iMovie

iMovie (known at times as iMovie HD) is a preinstalled video editing application developed by Apple Inc. for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS devices.

It was originally released in 1999 as a Mac OS 8 application bundled with the first FireWire-enabled consumer Mac model, the iMac DV. Since version 3, iMovie has been a macOS-only application included with the iLife suite of Mac applications. iMovie was included for free with the purchase of a new Mac or iOS device in late 2013 and has been free to all users since early 2017.

Apple positions its iMovie video editor for the consumer market. For the professional market, Apple provides another product, Final Cut Pro.

High-definition video support

Starting in 2005, iMovie was renamed to iMovie HD, and added support for high-definition video from HDV camcorders. Later versions added support for footage from AVCHD camcorders, and H.264-compressed video from MPEG-4 or QuickTime Movie files (.mov)., as generated by e.g. a number of digital photo cameras with HD video recording feature.

To facilitate this, iMovie/iLife installs the Apple Intermediate Codec on the system as a QuickTime component. iMovie transcodes HD video upon ingestion (‘import’) using this codec and stores it in the QuickTime file format (.movie).

Beginning in 2007, iMovie HD was renamed to iMovie again, but continues to include high definition support.

iMovie (known at times as iMovie HD) is a preinstalled video editing application developed by Apple Inc. for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS devices.

It was originally released in 1999 as a Mac OS 8 application bundled with the first FireWire-enabled consumer Mac model, the iMac DV. Since version 3, iMovie has been a macOS-only application included with the iLife suite of Mac applications. iMovie was included for free with the purchase of a new Mac or iOS device in late 2013 and has been free to all users since early 2017.

Apple positions its iMovie video editor for the consumer market. For the professional market, Apple provides another product, Final Cut Pro.

High-definition video support

Starting in 2005, iMovie was renamed to iMovie HD, and added support for high-definition video from HDV camcorders. Later versions added support for footage from AVCHD camcorders, and H.264-compressed video from MPEG-4 or QuickTime Movie files (.mov)., as generated by e.g. a number of digital photo cameras with HD video recording feature.

To facilitate this, iMovie/iLife installs the Apple Intermediate Codec on the system as a QuickTime component. iMovie transcodes HD video upon ingestion (‘import’) using this codec and stores it in the QuickTime file format (.movie).

Beginning in 2007, iMovie HD was renamed to iMovie again, but continues to include high definition support.