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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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TrustRadius Insights
TrustRadius Insights

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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Verified User
Professional in Marketing
Entertainment Company, 1-10 employees
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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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January 03, 2024

iMovie is for easy for ALL...try.

Verified User
Professional in Marketing
Entertainment Company, 1-10 employees
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
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!

Verified User
Employee in Marketing
Marketing & Advertising Company, 1-10 employees
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
June 06, 2021

iMovie is quick, relatively simple, and a good value

Tim Corbett | TrustRadius Reviewer
Tim Corbett
General Manager
Infinite Energy Construction, inc (Construction, 51-200 employees)
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
May 23, 2021

iMovie: TThe best UI/UX editing software for beginners!

Verified User
Manager in Marketing
Retail Company, 11-50 employees
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
May 23, 2021

Awesome for a Free Tool

Jonathan Teixeira | TrustRadius Reviewer
Jonathan Teixeira
Co-Founder
WalletWin (E-Learning, 1-10 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
May 21, 2021

Best video editing tool for beginners!

Verified User
Director in Information Technology
Computer Hardware Company, 1-10 employees
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
May 21, 2021

iMove is no After Effects but it has its place

Kelly Reumann | TrustRadius Reviewer
Kelly Reumann
Lead Graphic Designer/ Marketing
CyberCartel International Inc. (Retail, 51-200 employees)
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
May 21, 2021

Easy to use and basically free.

Verified User
Manager in Marketing
Computer Software Company, 11-50 employees
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
May 04, 2020

You're Spielberg. You just don't know it.

Andy Fuller | TrustRadius Reviewer
Andy Fuller
Director of Strategic Content
University of Notre Dame (Higher Education, 5001-10,000 employees)
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
March 20, 2020

Even a novice can make a great video with iMovie

Rene Agredano | TrustRadius Reviewer
Rene Agredano
Advocacy Journalist and Co-Founder
Tripawds.com (Veterinary, 1-10 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
October 22, 2019

iMovie is a must for green screen!

Nicole Glover | TrustRadius Reviewer
Nicole Glover
Technology Coordinator, Junior Kindergarten-Grade 12
Louisville Collegiate School (Education Management, 51-200 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
October 16, 2019

Best choice - quick and fast

Cedric Haynes | TrustRadius Reviewer
Cedric Haynes
Videographer
Lonell Multimedia (Media Production, 1-10 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
August 26, 2019

iMovie - Enabling Mac Users Everywhere to Edit Video

JM
Joel McAfee
Producer
lilDRAGON (Media Production, 1-10 employees)
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
May 29, 2019

iMovie -- One of the hidden value adds of having a Mac

Verified User
Team Lead in Other
Computer Software Company, 11-50 employees
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
February 03, 2019

Effective, but has its limitations

Dan Talvi | TrustRadius Reviewer
Dan Talvi
Audio / Visual Coordinator
GST BOCES (Religious Institutions, 11-50 employees)
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
December 04, 2018

Start with Great Video, Then Personalize It With iMovie.

Chris McCarthy | TrustRadius Reviewer
Chris McCarthy
Chief Creative Officer
Creating The Future Today - a division of Sealed Speed, Inc. (Marketing and Advertising, 11-50 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
November 14, 2018

Easy to Use, Inexpensive, No Frills Video Editing

Dave Becker | TrustRadius Reviewer
Dave Becker
Content Manager
The Next Street (Education Management, 51-200 employees)
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
September 03, 2018

Captures Your "Inner Spielberg"

Jackie Bassett | TrustRadius Reviewer
Jackie Bassett
CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
NEJM Group (Hospital & Health Care, 11-50 employees)
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Likelihood to Recommend
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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