Introduction
Both Apple and Microsoft released new versions of their respective "free" consumer video editors in Jan. 2003. Apple's iMovie 3.0.1 description reads: "iMovie is the easiest way to import, edit, and share your movies." In this article, I'll attempt to discover whether the program lives up to this claim. I'll also look at Microsoft's Windows Movie Maker 2, and attempt to import, edit and share movies with each of these tools.
System Requirements
Both programs are designed for -- and require -- recent system software releases. Apple's iMovie 3 requires a Mac with 256MB or more RAM and a G3 processor at 400 MHz or better and Mac OS X 10.1.5 or later; Windows MovieMaker 2 requires 128MB of memory and a Pentium III, Athlon or equivalent processor at 600 MHz or better, running Windows XP Home Edition or Professional Edition.
iMovie requires a minimum resolution of 1024x768, making it incompatible with some Macs, including the "clamshell" iBooks.
Windows MovieMaker 2 runs on displays with resolutions of 800x600 or less, although the program pops up a dialog box when launched at these resolutions, advising you that better display results can be achieved if you run at resolutions of 1024x768 or higher.
iMovie
In my overview of iMovie 3 and iPhoto 2 elsewhere on this website, I detailed my first impressions of the UI of iMovie 3. Here's an expanded list of observations, based on further testing of the program.
First, a disclaimer: I expect a Mac software program's user interface to be reasonably elegant and intuitive -- especially if it comes from Apple. To me, that's the very essence of the Mac.
I also consider myself a pretty good judge of what makes sense and what doesn't. With that said, this part of the review is most definitely an opinion piece -- and an occasionally cranky one at that. If you think I am looking a gift horse in the mouth by complaining about a program that Apple generously gives away for free and find that it suits your needs perfectly, hey, lucky you. It just doesn't cut it for me. Here's why.
Where do I start? Well, for starters, there are quite a few common file types (including several varieties of QuickTime-compatible files) that iMovie 3 can't open at all. Capturing video from a FireWire-connected camera is covered, but, beyond that, things get a little murky. The common MPEG-2 format requires extra-cost software to even load, and when such a file does load, you may find that the audio track is missing. This happened even with files I created on a Mac.
Heck, I'd even be okay with having to own QuickTime Pro (which CAN do conversions) in order to enable such a function in the program. But having it not work at all with a file that may or may not look just like another file, which DOES work, or having the soundtrack go mysteriously missing -- what's up with that? As well, imported files aren't automatically split into scenes, the way they are in MovieMaker. In short, importing previously captured clips is very weak.
Speed... or lack thereof
In my original draft of this story, I had a section in which I complained about the speed of iMovie 3. Then, I removed it, thinking that this is ultimately a computer issue and, of course, such problems can almost always be solved by throwing more money at the problem. Then I rebooted my G4 into Mac OS 9 and booted iMovie 2 in that environment. Wow. I was suddenly reminded how incredibly fast iMovie 2 can be on the same hardware I was now finding lamentably slow under OS X. As a consequence, I've come to my senses. iMovie 3 IS frickin' slow. Slow enough that the performance of iMovie 3 makes me wonder if it was purposely made slow, to encourage users like me, who've bought a new Mac in the past 12 months, to suddenly feel the urge to upgrade to a faster machine. (One user, posting at the forums at MacFixIt, notes "iMovie 3's performance is dismal and brings my Dual800 to its knees making it basically unusable.") The G4-based Mac on which I tested the app is considerably above the minimum requirement, yet the program can't even display quarter-screen video previews of DV clips smoothly. And, yes, my computer felt like a speed demon running iMovie 2.0x under Mac OS 9. Didn't they all?
I'd also like to address the inevitable comments I'm sure to get from owners of dual 1 GHz or faster Macs, who will probably write to tell me that the program runs just fine on their machines. Surely, the target audience for this product is the consumer more likely to buy an iMac, eMac or iBook. These are Apple's consumer Macs. The dual G4 towers are aimed at and priced for the pros.
QuoteUnquote
It's impossible to ignore the simple fact that you can get a lot more done in less time using Microsoft's program on the Windows platform.
Importing Movies
On a mid-range G4, Importing files is hideously slow -- we're talking about taking 45 seconds to import a 40MB DV file that any editor on the Windows platform could import in a second or two – and, unlike Microsoft's free (and surprisingly elegant) Windows MovieMaker 2, iMovie 3 provides no option to automatically split clips on an imported DV video file based on scene breaks.
(Graeme adds: Dragging a DV file into the program's Media folder avoids this lengthy and completely unnecessary import operation, as iMovie will identify the files as "stray clips" the next time the program starts and add them to the video bin.)
Things get much worse when you try to import MPEG-1 or AVI files into iMovie 3. In the time it took iMovie to import a 46MB MPG clip, I was able to import the same file into MovieMaker, perform automatic scene detection, add a new soundtrack, trim out unwanted portions of the video, re-render the file and save the results as a DV clip. iMovie didn't even detect scene changes after eight minutes of importing! A 15MB AVI file took 19 minutes (!) to load. MovieMaker loaded it in two seconds. iMovie 3 can't import MPEG-2 files at all, unless an extra-cost MPEG-2 option is purchased. (After I loaded Apple's US$19.95 MPEG-2 extension, a 15 MB MPEG-2 file took approximately five minutes to be imported, but loaded with the soundtrack mysteriously missing. The same problem affected a second test file, created on a Mac using Formac's Devideon VCD authoring software.) The same files loaded with no problems (and almost instantly!) into Movie Maker 2. Don't even bother trying to load DivX files. After an interminable wait, you'll be told that the required software can't be found. Again, MovieMaker handles these files with aplomb.
(Graeme adds: Whoa, there cowboy! The author's statement that "The same files loaded with no problems -- and almost instantly! -- into Movie Maker 2" is a half-truth, at best. While it is true that MPEG-2 files such as SVCD clips, (non-encrypted) DVD-compliant movies and so on will load into MovieMaker 2 almost instantly in Storyboard mode, it becomes evident after closer examination that there are bugs in the program's handling of these and other MPEG-2 files when in Timeline mode. In this mode, they can be imported into the program's Clips collection, but can only be used as audio/music clips, despite the fact that the same clips load with video and audio intact, yet won't export properly in Storyboard mode -- at least on the system on which I tested the software. Weird, eh? I find it intriguing that iMovie 3, which can't seem to load audio tracks from MPEG-2 movies at all, and MovieMaker 2, which, in timeline mode, can only load the audio tracks, have such strikingly complementary deficiencies. It's also worth noting that MPEG-2 support is pre-installed on almost all PCs with a DVD-capable drive, but it, like DivX, is nevertheless an optional codec to Microsoft's Windows Media.)
I appreciate the fact that iMovie 3 converts all clips internally to DV format, in order to allow rapid exports to iDVD 3. But that doesn't change the fact that the required conversion to this format introduces a huge speed penalty during import operations. The performance differences when importing clips are so staggering, it's impossible to ignore the simple fact that you can get a lot more done in less time -- and with less trouble! -- using Microsoft's program on the Windows platform.
(Graeme adds: It should be mentioned that Apple's Final Cut Express is able to load and preview clips very quickly, as well, although it suffers from the same missing audio issue as iMovie when importing MPEG-2 files.)
Editing Movies
For a product from a company that prides itself on user interface finesse, the editing interface of iMovie is a mess. Most of the user interface features are evolved from those on the earlier iMovie 2 release. The designers of that version also made a few dubious interface design decisions. There is almost no support for two button mice. (Not invented here! -- I know.) Very few interface elements have tool tips to help you figure out what they do. (To its credit, though, there are more now than there were in iMovie 2 -- that version's "no tool tips" interface was a crazy design decision I'll never understand. What's wrong with giving people a few hints as to what those unlabeled checkboxes actually do?) For example, I still haven't figured out what the little handles are on the left and right edges of a transition. You'd think they should allow you to shorten or lengthen the transition -- this is the way transitions work in almost all other programs, including Windows MovieMaker. But, no, here, they seem to do nothing. Instead, you have to manipulate an unnamed slider control with at least one obscure icon. I think it is supposed to be a rabbit.
So, why is the rabbit behind the turtle? Isn't the rabbit supposed to symbolize "faster"? Wouldn't "faster than the turtle" place the rabbit ahead of the turtle? If you ask me, low equates to slow, and fast, like loud, should be on the right. After all, that's where "fast forward" is on any VCR, and that's where timelines all end up. I live in a world of speedometers where things are faster on the right side. Apparently Apple is thinking different (identifying itself, perhaps, with the hare in the old Aesop's Fable?), but to me, it just seems counter-intuitive. Apparently, someone back in the early days of iMovie decided that "faster" should be on the left and we're stuck with the design. But at least "faster" and "slower" were non-ambiguous text labels on iMovie 2. Here, we've got tiny icons to figure out.
Now, even if you think I'm niggling over this admittedly minor point, surely you can't argue with the next interface gaffe I will describe -- the most serious interface flaw in the program, in my opinion. Let's say you have a collection of video clips that you want to make into a movie. Considering the nature of this program, that's not too much of a stretch. Now, let's say that some of the files you attempt to load can't be imported directly into iMovie. This, I'm sure you'll discover is not uncommon -- there are lots of QuickTime movies and other file types that, although they will open in QuickTime, they won't, for reasons I can't begin to fathom, open in iMovie 3.
When you try to import such a file, the program says this operation can't be completed, as the file is not supported. Fair enough; that's just the way the program works. But I'm working on my movie. I WANT to import these files. I save the movie I'm working on (as you should, too!), quit iMovie and launch whatever program I have that happens to let me fix the problem. Maybe it's QuickTime Pro or whatever.
Okay, with a little fiddling in some other program, I've solved the problem. Now, I relaunch iMovie and reopen my movie-in-progress. (Here's where the problem shows up....) A dialog appears telling me that my movie clip -- the one I liked so much I wanted to use in the first place -- can't be part of this project and must be thrown "in the Trash." Quick - do you want to "trash" your valuable movie -- yes or no? So, let's say, for the sake of this discussion, you elect to Trash it, as the program suggests. Is it actually in the Trash? Is it still where you put it? Which "Trash" is the program talking about -- the Trash at the end of the Dock, or some other invisible Trash? Now maybe you know the answers to these puzzlers, but I can assure you, may people won't. That's a terrible flaw, and a pointless one, too. Apple has used needless confusing terminology, and not explained what actually needs to happen.
Now, admittedly, I'm in a very cranky mood after being mentally tortured with the idea that my precious movie clip has just been trashed, so the next bit might seem a bit unreasonable to you, but let's just look at the interface and try to decide if it's a good interface or not, shall we?
In the timeline interface, why do several of the items have no tool tips, but a few items do? And what the heck are those three unnamed checkboxes on the right side, I ask you? (No peeking at the tool tips before you answer!) Is the speaker icon above them associated with them, or the timeline it is directly alongside? It's quite a bit closer to the timeline, if that's a useful clue. (Hint: it isn't.) Is the timeline next to the speaker icon related to audio? (No.) I confess -- I did look at the tool tips, and I'm still not sure what the bottom checkbox means. What the heck is a "Mute toggle for first second track," anyway? Can you have a "second second" track? It looks like a typo to me. As far as I can tell, it should say "Mute toggle for second audio track."
So, if the speaker icon is somehow related to the checkboxes and seems to symbolize “audio,” does the “speaker making noise” icon mean anything? Does it change if the checkboxes are unchecked? If the checkboxes symbolize "mute" functions (which they do), why does the speaker icon suggest that the audio's "not muted"? Think about that for a minute before you write to remind me of all the acclaim lavished upon the program by other reviewers.
Okay, let's drag a clip onto the timeline. There are three unnamed "shelves" visible by default. Two of the three won't allow the clip to be inserted. Quick: which ones, and why?
Now, let's say that, for whatever reason, you need to delete a clip you've placed onto the timeline. I incorrectly guessed that the "Del" key would do this, as it does in Final Cut Express, Final Cut Pro and every other piece of video editing software I've ever seen. Once you've found the key that actually performs this task, and deleted an instance of your clip, is the clip you originally imported (my 40MB sample clip was only 11 seconds long; with longer clips, this can take a very long time!) still available? (Hint: it has vanished from the "bin" where your clips are stored.) So, here's the big question: where is the clip? Is it in the Trash? Assuming that you don't want it in the Trash, how do you remove it from the Trash? Why does this Trash can act quite the opposite of the way every other Trash can on any personal computer made during the past 15 years works? In this case, double-clicking the trash brings up a dialog in which the only options are "empty Trash" and Cancel. So, how DO you retrieve your precious file from the Trash?
And, just in case you learn your lesson the first time you irretrievably trash something and vow not to do it again, tell me, how would you remove the item from the timeline so that this problem DOESN'T happen again? You dragged into the timeline; you might think you could drag it back out again, right? (Answer in a moment....)
So, when you try this, what will happen?
Unbelievably, (d) is the correct answer, at least if you're in Timeline mode. (Things work more or less the way you'd expect them to in the other mode.) I'd tell you what the Other Mode is called, except iMovie 3 has absolutely NO tool tips for several of the on-screen icons and buttons, including the Other Mode icon. So, if you don't know what the "Scissors" icon is for (hint: it isn't the "Cut" command"), you won't find out by pointing the mouse at it. Considering the large amount of obscure icons on the screen, missing tool tips -- make that consistency -- in the program is an astonishing oversight.
Many of the Edit menu options that had given me hope are practically useless, too. For example, why does the "Cut" command place the clipboard contents in the Trash? Why does "Clear" appear to do exactly the same thing as "Cut"?
Fortunately, once you get beyond these issues, things start to brighten up a bit. iMovie 3 has some really cool effects, and there is an undeniable slickness to many aspects of the program.
Titles are well handled, with previews of the effects and various controls that allow you a degree of customization. The advanced typographical controls in Mac OS X may come in handy here, especially if you take advantage of a font with multiple-character ligatures, such as the wedding videographer's best friend, Zapfino.
Transitions are serviceable but unspectacular -- and definitely not as nice-looking as those in MovieMaker. Where the program really shines is in the Effects department. Rain, Fog, grainy film, hue shifting, brightness and contrast control -- even lightning and fairy dust effects that are only slightly cheesy. The so-called "Ken Burns effect" is extremely slick (although quite a bit slower than the shareware Photo to iMovie plugin, which does essentially the same thing), and the interface is classic, gorgeous Apple design. It couldn't be easier. iMovie is certainly ahead of Microsoft's offering in this department (the ability to add 50 more transitions and effects to the latter with the installation of Microsoft's Plus! Digital Media Edition package notwithstanding), and that's enough for me to guarantee it a place on my Mac's hard drive.
After you use iMovie 3, iPhoto 2, iTunes 3 (and presumably iDVD 3, which I haven't yet tested yet) for a while, Apple's grand plan starts to reveal itself. The programs enjoy a great deal of synergy. Invoking the dialog to set up the Ken Burns effect brings up the Picture Library from iPhoto. Elsewhere, browsing for a selection for your movie soundtrack brings up the iTunes playlist. iMovie exports chapter settings directly to iDVD, and so on. These conveniences go a long way toward making up for occasionally sluggish performance or the odd interface gaffe.
One more possible caveat I'm still exploring is a problem that has dogged iMovie since the earliest days of the program. Some users find that, when creating movie projects longer than a half hour or so, audio/video sync problems tend to occur. Early reports from iMovie 3.0 users at MacInTouch and elsewhere suggest that this problem still exists. Not coincidentally, this problem also affects iMovie files burned to DVD with iDVD 3. Interestingly, clips produced with Final Cut Pro don't have this problem.
Sharing Movies
Windows MovieMaker provides a wide array of templates for saving movies. Several wizard-driven "Save Movie" options are provided, including:
Windows Movie Maker includes the ability to export to a DV-compatible file (or directly to a DV camera). This non-proprietary DV-AVI file can then be opened in virtually any other editing program on the PC or Mac. It is possible in this way to open a movie created in Windows MovieMaker directly in iMovie 3 on a Mac, with sound and video intact. Mac users can then save the movie in their choice of format(s), as noted below.
iMovie 3 has three main export options:
In short, iMovie has somewhat more flexible options, but Microsoft automates the "end to end" process more.
Conclusion
By the end of my first day of tests of iMovie 3, I was so annoyed by performance and interface issues that I no longer really cared about some of the potentially useful features, such as built-in support for iDVD 3 chapter markers and audio volume leveling. After a few more days, however, I started to come around -- essentially, the features and style won me over, once I became accustomed to the eccentricities. Still, it's fair to say that this program's performance, even on some new Mac systems, is less than stellar. And, after comparing the two programs side-by-side, I am more convinced than ever that Windows MovieMaker 2 is a nearly ideal video editor for those seeking a very user-friendly video editing interface. Apple's iMovie interface designers should take a look at it sometime. There is still room for improvement in MovieMaker, of course -- the support for cursor key control for the FFW and REW transport functions are better handled in iMovie than they with the Alt-cursor and CTRL+Alt-cursor key transport commands in Microsoft's offering. And, like iMovie, it lacks the useful ability to rapidly "scrub" back and forth while previewing audio tracks, as each program can when previewing video. To get this feature, Apple users will need to use a tool such as Apple's Final Cut Express; Windows users should look to a tool such as Sonic Foundry's Vegas Video.
WMM2 has no truly serious problems, especially if you download a WMV-to-other-formats utility to add additional output options to its fairly limited range of choices. Interface-wise, it's as easy as they come. There's even an "Auto-movie" feature that attempts to build a movie from your clips automatically. You might scoff, but it doesn't do too bad a job -- I can see how this would be handy for weekend videographers who really aren't all that interested in fiddling around with software programs. And everyone should be able to appreciate an interface in which everything is clearly labeled. Here and there, a line of help text tells you how and where to drag a clip. An optional "Task pane" walks beginners through a project every step of the way. The right mouse button gives several useful options, including Cut, Copy, Delete (ahh!) and Play. The little handles actually do something. And so on.
But I digress....
Say what you will about Microsoft and its business practices -- at least they seem to actually do usability testing. Apple, I'm convinced, is so bent on secrecy, that it fails to give its products thorough usability testing -- or maybe the hubris of being convinced its interface style is fundamentally superior has finally caught up with the company. Those are about the only reasons I can offer to explain why the user interface on iMovie 3 has such glaring faults.
I'm always seeing Mac enthusiasts claiming how great iMovie is compared to offerings on the "PeeCee." It will be interesting to see whether iMovie 3 ends up heralded as another winner, or viewed as a serious dud. For the first couple of days, I would have voted for the latter. Now, I'm not so sure. Maybe if I had a faster machine....
Summary:
iMovie 3: Great effects, extensive export options, strong synergy with iPhoto, iTunes and iDVD. Sluggish performance and stability issues on some Macs, slow file import functions, occasionally counter-intuitive interface, sync problems.
MovieMaker: Great transitions, superior scene detection features, fast and reliable import options. Various wizard-driven movie creation features, task-oriented help interface. Limited export options. ::
For Further Reading:
To download Windows MovieMaker Version 2 for Windows XP, visit the Windows Update site.
To download iMovie 3, iPhoto 2 and iTunes 3 for OS X, visit Apple's site at www.apple.com or use the Software Update panel.
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