businesses also find iMovie beneficial as it enables them to compete in the marketplace by efficiently creating personalized video content.

Teachers and students often turn to iMovie for its ease of use when creating demos, presentations, and showcasing their work. Additionally, religious organizations rely on iMovie for tasks such as editing weekly sermon videos and assembling mini-movies. The software’s robustness and simplicity make it suitable for both beginner and hobbyist video editors.

iMovie is not limited to specific industries and professions; it offers advanced features like green screen, picture-in-picture, audio separation, titling, and transitions. Therefore, it finds favor with businesses that heavily utilize video as a key component of their marketing collateral. Moreover, the software is chosen by creators of YouTube videos with millions of views due to its low cost and user-friendly interface. It is also commonly used for creating step-by-step tutorials and marketing videos for SaaS platforms.

One of the significant advantages of using iMovie is its ability to quickly piece together movie projects when other editing software is not available or accessible. Its interface shares similarities with more advanced professional video editing programs, providing a stepping stone for users looking to transition to more complex software in the future.

Design departments frequently employ iMovie for various purposes such as advertising an app game, creating demo videos for the App Store, or splicing together game footage. It has also been extensively used by videographers to edit videos intended for platforms like YouTube and Vimeo.

iMovie's applications extend beyond professional use cases. It caters to personal video editing needs as well, allowing users to incorporate photos, video footage, and music into quick and simple videos. It effectively assists individuals in creating content for personal blogs, social media platforms, and sharing memories with friends and family.

In summary, iMovie's versatility, cost-effectiveness, simplicity, and robustness make it a go-to tool for a wide range of users. From marketers and small businesses to educators and hobbyist editors, iMovie provides an accessible and efficient solution for all video editing needs.

Intuitive and User-Friendly Interface: Users have found the user interface of iMovie to be intuitive and easy to navigate. They appreciate the drag and drop functionality, which simplifies the process of adding and arranging clips, audio, and titles.

Highly Praised Automatic Save Feature: The automatic save feature in iMovie has received high praise from users. They have mentioned that it prevents them from losing their progress and allows them to work on multiple projects simultaneously.

Efficient File Management System: Users appreciate the efficient file management system in iMovie. It automatically carries all the files used in an edit along with the project file, preventing any loss of files or requiring manual organization.

Dedicated YouTube compatible output format: Many users have expressed the need for a dedicated YouTube compatible output format in iMovie. Some reviewers have mentioned that the current export options do not optimize videos specifically for uploading to YouTube, which can result in reduced video quality or compatibility issues.

Unintuitive music addition: Several users find it unintuitive to add music to their videos in iMovie. They have mentioned that the process of adding background music is not straightforward and requires additional steps, causing confusion and frustration.

Resource hog: Users feel that iMovie is a resource hog, with several reviewers expressing concerns about its performance on their devices. They report experiencing slow processing times and lag while editing projects, indicating that iMovie may be demanding on system resources.

Users recommend trying iMovie before investing in more expensive software. They suggest using iMovie for basic video editing and creating advertisements and marketing videos. Exploring iMovie's features and clicking on everything is advised to get familiar with the tool. Users also recommend providing training on iMovie's shortcuts and key features. Utilizing iMovie's built-in features, such as intros and credits, is recommended. Users find iMovie to be a great tool for beginners in video editing and production. It is suggested to save iMovie videos on a separate drive due to storage space. Starting with iMovie is recommended for those who have never edited video before or want a simple and straightforward tool. Overall, users think iMovie is worth considering for creating and editing videos, even in its free version.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-25 of 30)
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Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use iMovie to create fast videos and edits music for my clients in social media and maybe for socials events, maybe family events. But it have a BIG problem, it doesn't have differents formats to create new size needed to the differentes platforms. For example, it only work in the resolutions 16:9.

Maybe I need more settings to expand the potential and I will use more time and not depend on another software.

  • edit videos
  • music editions
  • musicalizaron effects
  • Transitions
  • Formats
  • Frame rate
  • 1:1
  • 9:16
Is one of a best free software to create edit videos, with footage and photos, is intuitive, connect perfect with all software of MacOS or iOS, and is easy to use. It have extensive library of effects, music, sound, transitions and more.

If you have Apple it's a one best value in your systems. I recommend it, ever.
June 14, 2021

Easy to Use!

Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use iMovie to edit video footage. As someone with no formal editing training, I started using iMovie because it was a free app that came with my Mac and quickly learned it was extremely user friendly and easy to pick up for a beginner like myself. I use it for very simple editing tasks and the user experience has always been very straight-forward and simple.
  • Easy to learn
  • Good for beginners and users with little to no experience
  • If you have a Mac, the app is free!
  • It takes up a lot of storage space
  • It can be slow when working with large files
  • The tool is very basic, so if you are looking for very advanced functionality, look elsewhere
iMovie is a great editing tool for beginners and users with little to no experience. If you are looking for a simple, straight forward way to edit your videos without having any training, this is the tool for you. If you are looking for a robust and very advanced editing platform, you may wish to look elsewhere.
Tim Corbett | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use iMovie across the entire Marketing department.
  • Quick edits to get raw video presentable fast.
  • Titles are simple to apply.
  • Editing out unwanted recordings is easy.
  • A dedicated YouTube compatible output format would be nice.
  • It is not intuitive to add music over the video.
  • The app itself is a bit of a resource hog.
iMovie works great for quick edits of footage down to something presentable quickly. It is not as quick or intuitive if needing to produce higher-quality output. It can be done, just not quickly. By that I mean, it takes a fair bit of practice and learning to get to the point of comfort in doing fancier presentations.
Matías Arévalo Larenas | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use it to produce audiovisual material, it solves the task of video production for social media material.
  • Easy to use
  • Fast render
  • light software
  • It'd be great to have social media templates so users can start from some presets. (e.g. Instagram stories template)
  • Have access to music within the same app
  • Social media transitions
The best thing of IMovie is its interface. In case you want to work on something more professional (e.g. 3D videos), I'll recommend another app.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Video is a big component of marketing collateral as we use video in our social ads, PPC ads, organic social channels, and on our website. iMovie is a great tool to easily edit any videography done in-house, or to edit an agency video if the edits are minor. Our marketing team uses iMovie which benefits the entire company as video is the easiest way to get a lot of information across to users in a quick, easy-to-understand manner.
  • iMovie allows users to upload their own clips and edit them together. You're able to add in more clips as you're working on your project which is great as some film editing software don't allow add ons of video clips once you've begun the editing process.
  • iMovie continually saves as you're working on your project and syncs with your devices so you can work on your project from other like computers.
  • iMovie is quick to update changes which allows time to be saved during the editing process. It's very helpful when you need to adjust 1-2 things and don't want to spend hours waiting for the changes to go through.
  • iMovie could improve its video size capabilities so you can use the same video for Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter without having to reformat your video.
  • It would be helpful to add a direct voiceover record option as you're editing your movies/videos.
  • It would be helpful to have faster processing times once you're completed with the editing and it's time to publish.
iMovie is a great tool to use personally and professionally as it's easy to understand where all the editing icons are. It works the best on Apple devices, and can even provide template videos for you to plug in your content if you need help with ideation. It is not as efficient in settings where you need longer videos to be created (over 30 mins) as it does not have as many advanced editing techniques such as Final Cut Pro. iMovie is fantastic for beginner/intermediate video editing skills and can be a great tool for companies that want to expand their brand voice/reach.
Jonathan Teixeira | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We currently use iMovie to edit simple videos. When Adobe Premiere Pro is overkill, we turn to iMovie. It's quick, simple, and surprisingly powerful. It gets the job done well, and it's easy to use. We don't use it for everything, but it certainly has its place in our toolkit. And it's free with a Mac.
  • Free with a Mac
  • Easy interface
  • Good editing tools
  • Fine-grain editing
  • Easier effects
  • Powerful effects
If you're looking to edit a video and you have a Mac, use, or at least try, iMovie. You already have it, or you can install it for free. It's so much better than any other free video software out there, and it's easy to use. Hardly a learning curve, and you can do a surprisingly large amount of work with it.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
At our organisation, we were using iMovie to create videos for product tutorial guides. We were an early-stage startup and iMovie is available for free use. It is great software and an easy-to-use tool. Also, it is very good for someone who wants to get started creating videos or editing videos.
  • Editing videos.
  • Editing animations between shots.
  • Editing audio and adding sound clips.
  • Enhancing audio.
  • Multiple video in the same frame.
  • Takes a lot of storage space.
It is a good tool for beginners and getting started in the video editing field. It is a good tool for startups because, with no expertise, you can get started and you can very quickly learn the tool. Even I can say you can learn the tool in less than one hour. It is a very smooth tool and it comes built-in on iPhones, iPad, and Mac.
Kelly Reumann | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We were using iMovie before we switched to using Adobe After Effects and it was great for someone who is just beginning in video editing. Definitely much more user-friendly than something like After Effects and you still get a pretty good end result! I would recommend for the beginning or casual video editor.
  • Simple: The functions are very easy to use in this software as opposed to more advanced software.
  • Quick: Even as an advanced video editor this program is easy to use for quick edits.
  • Transitions: Some of the transitions are pretty cheesy.
  • More output options.
I really like this software for simple or beginner edits. Something more advanced like After Effects can take more time and more power to run. Some people may be looking for software that is clean, easy to use, and straightforward. It's also a great starting point for someone who is just entering the world of video editing.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
A robust and simple tool that helps us to create video content with ease. As a small marketing team, iMovie allows us to edit our videos and podcasts with little effort. The tool is highly intuitive to use with a simple layout and enough features to produce engaging videos without the overwhelming functionality of some more professional level tools.
  • Easy to use.
  • Included with standard Mac OS.
  • Integrates easily with YouTube and Facebook.
  • Lacks the flexibility of more professional level editing tools.
  • Is resource heavy on the machine.
  • Titles/overlays are difficult to edit.
iMovie is well suited for creating videos that require a quick turnaround and limited editing or post-production. It is less suited for complex editing or graphics needs. It is really a basic video editing tool that comes with some cool extra functionality like titles, overlays, transitions, green screen capabilities and audio editing.
Josh Rizzo | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use iMovie for all of our videos on our website, social media, and YouTube. It doesn't have very advanced features but it's extremely easy for someone to learn and allows us to rapidly upload, edit, and export videos.
  • Simple layering of video, photo, and audio
  • Basic color grading tools
  • Easy cutting and transitions
  • Very limited color grading features
  • Can't layer more than a few layers
  • Limited ability to customize titles and text
If you're new to video editing, it doesn't get any simpler than iMovie. You can easily create a very professional video as long as you don't need nice-looking titles or motion design.
Andy Fuller | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
iMovie is used by me personally as a quick, intuitive way to piece together movie projects when other editing software is not available. It has the essential tools you'll need to produce polished video on the fly. They've compressed an impressive amount of features into a small app. The biggest problem it addresses is the need to produce video in-the-field without access to your laptop.
  • Clip selection - simply start a project and tap which clips you want to include.
  • Transitions - it sounds simple, but simple transitions between clips in a phone app are great.
  • Titles - good options for text over your video.
  • The clip trim feature is a little imprecise - but you have to expect that with your thumbs doing most of the editing, not a mouse.
iMovie is a great solution for folks who can't have access to some of the more robust video editing platforms. After a little time learning the app, you can really get a sense for just how many assets it has. You can add music from your own collection, titles, themes, more. And of course your own videos and photos (complete with Ken Burns pan!). And since it's in your phone, easy upload to your social platforms is available.
Rene Agredano | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We create product reviews and social media to highlight stories for our Tripawds community. Two people in our organization use it, one is more experienced with it than the other. We love that it can be used on the desktop or our phones, and both versions are just as intuitive and easy to use.
  • Works similarly with both desktop and mobile version
  • Intuitive functions make it easy to use for novices
  • Easily shares to social media platforms
  • Love the auto-save feature
  • When used on a smaller desktop screen, the menus are difficult to view.
  • I would love to have more integration with YouTube music choices when creating movies.
  • I would like it to more easily integrate with iCloud library (I have to move photos from there to my desktop, as far as I know).
When our main graphic designer's workload became overloaded, a novice user on our team (me) was able to learn iMovie on the fly (first on the phone and then on the desktop) to create short promotional videos for our community. We loved how it took very little training to do so. Now our graphic designer is free to do more complex projects.

We can't think of a time when it is less appropriate; it's a pretty awesome tool.
Nicole (Burke) Rosario | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
iMovie is a free application that comes right out-of-the-box on any Mac laptop. We use the software for everything from quick updates for staff, videos for our lobby monitor and web spots. It is easy to use, makes great videos and is definitely a go-to tool for our business.
  • Easy to Use
  • Powerful
  • Inexpensive
  • Better title graphics (more control over placement, size, etc)
Well suited for internal videos, slide shows, web commercials, etc.
Nicole Glover | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use it in the Technology Department to easily edit our school's Senior Speech presentations. It is also the best choice for all of our different green screen projects. I haven't found anything else that is as user-friendly or has the functionality to do what is needed for our green screen needs.
  • Green screen editing
  • Easily split movies
  • Easily trim start and end of videos
  • The "Share to YouTube" feature always seems to freeze
  • Not easy to figure out/remember how to split a clip, but can it easy to do once you figure out the shortcut
  • A little confusing on how to add music
Anytime you are doing a green screen project, I would highly recommend. Also, perfect for simple editing of videos. It is a bit much to figure out for younger students, so it is better suited to at least middle grades as far as an independent project. And I would recommend "Share" as a file.
Cedric Haynes | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
iMovie is my go-to video editing program right now. The interface is easy to use, importing files is pretty straightforward and the timeline is very familiar as with other programs. I like the fact that it comes with Apple/Mac computers and for the most part, remains stable under most conditions. Problems it solves? Well, when I need to edit a video that contains noisy audio that needs to be replaced with dialogue, music or both, iMovie handles the task with ease.
  • Separating audio track from video.
  • Importing pics, video, and other media types.
  • Trimming scenes down to specific timeframes.
  • It can be slow when rendering video for uploading to social media, video channels etc.
  • Can crash at times when the processes become too overwhelming.
  • Most video cameras are supported. Recommendation: Check beforehand to be sure yours is compatible!
iMovie has come through in a pinch for editing music videos, memories, and other business presentations. Podcasting is easier to accomplish with iMovie because of the built-in templates. I probably could afford Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere but for now, iMovie is doing its job with little to no problems. The problems that I have encountered were easily resolved with either a restart of the program, or reboot of the computer.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
iMovie is not an app I would recommend for use within a business setting unless the video editing required is basic. Cut, paste, export, etc... That said - in a world where more people have a Mac computer than ever before - Apple provides the built in ability to edit video in a very accessible manner. It's very user-friendly for new users to pick it up, and very easy for an Apple based organization to implement it. It gives the power of video editing to the everyday person across your organization.
  • File management. This is one of the tricky things that is not a benefit if you are a pro user, however iMovie has a built in file management system that makes sure all the files you are using in your edit are carried along with the project file. It's easy to lose these files as it typically requires manual organization - however iMovie does it for you, automatically.
  • The editing UI is designed for a modern generation. No longer are we connected to the manual cutting and pasting of the moviola era, it's a drag and drop friendly platform for the digital generation.
  • Auto save is another huge feature. You never lose progress due to forgetting to hit command + S.
  • Audio for video editing is a bit limiting. A pro user would feel limited, but the average person can pretty well do what they need in iMovie and that's what matters for this platform.
  • The design of the UI could use some updating so it doesn't feel so bubbly. This may purely be an aesthetic concern, and maybe the old style makes it more approachable, but i'd prefer to see a more slick design so you don't feel like you are using a kids program.
  • If you ever want to share the project or manually manage files, it can be a bit difficult to figure out. Fortunately Apple allows you to import a project from iMovie into FCPX if you ever want to be upwardly mobile.
If you or your organization need to perform some simple video editing tasks but don't need the feature set of a pro-editor - the free with a Mac iMovie is the way to go. It's a true gateway into the FCPX universe but not necessarily something you have to invest a ton of time to learn and put to use.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I have extensively used iMovie for producing videos that go on YouTube and Vimeo. We have also created a specific education focussed YouTube channel where 4 producers collaborated to get over 100 videos live in two months. All of these videos were edited on iMovie. I have also used iMovie for personal hobby projects.
  • Easy to manage the timeline and drag and drop clips and effects.
  • Immediate preview and captioning of videos.
  • Easy to edit the audio, one click to remove background noise, etc.
  • It's so much easier than other low-end softwares to sync audio in cases where audio and video were recorded separately.
  • The white balance on iMovie isn't as powerful, and it is better to get the lighting and settings right when shooting rather than editing in iMovie.
  • The overall management of raw clips that you imported for your videos can be a little tricky once you cross a few dozen videos.
iMovie is very well suited for beginners and semi-professionals who don't want to get in-depth into video editing but want to produce quality content. It is surprising how many people pick up and start churning out decently well-made videos from iMovie within a few hours of tweaking around. In the old days, it was the movie maker on windows that did the trick for several people, but iMovie is a professional software when compared to likes of Windows Movie Maker. In fact, even the likes of Filmora doesn't offer a lot in comparison.
Ali Rauch | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
When we need a quick and simple video that incorporates photos, video footage, and music, iMovie is the quickest way to create it in a flash. You can even let it do "the work" by letting some of the default settings come into play, but if you need minute details changed, you also have the power in your own hands. It's great and intuitive.
  • Intuitive process to make it easy for a novice.
  • Default settings to make the process easier when in a rush.
  • Adding music and headlines is super easy.
  • Sometimes the default settings of how it zooms into a photo make it act the way you don't want, and that can be frustrating. It's like they've made it so easy that when you get better and want to get detailed on custom changes, it won't let you.
  • There are limited headline and text options. Wish they could do custom text/font options.
  • If they had a built-in library of background music to choose from, it would make life so much better.
When making a year in review photo collage video, it's an amazing program that is easy and fast. When trying to make a high-quality commercial, it feels a bit too juvenile.
Dan Talvi | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
As the Audio / Visual Coordinator for a multi-campus religious organization, iMovie was one of the applications used to produce weekly video material for our weekly services, online content, promotions & marketing, and community service. In conjunction with Adobe Photoshop for graphics, iMovie was used to assemble weekly sermon videos for YouTube. It was also used to create sermon bumpers and other mini-movies related to weekly sermons. In addition to sermon materials, iMovie was used for editing short promotional videos promoting special events on our Facebook and other social media pages.
  • Easy to Use
  • Free (with compatible Mac)
  • iPhone and iPad (iOS) version available
  • Only available on Mac (no Windows version)
  • Lacks advanced video editing functionality
As effective as it is, iMovie is specifically geared towards hobbyists and beginning video editors. Compared to other video editing software, iMovie lacks the features, functionality, and (most specifically) control that others provide. However, what it does, it does well-- allowing users to assemble basic video productions easily and fluidly with an easy-to-learn interface.
Jason Stein | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Although I'm a small business consulting firm, iMovie has helped me compete in the marketplace.

All trends show that video marketing is on the rise and iMovie is easy to use quickly and efficiently.
  • Easily make high-end trailers with templates.
  • Quickly convert video from your phone and easily upload to your computer or YouTube.
  • Overlay audio tracks in minutes rather than hours.
  • It would be nice if iMovie had a quick meme function with templates.
  • I also recommend iMovie keep updating their templates on a more regular basis.
Well suited for any small business owner that is wanting to make videos a regular part of their marketing.

Not well suited for PC users.
Chris McCarthy | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Video content attracts and deeply engages an audience like no other can. We use IMovie to personalize all of the video content we create. A lot of video content is taken, then repurposed when we need to tell a great story to the ideal audience looking for exactly that. IMovie let’s us do that simply and effectively, again and again. Most of our IMovie work is done by me as I am the Chief Creative Officer and I use it for our target audience, but we do use it internally to as a communication tool.
  • Celebrity interviews and out takes. We host celebrity interviews as sources of inspiration for our millennial audience. We do a lot of editing, and we love to use the out takes as both learning tools, and sources of great humor to post on social media.
  • IMovie is so easy to use, that it helps us invest much more time on the creative artistic side, and less on getting the tech to do what we bought it to do.
  • Great video begins in one’s eye, first. If we capture that right first, then a simple editing tool is all we really need. IMovie does exactly that, while we focus on improving our eye for great video.
  • Some features take getting used to, like syncing voice edits with visual. I might suggest they make it more intuitive for 1st timers, beyond just a video tutorial.
Focus on capturing great, purposeful video content whenever you see it! Consider taking lots of great video, long before you need it. IMovie will then let you do simple edits to further personalize it from there.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
It was used specifically by the Design department for advertising our app game, creating a demo video for the App Store and splicing together game footage.
  • iMovie splices film together quickly and simply
  • It provides great basic transitions
  • Lining up music or sound to film is fast and easy
  • More detailed look at footage to know where to cut
  • A numbered or ticked timeline would be very helpful
  • A less confusing interface for newer users
iMovie is perfect for basic video and audio splicing. Great for producing videos such as karaoke singalongs, basic demo videos, etc. I would not recommend for serious, in-depth editing.
November 16, 2018

I do it with iMovie

Catheline Shin | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
It is primarily used by Advancement to create videos for marketing, event recordings, and development work. Classroom teachers, and particularly students are also avid users because they find it easy to create demos, recordings of presentations, and show off their current work.
  • Easy to use. It doesn’t get any easier than iMovie IMHO. The drop and drag interface is fairly intuitive. No need for a giant manual to get started.
  • Just enough tools. For the layman you need to know where to drop in audio, title screens, transitions, etc. no more, no less. It’s not the most sophisticated but it can get the job done quickly.
  • You can use it on multiple interfaces. For example, I use iMovie on my iPhone, iPad, AND my Mac and it’s all rather seamless. You can start a project in one place and pick it up somewhere else. Now that’s flexible.
  • Exporting. You’d think this would be more intuitive but the language Apple uses is a little bizarre...you can choose to save it as a theater project or as a file but it’s not super clear.
  • Fine tuning. Sometimes you need an exact moment where to stop audio and start a person talking and it can be difficult to get that level of detail to match up.
  • Tutorials. It would be nice for iMovie to have some quick and dirty tutorials for you to take within the software as many others do but as far as I can tell there is no such thing.
Making a cinematic film? Use Adobe. Making a quick film with titles or splicing several clips together? Use iMovie.
Dave Becker | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use iMovie in our Marketing Department to help us create videos quickly. The great thing about iMovie is that it's very user friendly. We often will have someone from another department who wants to make a video quickly, but has no experience with video editing software. iMovie is a wonderful resource for them to use because it takes very little training to use and gets the job done.
  • When combining clips of audio or video, all you have to do is drag and drop the content. It's very easy to use.
  • You can export your finished video into the most commonly used video formats and resolutions, making it really easy to share your videos with others and online.
  • iMovie saves your projects as you work on them, so you can work on multiple projects at once or save the work of several users on one computer.
  • iMovie is a very inexpensive option for video editing software, especially when you aren't looking for cinematic results.
  • It takes a long time to export videos from iMovie. Depending on the length of the project you're working on, it could take a few hours.
  • There are a decent amount of effects and transitions to use, but the customization of them is lacking.
  • iMovie is only available for Apple devices. Windows has other options, but if you're used to iMovie and have to switch to a Windows computer, you might miss the user-friendliness that came from iMovie.
iMovie is really helpful if you're just getting into video editing, or if you just need to combine some clips together into a finished product. It takes very little training to get started on, so it's easy to train employees to use it quickly. If you are serious about video editing, I would recommend looking at something more robust than what iMovie has to offer. For basic projects, it's great.
Jackie Bassett | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We do a lot of research and video interviews of millennials, as they find their "Who I Am." Our Chief Creative Officer, Chris McCarthy, was getting interviews with celebrities and CEOs who were remote. So we used Zoom. But Chris wanted to be even more creative, writing his own songs to the videos and adding in voiceovers that would enhance the experience for the audience and the interviewees.

It was difficult to choose the right tech that would be powerful, yet super easy to work with. We went to the Apple store, got some training in a demo, and we were up and running the very next day! I use it now too.
  • Editing precisely so you can cut, then test for perfect, then re-cut from the original without losing anything
  • Enhance the experience of the original video and craft even more content from the outtakes.
  • Easy to use - lets you create fearlessly, as you don't have to worry that you'll lose what you created and you can "just create".
  • My OS X was outdated for the version of iMovie we needed. So we had to Google how to match HW with SW without buying an entire new Mac. There should be some easier options for when this happens. We ended up using Chris's iPad as it was much newer.
  • We'd like to see even more tutorials for the things we can do now. Voice-overs and adding music were easy, but it's pretty intense SW and learning by video is the best option.
  • We had an mp4 video we were working with and we learned the hard way that it's best to always go back to the original. The challenge was, the original had a ton of edits and the changes we needed to make in the last iteration were miniscule. It seems there should be a much cleaner way to do that without losing clarity in the last video.
Every video can be made better using iMovie. You get to really personalize any video for any audience this way. We had a fishing video of a young girl making a great catch, and it could be used for many audiences as it captured her deserved pride that she exceeded her uncle's fish catch. We can now add songs that are more melody, and re-edit to add fierce competitiveness. Basically you can shoot a video once, and then edit endlessly, allowing repurposing and personalization any way you wish.
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