iMovie is the most important video editor for Mac. With it, you can easily edit your photos and video files and add animated titles, beautiful themes, music, and effects. From iMovie 3 (2003), it's bundled with all new Mac. It means, you can use it to make good-looking videos as long as you buy a new Mac from Apple. Also, Apple provides separate purchase of iMovie for Mac included in iLife, together with iWork, iWeb, iDVD, GarageBand, etc. This article will show you the history of iMovie, how to download iMovie for free and introduction to a better iMovie for Mac alternative.
May 29, 2016 Lightworks is a free video editing software with a lot of things to notice. It has the features like multi-cam editing, the background I/O, dedicated keyboard shortcuts, etc. To provide maximum ease in video editing. Alongside a free version, the Lightworks also has a pro version with a bundle of extra features and functions. Jul 24, 2016 Best Video Editing Software for Mac (on every budget!) - Duration: 9:02. Justin Brown - Primal Video 155,444 views. The Best FREE Video Editing Software for Gaming 2016!!!
Download iMovie for iOS >>
Part 1: iMovie for Mac History
- The first version of iMovie was released in 1999 as a Mac OS 8 application, bundled with iMac DV. Since iMovie 3, iMovie is bundled with iLife and you can get it free with your new Mac.
- iMovie '08 was a milestone. In the version, iMovie was completely redesigned and thus was criticized due to its drastic abandonment of some iMovie HD 6 features. Fortunately, iMovie '09 added more new features and restored some features from previous versions of iMovie for Mac.
- iMovie '11 makes video editing more funny. This version of iMovie helps you make trailers for home movies, provides you more control over audio, instant replay and effects, news themes, and the easiest way to share your video on Facebook and YouTube.
- The iMovie 10, released in 2013, is another complete redesign with more options to share a movie, more movie and trailer themes, and more advanced visual effects.
- iMovie 10.1 was released on October 13, 2015. 4K video making and sharing was supported for the first time.
- The latest iMovie 10.1.10 was released on November 8, 2018. Directly upload to Facebook was removed. Instead, added the option to output video for you to manually upload to Facebook.
- iMovie is changing with times. It's hard to say whether it's better for you because you'll loss something while you're receiving something new. In my opinion, it's NOT a good idea to upgrade your iMovie for Mac if it works good for you.
Part 2: How to Download iMovie for Mac for Free
- Sometimes, you might delete iMovie for Mac by mistake. In such cases, you have to download iMovie for Mac and install it again. As new Apple users, you just need to go to Mac App Store to get it for free, otherwise, $14.99 is required. Moreover, you need to upgrade your Mac OS to the latest OSX Yosemite (OS X 10.10.2 or later).
- If you don't want to upgrade your Mac OS X, an iMovie for Mac equivalent is recommended to edit your videos.
- For your convenience, here are the free updates for upgrading your iMovie for Mac to the version 9.0.9. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't provide free update downloads of iMovie for the forwards versions on Mac OS X.
Part 3: Download iMovie for Mac Alternative
- Can't get iMovie working on your Mac? Forget iMovie then. There are so many video editing software available. Here I humbly recommend Movavi Video Editor for Mac. This is a perfect movie creating software for either novice or professional iMovie users. It's easier than iMovie for its intuitive interface and simple workflow. However, it also gives you advanced options to tweak your videos like iMovie does. Download this iMovie alternative for Mac now to make your first movie and you'll love it or choose from more iMovie for Mac alternatives.
iMovie for Mac Conclusion
When I'm searching information for writing this article, I find out that many famous software download sites like softonic and tomsguide provide 'fake' download links to iMovie for Mac. Actually, there is no separate install file for iMovie on Mac. All claimed iMovie for Mac links point to Mac App Store.
All In all, you have to pay for separate iMovie for Mac purchase. And if your iMac doesn't comply with Apple's requirements, you have choices of iMovie for Mac alternatives, among which Movavi Video Editor is our recommendation. Just download and try it yourself. Trust me, it's better than iMovie for Mac OS X.
Video Editing Tips
2021 Top 5 Video Editing/Processing Software for Mac | Best Programs to Edit (4K/HD) Videos on macOS (Big Sur)
We can list tens of reasons to edit a video. We wanna beautify raw records in camcorder, create a parody of music video, make a complication of greatest moments in sports, furtherly produce a movie trailer/short film…Actually, video editing software is essential to make all needs a reality. If you are a Mac user seeking for a competent program for editing your (4K/HD) videos, top 5 video editing software for Mac 2019 introduced in this article can give you a hand. Let's read in-depth reviews and free download the best one.
Review on 2021 Top 5 Video Editing Software for Mac
#1VideoProc
OS: Mac OS X Snow Leopard to macOS Big Sur
Supported Formats:
- 4K Video from GoPro/Drone and more - HEVC, H.264
- HD (Camcorder) Video - AVCHD M2TS/MTS, TS, MKV, MOD, TOD etc.
- Almost All Mainstream Video – MP4, AVI, WMV, MOV, WebM, FLV, 3GP, VOB, ASF etc.
VideoProc is developed as versatile media software integrating video editor, transcoder, downloder; DVD converter and screen recorder into one. It pays much attention on video editing and offers a series of tools to help users make great videos with vivid colors, smooth images.
It is an utterly user-friendly video editing software for Mac designed with a modern and pleasing interface. Basic editing tools including Cut, Crop, (add) Subtitle, (add) Effect, Rotate and (add) Watermark can be easily accessed after importing a footage. Moreover, toolbox contains more options allowing you to deshake and denoise GoPro/Drone videos, correct fisheye, merge clips, split/flip the footage, make gifs from a video, extract subtitles/frames from video as well as convert 3D to 2D. Free acoustic recording software. Although this program has been arranged settings of every editing option to be perfect to simplify operation for beginners, you can also customize everything to pursue a result you need.
It wraps level-3 hardware acceleration tech including Intel QSV, NVIDIA NVENC, AMD VCE to deliver the fastest performance for video encoding, decoding and processing. Because offloading video editing task to GPU, CPU can simultaneously handle other tasks and keep low temperature. And, the resulting file can be outputted with a high quality (almost lossless).
#2 iMovie
OS: Mac OS X, iOS
Supported Formats: DV/HDV, AVCHD, MPEG-2, MP4 (MPEG4/H.264), MOV
Download Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/imovie/id408981434
iMovie is system-attached video editing software for Mac, firstly introduced as a Mac OS 8 app. Like Windows Movie Maker, iMovie is developed in different versions catering to different OS. The latest version 10.1.1 can only run on Mac OS X Yoesmite (10.10.5 and later).
iMovie boasts its HD support for video editing. It allows users to create video/movie from 1080P HD to 4K resolution using iMovie for Mac. Certainly, a more amazing work can generated thanks to various effects tools, ranging from simple title/transitions and other elements adding to a little advanced fast-forward, slow-motion, picture-in-picture, side-by-side, green screen. What's more, a full soundtrack with built-in music, sounds or songs from iTunes can be created with ease. This great video editor for Mac is announced capable of making Hollywood-style trailers taking full advantage of splendid templates and a professional outline for movie including title, cast names and studio logo.
#3 Final Cut Pro X
OS: Mac OS X 10.6.8 and later
Supported Formats: DVD/HDV, AVCHD (MTS/M2TS), Motion JPEG, MP4 (MPEG4/H.264), 3GP, AVI, MOV, MXF
Download Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/final-cut-pro/id424389933
- The first version of iMovie was released in 1999 as a Mac OS 8 application, bundled with iMac DV. Since iMovie 3, iMovie is bundled with iLife and you can get it free with your new Mac.
- iMovie '08 was a milestone. In the version, iMovie was completely redesigned and thus was criticized due to its drastic abandonment of some iMovie HD 6 features. Fortunately, iMovie '09 added more new features and restored some features from previous versions of iMovie for Mac.
- iMovie '11 makes video editing more funny. This version of iMovie helps you make trailers for home movies, provides you more control over audio, instant replay and effects, news themes, and the easiest way to share your video on Facebook and YouTube.
- The iMovie 10, released in 2013, is another complete redesign with more options to share a movie, more movie and trailer themes, and more advanced visual effects.
- iMovie 10.1 was released on October 13, 2015. 4K video making and sharing was supported for the first time.
- The latest iMovie 10.1.10 was released on November 8, 2018. Directly upload to Facebook was removed. Instead, added the option to output video for you to manually upload to Facebook.
- iMovie is changing with times. It's hard to say whether it's better for you because you'll loss something while you're receiving something new. In my opinion, it's NOT a good idea to upgrade your iMovie for Mac if it works good for you.
Part 2: How to Download iMovie for Mac for Free
- Sometimes, you might delete iMovie for Mac by mistake. In such cases, you have to download iMovie for Mac and install it again. As new Apple users, you just need to go to Mac App Store to get it for free, otherwise, $14.99 is required. Moreover, you need to upgrade your Mac OS to the latest OSX Yosemite (OS X 10.10.2 or later).
- If you don't want to upgrade your Mac OS X, an iMovie for Mac equivalent is recommended to edit your videos.
- For your convenience, here are the free updates for upgrading your iMovie for Mac to the version 9.0.9. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't provide free update downloads of iMovie for the forwards versions on Mac OS X.
Part 3: Download iMovie for Mac Alternative
- Can't get iMovie working on your Mac? Forget iMovie then. There are so many video editing software available. Here I humbly recommend Movavi Video Editor for Mac. This is a perfect movie creating software for either novice or professional iMovie users. It's easier than iMovie for its intuitive interface and simple workflow. However, it also gives you advanced options to tweak your videos like iMovie does. Download this iMovie alternative for Mac now to make your first movie and you'll love it or choose from more iMovie for Mac alternatives.
iMovie for Mac Conclusion
When I'm searching information for writing this article, I find out that many famous software download sites like softonic and tomsguide provide 'fake' download links to iMovie for Mac. Actually, there is no separate install file for iMovie on Mac. All claimed iMovie for Mac links point to Mac App Store.
All In all, you have to pay for separate iMovie for Mac purchase. And if your iMac doesn't comply with Apple's requirements, you have choices of iMovie for Mac alternatives, among which Movavi Video Editor is our recommendation. Just download and try it yourself. Trust me, it's better than iMovie for Mac OS X.
Video Editing Tips
2021 Top 5 Video Editing/Processing Software for Mac | Best Programs to Edit (4K/HD) Videos on macOS (Big Sur)
We can list tens of reasons to edit a video. We wanna beautify raw records in camcorder, create a parody of music video, make a complication of greatest moments in sports, furtherly produce a movie trailer/short film…Actually, video editing software is essential to make all needs a reality. If you are a Mac user seeking for a competent program for editing your (4K/HD) videos, top 5 video editing software for Mac 2019 introduced in this article can give you a hand. Let's read in-depth reviews and free download the best one.
Review on 2021 Top 5 Video Editing Software for Mac
#1VideoProc
OS: Mac OS X Snow Leopard to macOS Big Sur
Supported Formats:
- 4K Video from GoPro/Drone and more - HEVC, H.264
- HD (Camcorder) Video - AVCHD M2TS/MTS, TS, MKV, MOD, TOD etc.
- Almost All Mainstream Video – MP4, AVI, WMV, MOV, WebM, FLV, 3GP, VOB, ASF etc.
VideoProc is developed as versatile media software integrating video editor, transcoder, downloder; DVD converter and screen recorder into one. It pays much attention on video editing and offers a series of tools to help users make great videos with vivid colors, smooth images.
It is an utterly user-friendly video editing software for Mac designed with a modern and pleasing interface. Basic editing tools including Cut, Crop, (add) Subtitle, (add) Effect, Rotate and (add) Watermark can be easily accessed after importing a footage. Moreover, toolbox contains more options allowing you to deshake and denoise GoPro/Drone videos, correct fisheye, merge clips, split/flip the footage, make gifs from a video, extract subtitles/frames from video as well as convert 3D to 2D. Free acoustic recording software. Although this program has been arranged settings of every editing option to be perfect to simplify operation for beginners, you can also customize everything to pursue a result you need.
It wraps level-3 hardware acceleration tech including Intel QSV, NVIDIA NVENC, AMD VCE to deliver the fastest performance for video encoding, decoding and processing. Because offloading video editing task to GPU, CPU can simultaneously handle other tasks and keep low temperature. And, the resulting file can be outputted with a high quality (almost lossless).
#2 iMovie
OS: Mac OS X, iOS
Supported Formats: DV/HDV, AVCHD, MPEG-2, MP4 (MPEG4/H.264), MOV
Download Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/imovie/id408981434
iMovie is system-attached video editing software for Mac, firstly introduced as a Mac OS 8 app. Like Windows Movie Maker, iMovie is developed in different versions catering to different OS. The latest version 10.1.1 can only run on Mac OS X Yoesmite (10.10.5 and later).
iMovie boasts its HD support for video editing. It allows users to create video/movie from 1080P HD to 4K resolution using iMovie for Mac. Certainly, a more amazing work can generated thanks to various effects tools, ranging from simple title/transitions and other elements adding to a little advanced fast-forward, slow-motion, picture-in-picture, side-by-side, green screen. What's more, a full soundtrack with built-in music, sounds or songs from iTunes can be created with ease. This great video editor for Mac is announced capable of making Hollywood-style trailers taking full advantage of splendid templates and a professional outline for movie including title, cast names and studio logo.
#3 Final Cut Pro X
OS: Mac OS X 10.6.8 and later
Supported Formats: DVD/HDV, AVCHD (MTS/M2TS), Motion JPEG, MP4 (MPEG4/H.264), 3GP, AVI, MOV, MXF
Download Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/final-cut-pro/id424389933
Different from the above video editing software for Mac, Final Cut Pro X features superior editing functions allowing professional filmmakers and video hobbyists to handle more complicated tasks. It is armed with several particular features. Magnetic Timeline assembles and sync video clips magnetically without black gaps in timeline. Multicam gives auto syncing up to 64 angles of video and photos and custom options for precise footage alignment. Clips including videos, music, sound effects can be easily connected together. 3D and cinematic templates in latest version can create stunning looks. And, traditional ways to trim and color tools for grading and masking are provided as well. This video editing software for Mac can well handle resolution from SD to 4K and deliver high performance for rendering, transcoding and moving media. Although it is recognized as one top program to edit video on Mac, it is not suitable for beginners and quite expensive to get.
#4 Kdenlive
OS: Mac OS X, Linux, FreeBSD
Supported Formats: DV/HDV, AVCHD, MPEG2, MP4 (MPEG4/H.264), AVI, WMV, FLV etc.
Download Link: https://kdenlive.org/en/download/
Kdenlive shows excellent work on video editing based on the MLT Framework and KDE as an open-source free program. It allows users to merge a set of media including video, audio and image into a single file with customized resolution, frame rate, PAR and DAR. The multi-track editing with a timeline can be applied to an unlimited number of video/audio tracks. This video editing software for Mac also owns essential tools to create, delete, move and crop clips, while a diverse of effects and transitions for video/audio, like rotations, colors, phase and pitch shifting, volume and more are used for enriching the output file.
#5 Avidemux
OS: Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, BSD
Supported Formats: AVI, ASF, WMV, FLV, MKV, MPEG, TS, MP4, MOV, 3GP, VOB etc.
Download Link: http://avidemux.sourceforge.net/download.html
Free Video Editing Software For Mac 2016 Version
Avidemux is another top free video editing software for Mac written in C++. It is mainly used for non-liner video editing, transcoding and visual effects applying with Filters. Besides simply cutting and trimming video, it can also handle audios by inserting to a video as background or sound effect as well as extract audio streams from videos in turn. Avidemux embeds a subtitle tool supporting multiple subtitle formats, MicroDVD (.SUB), (Advanced) Substation Alpha (.ASS) and SubRip (.SRT). Moreover, it can be used as a basic video converter to export videos in AVI, FLV, MKV, MPEG, TS, MP4, OGM and VOB using libavcodec.
Best Free Video Editing Software
Bottom Line: VideoProc and Avidemux are better for beginners because they offers a relatively straightforward interface, easy operation and basic editing solutions, while the other 3 top programs focuses on offering more advanced and customizable options for further editing on advertisement, films, TV shows. Depending on your own needs and select the most appropriate video editing software for Mac.
