FANTASTIC!
When iMovie 08 came out there was a tremendous uproar from the fans of the prior iMovie versions. This new version was dramatically different than prior versions and frankly, wasn’t finished.
In January, iMovie 09 was introduced at MacWorld and what a difference the new version is! Many of the disparagers now agree that while different, iMovie is no longer incomplete. It is just different.
I’ve made films with iMovie (both types), Final Cut Express and Final Cut Pro/Studio. The pre-iMovie 08 version, Final Cut Express and Final Cut Pro were all the same type of film-editing application. Typically referred to as  a non-linear editing tool, the concept is to roughly approximate the work flow one performs in editing movies using the older tape-based process. Much of the terms –bins and clips — used in Final Cut, are the same used for years in the film industry.
Though, iMovie 09 came from the same mind that created previous NLE’s such as Premiere and Final Cut, Randy Ubillos, this one came out different. Â iMovie 09 isn’t a reduced feature set (dumbed down) NLE, it is a new way of editing. That is going to create some unhappy experienced film-makers. That said, iMovie 09 could get a lot of people that were not editing videos, editing.
Why? NLE takes time and its not intuitive to the novice. I remember reading a review of iMovie, probably around 2004, that complained how difficult and time-consuming creating a video took. I was a bit taken back since I do believe “anything that is worth while doing takes time”. I also had my own issues with iMovie, quickly moving to Final Cut Express due to the limitations of iMovie. Ultimately, I moved to Final Cut Studio, with which I struggle, but have the ultimate in flexibility and power.
Over the next few days, I’ll detail the differences and value of iMovie 09, particularly in how its a great film editor to pair with the Flip Ultra HD.
In the meantime, Ken Stone has an outstanding and detailed review of iMovie, I suggest reading it.