iMovie App Reviews
Files are defaulting to mpg.4 export. Looks crappie on youtube. Under share option -> Fille -> only option is HD or SD 1080 or 720. No quicktime export available.... am I missing something?
Great for personal use. Good starter for small business, but not for scaling your video production
I have accomplished a lot with iMovie, but have now outgrown it. It performs well and almost never crashes. UX is clunky in places. Example, placing objects on the timeline has some strange limitations about how they attach. Captions are extremely limited, as you are stuck with their formats and screen placement. Cropping features are good. Audio overlays work pretty well. I don’t use it for any special effects, so no opinion there. Recently I had a freelancer do some work in iMovie. He had a newer version (by only one point release) and so project files were useless until I do a MacOS upgrade. Kind of frustrating as my current is not that old. Some freelancers do not use iMovie, so that limits the talent pool. I will be upgrading to Final Cut Pro this weekend to better address my business needs. It remains to be seen if and how current projects in iMovie will port over to FCP. And, of course, it is free with the Mac. So overall, I am satisfied.
I love this stuff!
I love IMovie because it gives me the chance to have freedom because I am getting hunted down by the world government (I’m hallucinating)
ITS AMAZING
YOU CAN MAKE FREE MOVIES YAYYYY!!!!!!!!!
Failure of an App
iMovie has one job: produce a video file. It cannot do this, and it will not tell you it has failed. I edited 45 minutes of footage into a 35-minute video. When I hit export, the app simply did nothing — no file produced, no error message, no warning, no indication of any kind that anything had gone wrong. The export silently failed and iMovie returned me to the timeline as if I had never asked. This is the worst possible failure mode for editing software. A loud, ugly error message would have at least told me to troubleshoot, change formats, or move my project elsewhere before I sank more hours into it. Instead, iMovie pretends everything is fine while quietly refusing to do the one thing it exists to do. My finished video is now permanently stranded inside the application, unwatchable by anyone who doesn't have my Mac. If you are considering iMovie for anything you actually care about: don't. Use literally any other editor that will at least have the decency to tell you when it has broken.
Seriously, why is Apple software so bad?
I find it astonishing that Apple doesn’t simply sit down and watch users using the software. If they did, they would immediately see how the “ecosystem” of files, libraries, cloud, etc. is just insanely confusing. Functionality that should be easy to find isn’t. Adding text, transitions, etc… it should all (in 2026) work flawlessly and be intuitive. Instead Apple still makes little buttons with meaningless images on them, provides the strangest idioms for naming, importing and just USING “projects”, etc. It’s free, so I gave it an extra star.
New update ruined what was once easy
I used to be able to select a bunch of images I imported, like 1k images, and change both their time and image size with relative ease. EVER SINCE AN UPDATE HAPPENED I NOW HAVE TO SELECT A SMALL AMOUNT OF IMAGES AND CHANGE THEM INDIVIDUALLY MAKING WHAT WAS ONCE AN EASY PROCESS A LONGER MUCH MORE ANNOYING ONE. AND IF I DO SELECT EVERYTHING AND TRY TO CHANGE THE SIZE OF THE IMAGE, IT CAUSES THE SOFTWARE TO STOP RESPONDING. SO WHOEVER MADE THIS UPDATE REVERT IT BACK.
Add MPEG-4 Support
Disappointing it doesn’t support newer codecs.
Is good but missing a lot
I like that there is a free editor but it lacks 9:16 format. I have FCP and DaVinci but at times Id like to just open a light editor to do small projects like shorts or IG posts which are 9:16. Today I would say 75% of the people including my kids are looking to do only shorts, reels, or IG. Please add this 9:16 aspect ratio.
Video Integrity- Amateur Editor
So, a very unfortunate issue is occurring, and it is a newish issue. I have been using iMovie for years but it seems there may be an issue with videos recorded on a 17ProMax. Here is the issue that I have noticed ever since I got the worst iPhone in Apple History: I record a video using my 17 Pro Max. I edit the video in the Photos App on my iPhone. The edits are simple; trim, crop, or color correct (or all of the above.) The video looks stunning. I open my iMovie app on my 2025 MacBook Air M4 and select the videos in iMovie, the ORIGINALS of the videos are what’s importing… Apple Support told me this is normal and if I want to make edits then I need to just use the features of the iMovie app. You know who doesn’t have this issue? Adobe Premier Pro- unfortunately that app is a little too advanced for me. But this issue I am having only started when I got the terrible iPhone 17 Pro Max.
iMovie is best
imovie I think is better than capcut becase it is way better quality. Some may think that capcut can do cooler things, but iMovie looks more professional. Capcut feels like its just for social media, and usually social media videos aren't that good quality.
Its more better on the Mac than the iPad
The app is really good! But I would’ve give 5 stars if it had more effects, and stuff to use for your videos. And also the best thing is that it’s free, you don’t pay for it! And it should always be like that! To me iMovie is probably best on the Mac. Ive seen how’s was the app on the iPad and the phone, and in the Mac it’s easier to bring videos and etc, on the Mac. But the only request I have is to have more effects on iMovie like I said before. The rest is perfect!
good but
Some video files need to be converted for iMovie to work, or else it crashes instantly on importing. Those files are previewed normal in Fiinder…
Excellent
This app is the right app for me. Although I’m still working on figuring it out, but it is really easy to learn! I hope you add more features and improve.
Go to app, that has gone wrong
I love iMovie, I really do. It has been a go-to for most basic video editing for many years. Amazing for a “free”product. But with the advent of the new “pay for features” model of all of Apple’s formerly completely-free apps, including the iMovie push to upgrade/pay for Final Cut features, bugs were also introduced - bugs that now cause spinning ball hangs that can only be “fixed” via force quitting iMovie. I’ve been through some historic efforts to troubleshoot… and best I can tell, it is the app itself that is just choking (on files that it has never choked on before). Final step I am working on now is a complete, deep uninstall of the app and re-downloading. I may lose files… I hope not.
awesome
i love this app helpful for my videos
Does NOT upload all videos!
Can’t get all of my videos to upload from my iPhone. This app is useless if it leaves out videos. Please help!
Wow this is so good!
Wow this app is SOOO Good, I really mean it! My reviews keep vanishing so I’m 100% sure there’s no filter for reviewing Apple’s own apps or anything. I love when this app crashes!
No BPM setting or sync...wack
unusable for music videos
ADS IN iMovie?!?!?!
Why do you have to ruin everything now. The Creator Studio ad isn’t even the first ad in here. There was an ad for Final Cut Pro before. Now for the evil and ought right horrendous Creator Studio. I hate modern Apple and if there is an afterlife, I want Steve to throw a Saturnian lightning bolt to Apple Park. Like Zeus but Lightning from Saturn is the strongest in the entire solar system.
Removed features. Makes me want to tear my hair out.
Common sense features, like text boxes, are absent. It took several apple support staff to tell me text boxes were removed in a recent update. the whole app in general is a nightmare to use. The only reason I will use it moving forward is that it is free to use, but at what cost? my sanity.
Deleted 10 hours of work
When I was editing a video for my Chanel, it said ran out of storage and with no warning deleted my entire file, 10 hours of my life gone. I hate this app
What happened?
The most recent update has left me speechless. iMove used to do everything I needed for my video podcast. It was quick, responsive, and I didn’t have any issues. Now, exporting is taking twice as long as before (the prior version would do my 4+ hour podcast in about 35 minutes, now it is taking over an hour to do the same export), and the later parts of reviewing the video is making the video jittery. I don’t know if this is a iMovie viewing problem, or if the exported video will do the same thing. I really hope that I don’t have to use some other software for this, I had a pretty simple workflow for what I was doing. UPDATE: So I have been trying *ALL DAY* from about 10 AM this morning and it is currently 8:20 PM at night to export to a file a 3 hour, 31 minute, 57 second file. There is no way possible that this is the desired speed for file creation. I am *REDUCING* my rating because iMovie *WAS* working just fine! I could produce a 5 hour movie and it would be done in about an hour. There is no way this is how iMovie should be behaving.
A little too simplified
Doesn’t let you change aspect ratio?
Good but is hard to use
So I like the app but its just doesn’t give you instructions of how to use it and it hard to add picketers in the app. I like it but hard to understand
It is great for beginners
I started making videos a year ago and this helped me get started. It was free and easy to learn. It really helped! Thanks apple!
iMovie now has ads? ugh
Ugh… aside from the UX not having been updated in ages… it now has ads to get the new Final Cut Pro through Apple Creator Studio. When did Apple become Microsoft? I’m done using iMovie.
Media Processing Software
Complete in meeting my needs. If I ever need more, then I will purchase Final Cut Software.
Latest update is trash
Exporting a 50s clip in 4k and imovie is stuck forever. Rebooting my macbook pro doesn’t help.
stupid
you can't import videos from photos
Easy to use, extremely glitchy
This is user friendly and has basic capabilities, but constantly freezes and crashes regardless of the file etc. Really difficult to edit when I am constantly restarting the app. Worth paying for something that actually works.
What happened?
Been using iMovie for years. Recently it’s freezing every time I make an edit. Why am I having to force quit several times to edit a 5 min video?
Simple
It’s easy to get into and there’s not much to learn
Imovie is pretty terrible
Unintuitive to a mind boggling degree. I've spent an hour researching how to control basic things like aspect ratio, text, and turning off clip snapping. I realize it'd be faster to just download another software.
No save button and autosave didnt work
I was using iMovie for a simple project instead of Premiere. I was looking for a save button before going to lunch. I searched it and it said there is no manual save button because it autosaves. It crashed later and deleted hours and hours of work. Not the first occurrence. I used iMovie a ton when I was younger and have seen this happen. I assumed this wouldn’t be a problem after 25 years of existing.
why can you not change the aspect ratio??
it's lowkey crazy that you can't even make the ratio 9:16. i wanted to create a recap video for social media but im gonna have to use a different app. please put this feature back. in the age of social media and vertical video, why on god's green earth would you not let people make the videos vertical??!!!
Unreliable
Completely unreliable, does have a sense of humor when it comes to the timing of crashes, & keeps bugging out when I try to export a project. Completely unbearable, skip trying this and go to the next free editor on your list.
Latest version is broken
Just updated this today and it no longer works. When tracking through any video it will intermittently flicker black, and upon exporting any video it just says "Failed to export." The only thing that has changed is that I updated it. I wish I could downgrade to the previous verison at least, since it's interrupting my work.
Good but one main issue
I was working on an important school project on this, and when I tried to export it, it only exported half or less of the video.
Good, but still crashes a-lot
This app still suddenly freezes with colour of death wheel whenever I do any video editing! Please fix this Apple!
Great for a free software
This software works amazing to be free. Majority of reviews like it but complain about some things that I agree with. But it makes sense it has limitations free software. If you are just wanting to start out in editing, I would recommend this software.
Absolutely Awful
Barely any features, awful lag. Too simplistic and you can barely create what you want. Better off using canvas or honestly anything.
so anoying
randomly starts zooming in on photots, WTFFF!!
Crashed within 10 mins
never change, apple. (no seriously this has always been your worst app and a horrible ad for final cut pro)
Good app
I’ve editing movies, in 2024 December 7, I was AirDroping the movies, I do not see Christopher Donatello’s grin. If you can download it if you need me.
New update worse
After it forced me to update, it won’t export any of my movies to a file. I’ve tried everything. What’s up guys?!?
Trash
Dear Apple,
Horrible
The thing was so bad I would rather use cave carvings to edit. My computer blew up
You can’t even do the basics
No text block positioning tools, everything is templated, no control, not intuitive at all. Fort he lack of features this software has it sure makes itself hard to use too
COOL67
Love it