Is Imovie a good starting place to learn to edit?

J

JJ Alexander

Active member
I just got a Powerbook. I can't afford FCP or FCP Express. I thought Imovie was not much more than a kids tool to edit home movies but I saw two fairly thick and extensive books on using it.

The size of the books made me wonder if as a beginner looking to make some shorts I might want to start there and not under estimate it.

What do you think?
 
Well -- iMovie really is an odd step in the NLE development. It is a VERY powerful tool and you can do a lot with it. But it's just very odd if you've ever none anything with a real NLE before.

Like trying to use clips multiple times... ugh!

I'd say go ahead and start with that and save your pennies for FCP/E.

OR -- Download AvidFree from the avid site. Never used it, but it might be good.

OR -- download the demo of Premier?? Don't even know if they still offer that.

CaptM
 
CaptainMench said:
But it's just very odd if you've ever none anything with a real NLE before.

Like trying to use clips multiple times... ugh!

I'd say go ahead and start with that and save your pennies for FCP/E.

CaptM
Click to expand...

I agree. iMovie can be a pain in the bum if you want more than it can handle.
Examples:

Multiple video tracks? Nope.
This eliminates the ability to do chroma keying or overlaying clips. Sometimes you want those things, especially after you've gotten used to editing.

2 Audio tracks.
Only two tracks means basically- one for music and one for the audio that was recorded by the camera. What if you have, say, 2 people miked, and you need them in separate tracks. That means you're going to have to utilize both tracks, and do this weird pancaking thing with your music file.

Clip viewer.
Once you drag those clips out of the boxes, they're in your timeline, unlike FCE where you drag the clip in, make any changes you want, and then the original clip is still in the clip viewer.

The trashcan situation.
I just don't like it. Sometimes my files are there, some of my audio files end up in the trash on my dock, some of them come back after deleting them, just bleh.

I guess it's okay if you can't spend the money, but you can go to your local Applestore and purchase Final Cut Express for something like $354 and includes Soundtrack and Livetype as a great starter kit. It's how I got started.

-zach
 
I'm doing some of my vidcast stuff in iMovie, and it's frustrating as hell. The templates are nice, but it's unlike any pro-standard NLE and not a good place to start if you eventually want to move on to something "real."

I'd go with the free version of Avid.
 
You can certainly use iMovie for editing shorts with no problems.
it doesn't do anything exotic but if you're a new filmmaker it helps where you need help - basic visual story telling. You can order the scenes in different ways an quickly learn the fundamentals of editing. 80 years of movies were edited in somehwat similar fashion on single head moviolas. iMovie won't necessary help with the technical aspects of moving to Avid or FCP but the key is learning sequencing. How long to hold on a cut, when to cut, etc.
 
Angrilus you always crack me up dude.

My 2cents.

IMOVE sucks. and it is a great way to learn to edit. All the extra sh*t on FCP is useless if you can't see where the cut goes in the first place. You can do a remarkable amount of learning with imov and get a feel for the basics of editing.

All the other tech stuff is important but can be learned later. if imov is all you have then use it.

that said...I'll never use imov again if I don't have to.

-rook
 
Start on IMOVIE. It is a good place to understand how editing works and all. Also download the Free Avid software. After getting confortable, save up for Final Cut Studio. If you are a student, then the Academic Version of AVID Xpress Pro is the way to go.
 
Isn't iMovie a free virus that comes with Macs :) I actually tried using it to do some small projects and found it pretty much worthless. Goofing around with iMovie isn't a bad idea, but I wouldn't do any real projects with it. I might look into Final Cut Express if I were you, try checking ebay for a cheaper price. Seems to have most of the tools as FCP and it's the same editing interface, also a hell of alot cheaper. I myself have never used it but maybe someone who has can tell you if it's worth the money.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top