Apple iLife 11 is the latest upgrade to Apple iLife 09, an exclusive software to make the most of photos, movies and music on Mac computers. With its attention on entertainment content, thereâs much an average Mac user can look forward to. Itâs more of an evolution than revolution in terms of features offered by the newer and older versions of this software. Comprising the familiar iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand applications, the program takes personalization of media content to a whole new level.
1) Features
a) iMovie: iMovie stays as it is, may be just a little more at being a robust editing application. With version 11, Apple adds in features to draw in specifically small and portable video camera users. What stands out in the software is the image stabilisation attribute that should help beginners largely. Time spent on this feature revealed it to work pretty well in eliminating the odd stutter, though it could take longer to affect larger videos. Our personal favourite was the Face detection function has the ability to tag people having identical faces. Thereâs also Trailers, which includes up to 15 pre-set templates. When used in personal videos, you can enjoy something similar to a real movie trailer. We also found the new audio editing options for improved sound quality which works at enhancing videos stellar.
b) iPhoto: By far, one of the most loved components of iLife 11, the new version of iPhoto includes a new Full Screen mode. Clearly itâs meant to titillate the visual senses than really add an advantage to productivity efficiency though. Apple has also worked at enhancing the incorporation of Web in the application this time around, with the Facebook and Flickr integrations only augmenting the niceties on offer. Social network site users are particularly going to like the decent Facebook support. Another goodness with this tool is Faces that works in sync with the Facebook tagging system, and even comments can be seen from iPhoto. The toolâs print service has also been refurbished for improved usability while the slideshow effect is an icing on the cake.
c) GarageBand: The music lovers delight, GarageBand now includes a range of starter lessons which are free, adding to the experience of learning a new instrument. If you choose to learn from celebrities though, youâll end up paying more than you would like too. With high production quality as its major advantage, the tool definitely has an upper hand over the scores of tutorials available at cheaper prices over the internet.
Flex Time and Groove Matching fix in GarageBand
2) Operation
Before you start working with the software, itâs important to back up all your media content, so that you donât end up losing anything accidently. Run through the video demos to understand the working of the software, instead of starting directly whether itâs a long movie that needs to edited or simply a photo that needs to be tweaked.
3) Highs
a) Mac users employing the software will enjoy the ease with which they can pull content from their iPhone and haul it to Facebook.
b) Feedback when learning new features, ample demos to understand what youâre really doing with applications almost certainly will have Mac lovers nodding their heads in to iLife 11.
4) Lows
a) The sub-components for photos and movies namely iPhoto and iMovie will satisfy simply novice users, professionals will need something more powerful.
b) We arenât sure what sort of user will miss iWeb, but yes the fact that Apple has given it the step-brotherly treatment by leaving it out says alot.
c) You may have to pay a high price for premium features.
d) Behaves sloppy on more occasions than one and not all users appear to have been happy with their upgrade. On a few occasions, users have even reported losing out on old photos and videos during the update.
Conclusion
Thereâs no denying that with the rate at which we are going, digital hoarding will soon be just another term. And the need to do more with memories is only going to increase. If you can ignore the handful of glitches which include freezing of the software and sometimes lost data, the Apple iLife is primarily a good tool for editing photos and movies. It isnât really a bad deal for the £45 or $45 price tag it carries.
