Consumers are now getting used to the Mac vs. PC argument. Here at Little Orchard, we want to skirt round that issue and give you the tools you need to make an informed decision between their respective editing packages.
The first thing to note is that price to get up and running on a Mac could be around twice the price of the same spec of PC. So where can these applications be useful? Obviously the new Pirates of the Caribbean film will not be using this technology, but both will work perfectly fine for home and educational editing. Both iMovie and Moviemaker have some nice features but there are some limits to the results they can achieve.
Both programs have only one audio and video track available but iMovie does partially get round this problem by allowing layering of video, thus being able to give similar results to pro editing packages. Moviemaker does suffer from overcomplicating some functions though. For example, Microsoft gives far too many options for video transitions. To the amateur editor this can just leave them with an overcomplicated and tacky looking edit filled with flashy 70s style transitions. iMovie is much more simple in its approach, and I think in this situation less is most definitely more. From an educational point of view, if you need to fill a classroom full of computers, it may not be the most cost effective to fill it full of iMacs and in this situation Moviemaker will not do you any disservice. However, for reliability and usability look no further than iMovie, coming pre-installed on every Mac, and having the added bonus of easy drag and drop video importing of almost any format.
So, which one is the best? If you have access to both platforms (Mac and PC) there is far less effort needed to acquire, install and learn to use iMovie and in my opinion the superior application. Whichever platform you are working on, as an amateur editor, both programs will give you similar results. For not a lot of money at all though there are express versions of the Mac and PC pro editing packages Final Cut Pro and Avid Pro respectively.
iMovie 7/10
Moviemaker 5/10
Of course, Little Orchard understands that anyone can be a movie star or director and can get a taste of the action using these packages. But, the final thought from the team is that if you’re aiming at a professional look and finish, then take the time to talk to a professional first.
By Paul Haycock, Little Orchard’s editor
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