Video Editing with iMac`s iMovie.

Just finished the editing on my 2011 martial arts and stunt training reel with my new iMac`s iMovie software. This was the first project I undertook on the iMac, (a 21" one I just picked up from Costco last month) and although it took me a minute to figure out how the user interface works (and then a few hours of work to get used to it, after that, I was rockin'. As everyone says is the case, once you get your head around how it works, the Mac editing software is exceedingly easy to use... and a pleasure to work with. This one was made entirely on iMovie, (which came with the iMac) and most of the video was taken on either my new or my old iPhone, and then imported in. Other videos were from old Windows Vista OS laptop and then converted into Mac compatible formats using WinX HD Video Converter and/or WinX DVD Ripper. (Both of which are great programs that worked really well- even on an old laptop struggling to deal with Windows Vista). The effects, transitions, fonts etc, selection was pretty good, and overall I could everything I wanted to do- and figure it out without having to dig through the instructions. (Always a plus).




Start to finish, the whole process took me about three weeks to complete. Uploading the video onto all the sites I wanted to use, as well both my iPhones and iPad was also a snap, and took no time at all. While initially, I was hesitant to drop the money on a new PC, my girlfriend showed me a Japanese consumer reports-type website (www.kakaku.com) that had rated the model I was looking at as #1 out of a survey of 500 PCs), and after that, I was sold. Thus far, the iMac been an incredibly good investment. Not just because of the ease of doing video editing, (and the fact that my Windows laptop always seemed to compatibility issues with my iPhone and iPad), but because in general Macs are designed to be so much more user friendly than Windows based PCs. In effect, they are PCs for people who aren`t particularly good with PCs, which is exactly what I needed.

Now that the demo reel is completed, and Im comfortable with the program, I`m looking forward to seeing what other projects I can do on this thing. Eventually, Id like to invest in a digital SLR camera, (which these days is becoming just as popular for taking video as still pictures) and Final Cut Pro, so I can start experimenting with serious action sequence production, but for the moment, I think what I have will do just fine.