Digital Video: Make iMovie ’08 work your way

Despite iMovie ’08’s seemingly missing features, the program has hidden depth. It can still perform some of its predecessor’s tricks—just not in obvious ways. And a subsequent update, version 7.1, adds other enhancements. Here’s how to get the most out of the software.

What iDVD '08 Compression Options Really Mean

Every time I've used iDVD '08 and reached the point of checking the Project Info pane's Encoding options, they never make complete sense, even after searching the web for answers. I'm in the process of transferring my Laserdiscs to DVDs and have now built up enough experience that I think I've figured this all out. Here's what seems to be going on.The gist of the confusion about encoding is that the word "quality" is used in two different ways. There is the quality of the rendered video to be burned on the DVD, which is really what is important. But, unfortunately, the word quality also appears in the naming of the compression algorithms used, Best Quality and Professional Quality. This latter use is ill-advised, because the amount of compression applied to your video may or may not affect the quality of the video you end up with.We all understand the meaning of picture quality, and iDVD '08 usefully indicates final DVD video quality via a color grading scale, from g...

iMovie 7.1.2 and iDVD 7.0.2 updates

Apple just released updates for iMovie and iDVD. According to Software Update, the iMovie update "addresses general compatibility issues, improves overall stability, and addresses a number of other minor issues."The iDVD update "supports general compatibility issues, improves overall stability, and addresses a number of other minor issues."You can download both of these updates via Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update) or download the installer packages by visiting Apple's Support Downloads website.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Time-Saving Tips: Get creative with iLife

Working with photos and editing video can be fun, but that doesn’t mean you want to spend all your free time in front of the computer. Here are 18 simple iLife tricks that'll speed you through the boring parts.

Apple releases iMovie 7.1.2

Section: Apple News, Updates, Software + Apps, iLifeToday, Mac users received an iMovie update. Apple has released iMovie 7.1.2. Apple usually doesn’t reveal too much information about its updates, and the iMovie update isn’t any different. When you log onto the Apple support website, the message states, “This update addresses general compatibility issues, improves overall stability, and addresses a number of other minor issues.” The download is 17.9MB. iMovie is a fabulous movie application developed by Apple, Inc., which allows users to create their own movies. I purchased my 17” MacBook Pro almost two years ago, and iMovie was an application I used often. I’ve since moved on to Final Cut Express. iMovie was originally released by Apple in 1999 as a Mac OS 8 application. iMovie joined the iLife ‘06 suite in January 2006. When iMovie ‘08 was released as part of iLife ‘08, it took several steps backwards. I was puzzled by the features that had been left out. Many iMovie users expressed their disappointment because Apple left out a lot of the sophisticated editing features that users had grown to love in iMovie ‘06. Features such as creating classic timeline, creating DVD chapter markers, along with in-timeline audio were completely removed from iMovie ‘08. Apple responded to the complaints made by many iMovie users and released iMovie HD 6, which is available as a free download for those who have purchased iMovie ‘08. If you want to check software updates manually, click on the Apple menu, then click on Software Update. If updates are needed, they will appear, and you can choose to download them. If you haven’t updated iMovie, log onto the Apple support website and download iMovie 7.1.2. Full Story » | Written by Opal Tribble for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Possibly restore older iPhoto themes in iPhoto '08

Upon trying to create a book in iPhoto '08, I noticed a lot of the old themes were not available. Browsing around, I found the theme folder for iPhoto in the top-level Library folder, in Application Support » iPhoto » Themes. Inside that folder were many themes not available through iPhoto itself, but that were available in older versions. As one example, BabyBoy-Hardcover.IPBookTheme isn't available in the list of book themes pop-up menu, but it is in that folder. I can't guarantee how safe/legal the following process is, but I was able to enable the old themes by editing a parameter in that theme's Contents/Resources folder. I opened Contents » Resources » Implementation.plist in a text editor (or Property List Editor) and changed the Hidden parameter from yes to no. After saving my changes and restarting iPhoto, the old theme was available in iPhoto. [robg adds: I used BBEdit and ran a multi-file search to find the hidden th...