There’s recently been a lot of fuss about Apple’s decision to switch to using Intel processors in its range of Macintosh computers. However, the real appeal of using a Mac has always been Apple’s elegant and easy-to-use software, rather than mundane hardware features such as processors and hard disks.
The quality of Mac software is admirably demonstrated by the latest version of Apple’s iLife suite, which contains upgraded versions of popular programs such as the iMovie video editor and the GarageBand music composition software. And the good news is that iLife ‘06 is “universal”, which means that the software will run equally well on both Intel-based machines such as the new iMac, and on existing Mac models that use the older G4 and G5 processors.
There are five programs in the suite and they all gain new features. A really impressive set of “themes” has been added to iMovie. These are templates that combine text, graphics and moving video, and that can be used to create very sophisticated title sequences or animated montages of video clips. There have also been some big improvements to iMovie’s audio controls, including the addition of a graphic equaliser and a series of audio filters that can be used to improve sound quality and add sound effects. Pupils will have a lot of fun with the pitch-changer control and its “chipmunk” option, which allows you to increase the pitch of someone’s voice so that they sound like a squeaky chipmunk.
GarageBand gets some useful new features too – most notably the new Podcasting Studio. This allows you to create podcast projects that contain audio tracks for recording voices, adding “jingles” and other background music, and sound effects. You can even add an artwork track that displays photos or other illustrative images as the podcasting is playing. This will be a great tool for schools working on podcasting projects.
Another program that gets a fairly big upgrade is iDVD, the program used to create DVD menus and disks. Its new Magic iDVD option allows you to select a template and a set of video clips, and will automatically burn them onto a DVD – complete with automatically-generated menu pages.
There’s also a brand new program called iWeb that has been added to the suite. It allows you to design and create your own web pages using a series of built-in templates. Each template includes several page designs such as a main home page, an “about me” page or a picture gallery. This mean you can quickly create a complete website just by selecting the template pages you need and adding your own text and graphics.
Each of these programs works well on its own, and the new features in iMovie and GarageBand are particularly useful. But the real strength of the iLife suite – particularly for pupils and teachers – is the way they work together to allow you to quickly create and share impressive multimedia projects.
For instance, once you’ve edited some video in iMovie, you can use the “Share” command to transfer your video to GarageBand, where you can play it in a special new video track. This makes it easier to compose or edit the video soundtrack, as you can see your video playing while you work on the audio tracks.
Alternatively, you could use the Podcasting Studio in GarageBand to create a podcast and then use the “Share” command again to insert the podcast into a new web page created in iWeb. You can then put this podcast up onto the internet so that other people can download it. This would normally require a fair amount of programming work, but GarageBand and iWeb do all the programming for you, leaving you to concentrate on creating your podcasts and videos.
It’s this ability to combine elements from different programs and then share them all by putting them onto the internet, DVD or even an iPod that makes the iLife suite so impressive. Our only real criticism is that Apple doesn’t bother to provide a proper manual for all this software. Apple’s software might be easy to use, but tasks such as creating DVD menus and podcasts can still be quite complex, and the lack of manuals and tutorials is sheer laziness on Apple’s part.
Even so, iLife ‘06 is an impressive suite. It provides a complete multimedia studio at a very reasonable price, and the new features in this version mean it can be recommended to anyone using Macs for multimedia or ICT projects.
Cliff Joseph
Apple iLife ‘06
Multimedia software suite, with programs for photo and video editing, DVD creation, web page design and audio recording.
Price (inc.VAT): retail £55; education £35.25
Contact: www.apple.com/uk/education
- Hands-on help
Want to find out how to use Apple's iLife software in class? There are still places free for "Learning in a Digital World", the acclaimed annual Apple Teacher Institute event that offers hand-on help for creative curriculum work. It's being held at Malvern College, Worcestershire, April 18-21.
www.apple.com/uk/education/ati/
