iMovie '11 - The Final Cut for 2011

iMovie ''11 has a streamlined interface that allows you to see all your audio waveforms and adjust them by dragging the mouse.

It''s funny when I talk to fellow producers and directors in my studio, with large monitors with Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 up on the screens, and I ask them how they like iMovie. Sometimes they chuckle, sometimes they have a blank stare, but almost always they have a look of surprise. Well, the joke is usually on them, as iMovie ''11 is one of the most powerful and useful editors on the Mac platform.

Granted, I won''t be giving up Final Cut or Premiere anytime soon, but for fast results, it is hard to beat iMovie for lots of editing projects. First of all, it''s all real-time, all the time. HD footage, DSLR movies, AVCCAM, whatever you throw at it, loads right in. Once the footage is in the program, all effects, transitions and everything is in real-time. There are no red bars; actually, there are no render bars at all. This alone makes editing and experimenting much more enjoyable.

While the program is packed with transitions, effects, titles and sound effects, what you may not know is how you can stack these options. First of all, when you drag a graphic or clip over another, a menu pops up with composition options. You can replace the clip, do an insert, show it as a cutaway, picture in picture, arrange it side-by-side, or even green screen or blue screen it in as a key. Every item, from video clips to titles to graphics, has a pull-down menu with tons of options. You can easily do film looks and basic color grading.

With audio, you can do ducking, fading, equalizing, enhance, reduce background noise, add an audio effect and normalize. Want to zoom in and pan over a clip, change speed, reverse it, smooth motion, add camera stabilization, eliminate rolling shutter or reduce motion distortion? It''s all one click. Drilling into the feature set reveals so many pro level features that you''ll constantly be muttering, “I didn''t know the program could do that!”

The new iMovie ''11 adds a great group of cool features — some pro and some consumer — but all worth mentioning. The program will now automatically create a movie trailer for you, complete with sound, music and cuts. Just add in a group of footage, fill in some options, and hit play.

Audio editing has received the biggest update compared to earlier versions. You can now toggle on all waveforms and see your levels, and you can easily adjust and fade them just by dragging. If your audio is peaking, it will turn yellow. Correction is a quick mouse drag.

There is a new single row view that shows your entire movie in one horizontal timeline, a welcome addition to fans of previous versions. And because iMovie works with dual monitors, you can really stretch out and create. New one-step effects are included for things like instant replay and flash and hold, as well as new sports and news title themes. The people finder option tags and tracks everyone in your videos (just like Faces does in iPhoto), so you can keep track of your growing cast. Export options are plentiful and go direct out to Facebook, Vimeo, CNN iReport, Apple Podcast Producer, iTunes, 720p/1080p, Apple ProRes and any format that you can imagine. You can even export your project as a Final Cut XML file to finish up in your “pro” program.

Why so many pro features in a consumer program? Because the consumer has become the pro. There is a camcorder revolution going on, much like DSLR, where people can spend a few hundred dollars and shoot fantastic 1080p tapeless HD. iMovie is ramping up to Final Cut level but is holding on to its roots of effortless usability and fast no-wait results. Whatever editor you are currently using, it''s most likely more than a decade old. And the interface? Tack on another five years. iMovie ''11 takes a new approach in design and usability, which, by the way, I think is a fantastic way to work once you take a day or so to get used to the layout. iMovie ''11 was a great deal as part of the $49 iLife ''11 box, but now it''s available as a download in the newly released Mac App Store for $14.99? This is a no brainer.

Now it''s doubtful you''ll leap up on a desk at your studio and let everyone know the entire operation is switching over to an iMovie ''11 workflow. However, I would suggest not to discount it quite so quickly. Buy it on the App Store, and watch some of the tutorial videos on Apple.com. You will quickly realize that the next revolution of desktop editing is here now. You''ll also discover something about consumers — that they have it almost as good as you do these days.