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iMovie '13 "dumbed down" compared to iMovie '11

It appears that Apple has decided to make the Mac versions of iLife and iWorks apps identical to the IOS versions on the iPad. This required a "dumbing down" of the Mac versions which they did in the newly released versions. I see this in iMovie '13 which among other missing old features is the ability to group Projects into folders (like Family, Vacations, etc.) which is extremely important when you have a few dozen or more projects.


In another forum, it is clear they did the same thing with iWorks:

As a dedicated user of the iWork applications I looked forward to seeing what new features Apple was going to support. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am - all three represent regressions IMHO. Read through the discussion about Pages, Keynote and Numbers, and you will see right away that people are deeply puzzled with the features that have vanished. It sure seems in an effort to make the iWork apps more like their iOS cousins that Apple has dumbed down and severely limited the OS X versions.

From missing vertical rulers and loss of merge fields in Pages to the loss of a number of transitions and actions in Keynote the lists go on and on. I am certainly glad that installing the new apps does not remove the old - as I am really forced to stay with the older versions to keep the level of features I have been used to. Those of you who value the advanced features of the previous version of iWork *please* avoid dumping the old apps until you *really* get a chance to see what isn't there in the new versions. Lots of flash and less substance!

Mac Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Oct 24, 2013 12:11 PM

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81 replies

Oct 27, 2013 10:41 AM in response to Jeremy8

There is a folder in Applications named iMovie 9.0.9. In it you will find the old iMovie. You can use that instead of the update.


I am so frustrated with this new upgrade. It does not separate events by year and date, I can't expand the left column to reveal a little more of the video names and when I try to sort by date nothing happens.


Apple has botched this up bigtime. iMovie '11 was easier to use and intuitive in its layout. You knew immediately what to do and how to do it. Now, I don't understand the layout and how videos are organized. Such a mess. 😟

Oct 27, 2013 2:29 PM in response to Joe Seidler

Just tried to do my first project with the new version after upgrading from iMovie '09.


Video import.. no option to move files into the Event.. thats annoying.


Screen layout is designed to take up the full screen width of my 13" MBP. This causes issues with my preferred use of the dock on the right side as opposed to the bottom. I either have to make the dock auto-hide or go to full screen when using it. The shot below shows the settings button being clipped out by the dock.


User uploaded file

You can make that window bigger but not reduce it or change the relative size of the other sections to allow it fit into the width I'm giving. Its not a maximizse/restore issue at hand here.


Then onto transitions. I don't use themes as such but when I would edit video, I'd go to the Theme selection, select none but select a default transition of wipe left (ala star Wars). Then I'd just add title screens and start assembling the timeline with the same transition being automatically inserted for me.


That now no longer works. I can go to Movie Properies (-J), select settings and then check auto-content. But it adds a default disolve and does not let me select the transition I'd prefer.


Whats worse, I can change transitions individually, but not if I select the whole lot. And to add to this insult, the visual representation of the transition icon remains the same as opposed to changing to reflect the style of transition you selected.


They switched out a visually intuitive application with a more simplified version that for me is just full of compromises. For now I'll have to stick with the old version.

Oct 29, 2013 4:46 AM in response to Joe Seidler

I'm finding the same thing in the new imovie, whereas there are a couple of easier tasks. The abundance of presets with the lack of manual editing is annoying. I use the disappearance of the ten band graphic equalizer as an example. I video a lot of my daughters' concerts and the need to clean up the audio quality. The presets given miss their mark. I would have paid for a more robust upgrade than have been given a downgraded kindergarten version.

Imovie was the reason I bought a Mac 18 years ago, it's too bad I am going to have to look elsewhere for a video editing app that will mor suit my needs!

Oct 29, 2013 5:09 AM in response to Joe Seidler

Joe Seidler wrote:

… This required a "dumbing down" of the Mac versions which they did in the newly released versions.

No, that's simply not true.

iM for IOS has to have a simplified interface, due to lack of mouse/keys.


iMovieX adopted a few features of its bigger brother FCPX:

• support of AVCHD v2 - no more restriction to 1080/60i max, now 50p/60p/120p no prob

• no forced conversion to (old) AIC - iMX handles video 'nativly' … that's what people ask in any 2nd thread

• iMX is 'plug-in-ready' (see my post here); the new themes are just a beginning…

• iMovie is now 64bit, no longer based upon Quciktime but modern AV-Foundation…


It offers completely new features for X-products:

e.g. a marvelous post-rec-White-Balance, even FCPX doesn't offer yet!

e.g. 'free' location and unlimited number of Libraries… which FCPX doesn't …


  • It offers a new 'look' - we all know, Sir Ive is in charge 😀 I like it. Matter of taste, matter of social imprinting.
  • It offers a simplified interface - why just an optional green-screen effect, if the app is able to identifiy that automatically? Why manual setting of green/blue, if the app is able to identify that automatically?
  • It offers a new 'file structure' - for 6years, we learned to work with a raw-repisotory/Events and with Projects. Now, same with output - perfectly integrated into some multi-devices, multi-formats, multi-connected Theatre.


… list could be continued…


You have to learn 'new tricks'; you should update your workflows - then, iMovie is even better than its predecessor.


One thing for us Silver Backs:

when Apple changed from iMovie-a to iMovie-b, they offer both versions.

With iMovieX, we see this again: older iM09 doesn't get erased!

… looks like, we should talk of iMovie-c now …

Oct 29, 2013 5:12 AM in response to Joe Seidler

It really is a poor release. After eagerly awaiting a new iMovie version I was expecting this to be great. What I find is the same removal of function as described above, a change (Again) to the timeline presentation, and basic requirements such as showing video on a second diaply being removed ? That has not got anythign to do with the iPad versions just basic common sense.

The other aspect here is a poor transition / upgrade experiece. I have a large library and the resulting mess of events and movie projects is appaling. Various users now being left with corrupted libraries and no expectation setting when the upgrade was in progress.

I recommend not upgrading libraries until you are clear on the outcome and how the new iMovie respresents things.

Not impressed Apple, very much below standard. Please release a point update and resolve the upgrade process issues and address the missing functionality. Very much a backwards in evolution even considering the desire to have a consolidated iOS/ OSX platform approach. Poor

Oct 29, 2013 9:25 AM in response to Joe Seidler

It's laughably bad. So bad in fact that it's hard to imagine anyone CHOOSING to use it. It may improve...in fact it probably will...but the underlying concept..that users want to edit video on their phones in the same way they do on the desktop is a deeply flawed idea. You won't have all the photos (unless of course you opt to use and store all your data in iCloud which very few people ever will due to the cost per bit of storage). It's all part of the idea that ios can be transitioned into a creation foundation from its original consumption foundation. Is a file system necessary if you can access audio, video and stills? Yes..because using workarounds to get work done decreases productivity.

It's not just re-learning...some of that is to be expected. It's conforming to a deeply rigid way of thinking that has no real basis aimed at serving the user's needs best.


Here's a good example...You can take a camera and hook it directly to an iPad but NOT an iPhone. You CAN of course transfer photos via wi-fi but this is kludgy and unreliable. Not a "delightful" experience in any way.


The cloistered environment inside Apple has led to a way of seeing the world shaped only by their own tunnel vision. Would you deal with ANY other product in the same way?

Here's a car with three wheels...but when that fourth wheel arrives..oh BOY! its gonna be great!

Here's a washing machine that spins about 3/4ths of the way but when they add the update to make it

spin completely that will be fantastic!

The software requires you to completely relearn a less capable version because the company has a vision it wants to execute that SOMEDAY will be an integrated and seamless product.


Except that's not really true. Because various products will ALWAYS BE in various stages of development and the adoption and use rate of them is so varied the newer versions create more disharmony than incremental improvements would. It's as if Apple said...Oh? That old version..yeah...you can use it..but it wasn't very good. We didn't think it through so...it'll hit end of life with no support in 24 months and that NEW version you better get used to since that's where it's all headed!


It's more than annoying. It costs their customers time, and money. Not good.

Oct 29, 2013 2:35 PM in response to Joe Seidler

I was shocked to see no apparent way to put the "preview" on my second display.


I was totally irritated to discover I could no longer use my old Sony Firewire Camcorder with the newest version of iMovie. I got terrible audio feedback. That's the same problem I encountered with Final Cut Pro & Adobe Premiere Pro.


That was enough for me to go back to the old version of iMovie.

Nov 1, 2013 6:47 PM in response to Joe Seidler

So, I'm really trying with the new iMovie. I'm finding that I can pretty much do what I could with the previous version, but lots is so different that it's almost like your being punished for upgrading. The most annoying thing in the end is the difference in the way events and projects are organized and the "un-automated" way you now have to move events to an external drive. No longer can you drag and drop and tell it to take the associated files. You have to now create a new library, etc. Clunky. One nice change, however, is that you can now import photos for example that are not in iPhoto - but can pull them from anywherein your file structure. Either the old iMovie couldn't do it or I never could figure it out. Still a bit undecided on the upgrade.

Nov 1, 2013 7:30 PM in response to Karsten Schlüter

I'm afraid we are going through the same process that happened when iMovie HD was replaced by a newly rewritten version. It took years for iMovie to develop into iMovie '11 which we finally got used to. Now it's been totally rewritten again (for 64 bit), and again we're back to a version with fewer features.


An earlier poster from Germany said the new version is great and "we just have to learn new tricks." It's going to be a big trick to organize a large number of projects when there is no mechanism to do so. Anyone know where Houdini is?


I would guess that the iMovie development team has changed leaders again, and each one has their own ideas. Unfortunately for users, we are at their whim. I wish they would spend time working in a video company. I'm really disappointed (fed up really).

Nov 2, 2013 8:57 AM in response to Karsten Schlüter

In terms of workflow, please tell me how I can get back to the Aperture library interface from iMovie version 9. In this latest release, the only way I can view Aperture libraries is by viewing big icons of each project, and I have to start from the earliest project, way back in 2000, and there is no way to sort how I view the projects.


In the previous iMovie release I could select projects in a window similar to the actual window in Aperture.


This is a backwards step in terms of workflow.

iMovie '13 "dumbed down" compared to iMovie '11

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