iPhone 4 – iMovie editing on the phone

One of the key features of the iPhone 4 that sets it aside from the previous iPhone 3G and 3GS is the iMovie application.  Available for $5.99 in the App store, iMovie is the portable version of Apple’s successful Movie editing software for Mac.

With 720p video recording on the iPhone 4, what better way to make use of the videos than to edit them up and share them.

How often have you shot video and never used it.

Tonight, on my way home, I was frustrated by Traffic.  I got someone to hold the phone and shoot some basic footage.

Continue reading to see the result and read my thoughts on iMovie for iPhone 4

This video was shot on the iPhone 4, edited on the iPhone 4, and uploaded to YouTube via the iPhone 4 – not to put too finer point on it, but that means 100% no PC/MAC usage for this video creation or upload.

It’s simple I know, and you’ll excuse my choice of music.  First person to email me and tell me what CD (Album) I was listening to – wins a pair of a-JAYS ONE earphones! – WON, it was Ray Hadley’s 70’s Collection – well done Neil

Here’s how it works.

You open the iMovie application – as you can see here, I’ve created a folder of all the photography related app’s on my iPhone 4.

Once open, you simply start a new project.

You insert new clips, or photos into the timeline.

Once you add the video to the timeline – double tap on it, and you can choose a title (comes from the theme you chose) and type text which will display over the video.  This is one of the best features, its often hard to do this in the best editing software, so for this to be SO easy, is just fantastic:

In between each clip is a small icon – double tap on it, to choose how the project merges between the clips – allowing you some basic transition editing control.  Again, VERY simple way to do what is a key feature of desktop editing software.

If a clip is not necessary – tap, hold, and throw into the project space, it becomes a crushed up ball of paper, or a cloud – and it is deleted.

When you are done, you can export the movie in the format/size you choose.

That is just the basics.  You can also choose to edit the length of your clips, you do this by simply dragging the start or end of the clip back into the clip, thus changing the start or end time of the clip.

For example, the video above is about a minute.  Each of those clips in original length totalled around 2 minutes, so i’ve simply cropped them so to speak. Very easy.

With a completed project saved to your photo/camera library – you can now watch it, or upload to Youtube! Easy!

Interestingly, the upload only happens in 360p.  Despite the fact I exported in 720p.  Not sure why on that one just now.

One other thing, you can also add photos to your movie.  When doing so, they can be static, or you can pinch/zoom on them to choose how they start/end – so in fact you can make a movie just featuring your photos!

You can also add an audio track from your iPhone library.

This really is 5/5 stunning mobile software.  There WILL be improvements, for example, I’m sure in future you’ll be able to split a long clip in two by double tapping or something – that’s something I would have liked a few times!

at $5.99, it’s theft – you’re an armed bandit at the doors of the iTunes app store – if you have an iPhone 4 – this is a MUST HAVE APP.