iLife '09 First Impressions [Archive]

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Vincent Ferrari

01-28-2009, 04:00 PM

<p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1233004466.usr18053.jpg" /></p><p>It would not be possible to do a full review of iLife '09 after having had it for as short a period of time as I have, but I still wanted to give you the skinny on what I've noticed.  As you all know, I was very excited to see a new version of iLife at MacWorld, and I think that Apple has done nothing to shake my confidence in iLife in general.  It's still a solid package, a great value, and a must-own for any Mac user. <MORE /></p><h1>iPhoto</h1><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1233146685.usr18053.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>Let's be honest; there really isn't a whole ton of new stuff available in iPhoto '09, but the three biggest features are, indeed, great.  So far the facial tagging is awesome, and the more I tag, the more accurate it becomes.  I have thousands of photos to go through to tag everyone, but it's pretty amazing how accurate it is.  Some things seem to confuse it, and it does make the same mistake frequently (substituting one friend for another) but overall iPhoto is learning.</p><p>Geotagging is also pretty cool, but the UI for it feels unncessarily clunky.  I guess I just need to get used to it, but it isn't as slick as what's built into Flickr.</p><p>The built in export to Flickr and Facebook are awesome, and it's nice to not have to rely on third parties for this functionality anymore.  I particularly like the Facebook uploader because it'll tag your photos with the names of relevant contacts (something I realized a bit too late; gotta rename my tags now), but be aware, they aren't actual Facebook tags (meaning the tag isn't associated with the contact you tagged, it's just a generic name tag). Overall, nothing revolutionary there, but it's nice to have those features integrated instead of added on.</p><p><PAGE /></p><h1>iMovie</h1><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1233147849.usr18053.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>iMovie '09, for me, was the most anticipated part of the iLife Suite, and it doesn't disappoint.  The video effects (at least some of them) are back, and they render in real time.  I tinkered with the stabilization feature a bit, but honestly it takes an eternity to analyze a clip.  Most of my video is shot at 1080i, so I guess that has something to do with it, but it's nowhere near as fast or as immediate as the demo at Macworld would lead you to believe.  Other than that, it's quite good.  I know I'll be spending the most time with iMovie, so I have a feeling the more I use it, the more I'll build an impression of how it works and what it does.  So far, the initial reaction is good, though, and being able to add one of those neato skeato globes with the travelling line to my movie made me feel like a real producer.  That effect is going to probably get tired really quickly as lots of people start using it, but for now I can feel like a visionary!  Well...  Okay...  Maybe not...</p><p><PAGE /></p><h1>GarageBand</h1><p>I have to be honest.  I was hoping for more in Garageband.  Let's be honest, the big new feature is the "Learn to Play" feature which they demoed the heck out of at MacWorld, but beyond that they didn't show much.  In poking around, I can say that the new version of GarageBand is a bunch more responsive than the prior version, but beyond that the changes must be pretty minor because I don't notice anything that immediately jumps out at me.  As someone who recorded a podcast for well over a year then used GarageBand to do the editing, every bit of stability and performance improvement is appreciated.</p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1233148910.usr18053.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>Unfortunately, Apple seems more interested in turning GarageBand into a revenue stream than into great editor, and the interface is just starting to feel tired already.</p><p><PAGE /></p><h1>iWeb</h1><p>Let's be honest.  There's a good chance you've never used iWeb and never met anyone who has.  It's not surprising when you consider how restrictive it is.  That being said, it really is a nice program for anyone who doesn't want to get their hands dirty with HTML and other web technologies.  In the latest version, you can now easily manage multiple sites, and even upload them to your own FTP server directly.<img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1233149174.usr18053.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>I also like the addition of Widgets (and HTML Snippets for that matter).  While I don't think iWeb will ever be a power user's web editor, the addition of self publishing, widgets, and HTML code may help iWeb make an impression on people who would have otherwise ignored it.  For me it's just not enough power, but I have used it in the past to knock out a quick project or two.  This isn't a major upgrade, but it is a nice one.</p><p><PAGE /></p><h1>iDVD</h1><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1233149509.usr18053.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>Not everything got a makeover.  iDVD is, essentially, the same as it was last year.  No wonder they didn't bother mentioning it at MacWorld (or on the iLife Box!).  No new themes, no new features.  It's basically last year's version.  Maybe they made some under-the-hood changes, but I can't find a single difference.  It's a shame, really, because iDVD is one of the things that separate iLife from other video editors for consumers.  Maybe there are great plans for it in the coming months, or maybe they're going to release something to replace it (maybe DVD Studio for Consumers?).  I'm not holding my breath, though.</p><p>Maybe this is Apple's way of saying physical media is dead?</p><h1>Conclusion</h1><p>The old axiom still applies here; if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  While I'm not too thrilled with the updates for GarageBand, iWeb, and iDVD, the truth is every part of the iLife Suite is still pretty solid.  The new features are a worthy addition, and for a mere $79 you aren't going to get a better value for your money on any other platform or with any other software.  I'd always like to see more than I do, but that shouldn't detract from a great product, and frankly, iLife '09 is a great product and a great value.</p><p>Have you gotten your copy yet?  Share your first impressions in the forum!</p><p><em>Vincent Ferrari is an Apple fan, videoblogger, blogger, writer, and all-around geek from the Bronx. He works in the IT Department of a cellular phone company that shall not be named, and lives in a very comfortable apartment with his lovely wife, two lovely cats, three Macs, two iPhones, and God-knows-how-many iPods of varying age.</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//ppct/auto/1240336793.usr1.gif" /></p><p><strong>Do you enjoy using new hardware, software and accessories, then sharing your experience with others? Then join us on the <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/reviewteam.php" target="_blank">Thoughts Media Review Team</a>! We're looking for individuals who find it fun to test new gear and give their honest opinions about the experience. It's a volunteer role with some great perks. Interested? <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/reviewteam.php" target="_blank">Then click here for more information.</a></strong></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//ppct/auto/1240336793.usr1.gif" /></p>

mwfielder

01-28-2009, 05:22 PM

Thanks for the review, for a quick review you did a really nice job! Mine should be here in a couple of days....

crimsonsky

01-28-2009, 05:33 PM

iLife has always been a mixed bag for me. I don't use any of its components except iPhoto and occasionally iWeb. (My Mobile Me home page is done using iWeb, but I very seldom upgrade it and it's not something I would miss).

The new features of iPhoto don't really call out to me. Faces is cool, but nothing I feel a compelling need for, and the Places doesn't seem the lest bit compelling either. Since I don't use any social networking sites, the Flikr and Facebook ties are meaningless.

I'll probably just wait until my next computer upgrade which will come with the latest version of iLife.

Vincent Ferrari

01-28-2009, 05:54 PM

Thanks for the review, for a quick review you did a really nice job! Mine should be here in a couple of days....

I tried to take as much in as possible in a few hours. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'll try to do more thorough reviews of each component at some point, but honestly I don't think anything in any of the new applications are so compelling they warrant a full review of that size. Maybe it's just because I use the '08 suite so much? Not sure.

Vincent Ferrari

01-28-2009, 05:56 PM

I'll probably just wait until my next computer upgrade which will come with the latest version of iLife.

The biggest upgrade to iLife is iMovie. If you're not going to rock out the iMovie stuff, you can safely skip it. iMovie, however, is leaps and bounds ahead of '08.

Janak Parekh

01-28-2009, 05:57 PM

Vinny, thanks for the quick overview; this may be the best "first impressions" post I've read in quite some time. I'm planning on stopping by the 14th St. or 5th Ave. store today to pick up a copy. I'm particularly excited about the Faces/Facebook integration, because I spend tons of time tagging people when uploading to FB.

You mentioned something about name matching in FB; do you have any more detail on this? Are you saying that name tags get mapped to FB names assuming they're exactly the same? If that's the case, then I guess I have to be really careful when doing name tagging. ;) One good thing (the only good thing?) about the FB plugin for previous versions of iPhoto is that it shows your actual FB contact list with the exact name spelling.

thanks,

--janak

Vincent Ferrari

01-28-2009, 06:03 PM

You mentioned something about name matching in FB; do you have any more detail on this? Are you saying that name tags get mapped to FB names assuming they're exactly the same? If that's the case, then I guess I have to be really careful when doing name tagging. ;) One good thing (the only good thing?) about the FB plugin for previous versions of iPhoto is that it shows your actual FB contact list with the exact name spelling.

thanks,

--janak

Here's the thing I noticed... I uploaded a picture of myself tagged as "Me." When I uploaded it to Facebook, it was tagged as "Me," on Facebook so I'm thinking that the names will translate. I have to play with the feature more to make sure, but I'm guessing it just carries over the tags as you put them in iPhoto.

Okay... Quick update... It does tag the photo, but the tag isn't a real "Facebook tag" even if the name is identical. That's kind of annoying. It'll tag the photo with the name, but the name won't automatically be associated with your contact of the same name.

doogald

01-28-2009, 06:31 PM

I thought that Apple said that a photo uploaded to Facebook with unknown names that was tagged by another Facebook user it could update the name tag in iPhoto, too?

I don't use Facebook or Flickr, so that means nothing to me, but I have been tagging all of my photos to identify the people in them, so I think that face recognition is fantastic. I use iMovie maybe once a year, so that's not as big a deal. I've use GarageBand twice to make ringtones.

FedEx just arrived. I'm plugging in my TM drive and will install when the backup is done!

Janak Parekh

01-28-2009, 06:32 PM

I thought that Apple said that a photo uploaded to Facebook with unknown names that was tagged by another Facebook user it could update the name tag in iPhoto, too? I remember hearing about that too. I guess I'll have to dig for the manual and check it out.

--janak

doogald

01-29-2009, 07:21 PM

So far, I am not as impressed with Faces as I hoped I would be. It seems to miss a lot of very obvious faces in photos - I have a bunch of photos of my niece and it missed her a bunch of times, and the thing it common seems to be that she was wearing sunglasses. It also seems a lot of work to validate guessed faces; it seems to be pretty slow. It also has a bug - if you are in somebody's face grouping, and right-click, the menu gives the wrong name for the action to remove the name from the photo.

Though it seems to do a good job detecting faces on statues, including gargoyles.

Janak Parekh

01-30-2009, 05:06 AM

So far, I am not as impressed with Faces as I hoped I would be. It seems to miss a lot of very obvious faces in photos - I have a bunch of photos of my niece and it missed her a bunch of times, and the thing it common seems to be that she was wearing sunglasses. Maybe I don't have enough sunglass pictures, but I love the new feature. I'm totally addicted. It's not perfect by any means, and some faces it has trouble with, but it's better than I expected. For some faces, you need to "bootstrap" by confirming a few, and then it becomes much much more accurate.

It also seems a lot of work to validate guessed faces; it seems to be pretty slow. It also has a bug - if you are in somebody's face grouping, and right-click, the menu gives the wrong name for the action to remove the name from the photo. You mean "This is Not 'XXX'"? That option doesn't work?

--janak

Janak Parekh

01-30-2009, 05:20 AM

You mean "This is Not 'XXX'"? That option doesn't work? Oh, I see the problem. It doesn't update. :( I'm sure they'll fix that soon.

--janak

doogald

01-30-2009, 03:47 PM

Janak Parekh

01-30-2009, 05:35 PM

One more problem - if I am in an event, and click "Names" to change to the interface to conform, tag or add names to photos, and I have a photo that was rotated to portrait (i.e., the photo was taken with the camera held rotated 90 degrees), iPhoto shows the photo portrait - improperly rotated - though the tags for recognized faces are located where they would be if the photo was displayed properly. :( Again, probably teething issues. Let's see if the first bugfix fixes both. I didn't notice this, but I was only playing with it for the first time yesterday.

It's not just sunglasses - I have a remarkable number of photos with faces that are not recognized. I may post an example just to show you. I believe you. :) I currently find Faces to be more impressive in finding old pictures that match a face (i.e., via the Faces panel) than recognizing faces in new photos. It also depends hugely on the face. For example, my face is pretty accurately detected, but I'm darker-skinned and have a prominent nose. Others get terrible results. One thing I did notice is that if it does misclassify someone, if you train iPhoto on the misclassified result (i.e., if it thinks a picture is of X when in fact it is Y, and you train on what X really is), that seems to improve things a bit.

Edit: This Gizmodo article (http://i.gizmodo.com/5141741/what-to-know-about-iphoto-09-face-detection-and-recognition?skyline=true&s=x) is really helpful in training tricks. I'll have to play with it more myself.

--janak