ILife
Encyclopedia
iLife is a suite of software applications
developed by Apple for organizing, editing, and publishing photos, movies, and music. The suite comprises five applications: iPhoto
, iMovie
, iDVD
, GarageBand
, and iWeb
, all of which run on the Mac OS X
operating system.
The most recent version, iLife '11, was publicly announced on October 20, 2010 at the Back to the Mac event held by Apple. The suite is available as a standalone product and is included with all new consumer Macintosh computers since its release.
is the oldest of the applications included with iLife. It was marketed by Apple as an easy-to-use video editing application that allowed novice users to quickly create professional-quality movies. The first version of the software was released in October 1999 and bundled with the iMac DV. On April 28, 2000, Apple began allowing users to download iMovie free of charge from its website. iMovie remained free until 2003, when it became part of the first iLife release, which was sold for $49. Apple continued to update and develop the existing iMovie software until the release of iLife '08 in 2007, when a new version, iMovie '08, was released. iMovie '08 was completely rewritten as a new application and introduced significant changes to the user interface
.
iPhoto
was the second application in iLife that began as a free application available for download from Apple's website. The first version was announced at the Macworld Conference & Expo
in 2002. It was billed as being the "missing link" in photography. In addition to allowing users to import, organize, and perform basic edits on their photos, iPhoto also let users print photos in a variety of ways, including as a bound book. Subsequent versions of iPhoto have added a number of features, including automatic organization by events, faces (using facial recognition
), and places, full-screen editing, and Photocasting (a way to share photos with others directly from within iPhoto).
iDVD
was first announced on January 9, 2001. It was bundled with the PowerMac G4, which contained a SuperDrive
that read and wrote both CDs and DVD
s. The first version of iDVD introduced a simple way to design customized DVDs with menus, backdrops, slideshows and home movies that could be played back on most DVD player
s. iDVD was never released as a download as both iMovie and iPhoto were. It was bundled with the first version of iLife released in 2003 and is currently included with all new Mac computers.
The remaining two applications in the iLife suite were first introduced as part of iLife '04 and iLife '06, respectively. Released in 2004, the first version of GarageBand
was designed as an easy way for both beginner and advanced musicians to create and edit music on their Mac computers. iWeb
was introduced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 10, 2006 and was promoted as a way for users to create websites without having to know or write HTML
or any other code.
Notes about specific releases:
to identify photos containing faces, which can then be tagged by users and sorted according to who is in the photo. Places takes advantage of geotagging
technology. Many cameras today embed metadata
containing information about the location where the photo was taken. Places allows users to browse and see their photos on a map. iPhoto includes tools to crop photos, reduce red eye
, add effects such as sepia and black and white
, and to adjust the exposure
, saturation
, contrast
and black and white balance of photos. In addition, users can have their photos printed by Kodak, create books (hard bound copies of which can be ordered), calendars and greetings cards.
editor. The process of film capture by a digital camera
via FireWire is automated, with iMovie allowing users to chop up their videos, add special effects, and reorganize them. It is also compatible with flash MPEG 4 cameras, AVCHD
camcorders, HDV
cameras, and the Apple iSight
. Photographs may also be used, and a soundtrack may be added with tracks in the iTunes
music library. These can then be exported into a variety of viewable formats, including Apple's QuickTime Player.
to allow the burning of movies onto a DVD
, including custom menus based on themes (many of which make use of the content of the movies) and custom chapter points. It also contains the MPEG2 encoder functionality needed to produce DVD-compatible content. Each new version adds more menu themes. There is no support for Blu-ray burning in the current version of iDVD. In iLife '09 and iLife '11, iDVD was not updated with the exception of a few bug fixes.
on January 10, 2006. This product provides the ability to share content from the other iLife applications using Apple templates, and with one-click uploading to MobileMe
(previously called .Mac). The application also allows users to create links to their own podcasts and photocasts from the webpage. This is the latest application added to the iLife suite.
.
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
developed by Apple for organizing, editing, and publishing photos, movies, and music. The suite comprises five applications: iPhoto
IPhoto
iPhoto is a digital photograph manipulation software application developed by Apple Inc. and released with every Macintosh personal computer as part of the iLife suite of digital life management applications...
, iMovie
IMovie
iMovie is a proprietary video editing software application which allows Mac, iPod Touch 4th generation, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and iPad 2 users to edit their own home movies. It was originally released by Apple in 1999 as a Mac OS 8 application bundled with the first FireWire-enabled consumer Apple...
, iDVD
IDVD
iDVD is a DVD creation software application made by Apple Inc. for Mac OS X. iDVD allows the user to add QuickTime Movies, MP3 music, and digital photos to a DVD that can then be played on a commercial DVD player. It is often considered the last step of Apple's iLife suite, bringing together all...
, GarageBand
GarageBand
GarageBand is a software application for Mac OS X and iOS that allows users to create music or podcasts. It is developed by Apple Inc. as a part of the iLife software package on Mac OS X.-Audio recording:...
, and iWeb
IWeb
iWeb was a template-based website creation tool developed by Apple Inc. The first version of iWeb was announced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 10, 2006 as part of the iLife '06 suite of digital lifestyle applications...
, all of which run on the Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
operating system.
The most recent version, iLife '11, was publicly announced on October 20, 2010 at the Back to the Mac event held by Apple. The suite is available as a standalone product and is included with all new consumer Macintosh computers since its release.
Origins
iMovieIMovie
iMovie is a proprietary video editing software application which allows Mac, iPod Touch 4th generation, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and iPad 2 users to edit their own home movies. It was originally released by Apple in 1999 as a Mac OS 8 application bundled with the first FireWire-enabled consumer Apple...
is the oldest of the applications included with iLife. It was marketed by Apple as an easy-to-use video editing application that allowed novice users to quickly create professional-quality movies. The first version of the software was released in October 1999 and bundled with the iMac DV. On April 28, 2000, Apple began allowing users to download iMovie free of charge from its website. iMovie remained free until 2003, when it became part of the first iLife release, which was sold for $49. Apple continued to update and develop the existing iMovie software until the release of iLife '08 in 2007, when a new version, iMovie '08, was released. iMovie '08 was completely rewritten as a new application and introduced significant changes to the user interface
User interface
The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
.
iPhoto
IPhoto
iPhoto is a digital photograph manipulation software application developed by Apple Inc. and released with every Macintosh personal computer as part of the iLife suite of digital life management applications...
was the second application in iLife that began as a free application available for download from Apple's website. The first version was announced at the Macworld Conference & Expo
Macworld Conference & Expo
Produced by Boston-based IDG World Expo, Macworld | iWorld is a trade-show with conference tracks dedicated to the Apple Macintosh platform. It is held annually in the United States, usually during the second week of January...
in 2002. It was billed as being the "missing link" in photography. In addition to allowing users to import, organize, and perform basic edits on their photos, iPhoto also let users print photos in a variety of ways, including as a bound book. Subsequent versions of iPhoto have added a number of features, including automatic organization by events, faces (using facial recognition
Facial recognition system
A facial recognition system is a computer application for automatically identifying or verifying a person from a digital image or a video frame from a video source...
), and places, full-screen editing, and Photocasting (a way to share photos with others directly from within iPhoto).
iDVD
IDVD
iDVD is a DVD creation software application made by Apple Inc. for Mac OS X. iDVD allows the user to add QuickTime Movies, MP3 music, and digital photos to a DVD that can then be played on a commercial DVD player. It is often considered the last step of Apple's iLife suite, bringing together all...
was first announced on January 9, 2001. It was bundled with the PowerMac G4, which contained a SuperDrive
SuperDrive
SuperDrive is a trademark used by Apple Inc. for two different storage drives: from 1988–99 to refer to a high-density floppy disk drive capable of reading all major 3.5" disk formats; and from 2001 onwards to refer to a combined CD/DVD reader/writer....
that read and wrote both CDs and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s. The first version of iDVD introduced a simple way to design customized DVDs with menus, backdrops, slideshows and home movies that could be played back on most DVD player
DVD player
A DVD player is a device that plays discs produced under both the DVD-Video and DVD-Audio technical standards, two different and incompatible standards. These devices were invented in 1997 and continue to thrive...
s. iDVD was never released as a download as both iMovie and iPhoto were. It was bundled with the first version of iLife released in 2003 and is currently included with all new Mac computers.
The remaining two applications in the iLife suite were first introduced as part of iLife '04 and iLife '06, respectively. Released in 2004, the first version of GarageBand
GarageBand
GarageBand is a software application for Mac OS X and iOS that allows users to create music or podcasts. It is developed by Apple Inc. as a part of the iLife software package on Mac OS X.-Audio recording:...
was designed as an easy way for both beginner and advanced musicians to create and edit music on their Mac computers. iWeb
IWeb
iWeb was a template-based website creation tool developed by Apple Inc. The first version of iWeb was announced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 10, 2006 as part of the iLife '06 suite of digital lifestyle applications...
was introduced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 10, 2006 and was promoted as a way for users to create websites without having to know or write HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
or any other code.
Releases and history
| Version | Introduction | Cost | OS | iPhoto | iTunes | iMovie | iDVD | GarageBand | iWeb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iLife | Macworld Conference & Expo on January 3, 2003 | $49 | 10.1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | – | – |
| iLife '04 | Macworld Conference & Expo on January 6, 2004 | 10.2.6 | 4 | 4.2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | – | |
| iLife '05 | Macworld Conference & Expo on January 11, 2005 | $79 | 10.3.4 | 5 | 4.7.1 | HD 5 | 5 | 2 | – |
| iLife '06 | Macworld Conference & Expo on January 10, 2006 | $79 | 10.4.3 | 6 | 6.0.2 | HD 6 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| iLife '08 | Special Summer event on August 7, 2007 | $79 | 10.4.9 | 7.0 | – | 7.0 | 7.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 |
| iLife '09 | Macworld Conference & Expo on January 6, 2009 (Press Release) | $79 | 10.5.6 | 8.0 | – | 8.0 | 7.0.3 | 5.0 | 3.0 |
| iLife '11 | Apple Special Event on October 20, 2010 (Press Release) | $49 | 10.6.3 | 9.0 | – | 9.0 | 7.1 | 6.0 | 3.0.2 |
Notes about specific releases:
- iLife '06: This was the last release to include iTunesITunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
.
- iLife '08: This release included a completely reprogrammed iMovie with a new user interfaceUser interfaceThe user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
which omitted some of the features of the previous version. In response to criticism, Apple released iMovie HD 6 as a free download to anyone who purchased this version of iLife.
- iLife '09: With this release of iLife the free download of iMovie HD 6 was discontinued.
- iLife '11: Power PC Macs are not compatible with iLife '11.
iPhoto
iPhoto is an application that allows users to store, view, edit, and share their digital photos. Users can organize their photos in a number of ways. Events automatically groups photos taken around the same time. Faces uses facial recognitionFacial recognition system
A facial recognition system is a computer application for automatically identifying or verifying a person from a digital image or a video frame from a video source...
to identify photos containing faces, which can then be tagged by users and sorted according to who is in the photo. Places takes advantage of geotagging
GeoTagging
Geotagging is the process of adding geographical identification metadata to various media such as a geotagged photograph or video, websites, SMS messages, QR Codes or RSS feeds and is a form of geospatial metadata...
technology. Many cameras today embed metadata
Metadata
The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
containing information about the location where the photo was taken. Places allows users to browse and see their photos on a map. iPhoto includes tools to crop photos, reduce red eye
Red-eye effect
The red-eye effect in photography is the common appearance of red pupils in color photographs of eyes. It occurs when using a photographic flash very close to the camera lens , in ambient low light. The effect appears in the eyes of humans and animals that have no tapetum lucidum, hence no...
, add effects such as sepia and black and white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
, and to adjust the exposure
Exposure (photography)
In photography, exposure is the total amount of light allowed to fall on the photographic medium during the process of taking a photograph. Exposure is measured in lux seconds, and can be computed from exposure value and scene luminance over a specified area.In photographic jargon, an exposure...
, saturation
Saturation (color theory)
In colorimetry and color theory, colorfulness, chroma, and saturation are related but distinct concepts referring to the perceived intensity of a specific color. Colorfulness is the degree of difference between a color and gray. Chroma is the colorfulness relative to the brightness of another color...
, contrast
Contrast (vision)
Contrast is the difference in visual properties that makes an object distinguishable from other objects and the background. In visual perception of the real world, contrast is determined by the difference in the color and brightness of the object and other objects within the same field of view...
and black and white balance of photos. In addition, users can have their photos printed by Kodak, create books (hard bound copies of which can be ordered), calendars and greetings cards.
iMovie
iMovie is a digital videoDigital video
Digital video is a type of digital recording system that works by using a digital rather than an analog video signal.The terms camera, video camera, and camcorder are used interchangeably in this article.- History :...
editor. The process of film capture by a digital camera
Digital camera
A digital camera is a camera that takes video or still photographs, or both, digitally by recording images via an electronic image sensor. It is the main device used in the field of digital photography...
via FireWire is automated, with iMovie allowing users to chop up their videos, add special effects, and reorganize them. It is also compatible with flash MPEG 4 cameras, AVCHD
AVCHD
AVCHD is a file-based format for the digital recording and playback of high-definition video....
camcorders, HDV
HDV
HDV is a format for recording of high-definition video on DV cassette tape. The format was originally developed by JVC and supported by Sony, Canon and Sharp...
cameras, and the Apple iSight
ISight
iSight is a webcam, both external and internal, developed and marketed by Apple Inc. The external iSight was sold retail for US$149, connected to a computer via a FireWire cable, and came with a set of mounts to place it atop any then-current Apple display, laptop computer, all-in-one desktop...
. Photographs may also be used, and a soundtrack may be added with tracks in the iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
music library. These can then be exported into a variety of viewable formats, including Apple's QuickTime Player.
iDVD
iDVD integrates with iMovieIMovie
iMovie is a proprietary video editing software application which allows Mac, iPod Touch 4th generation, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and iPad 2 users to edit their own home movies. It was originally released by Apple in 1999 as a Mac OS 8 application bundled with the first FireWire-enabled consumer Apple...
to allow the burning of movies onto a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, including custom menus based on themes (many of which make use of the content of the movies) and custom chapter points. It also contains the MPEG2 encoder functionality needed to produce DVD-compatible content. Each new version adds more menu themes. There is no support for Blu-ray burning in the current version of iDVD. In iLife '09 and iLife '11, iDVD was not updated with the exception of a few bug fixes.
GarageBand
GarageBand is a music-creation and podcasting application that includes over 1,000 pre-recorded loops. The program also supports software instruments and importation from real instruments, such as guitars and keyboards. In iLife '09, GarageBand sells pre-recorded instrument lessons made by famous artists.iWeb
iWeb is a product that was released at the Macworld Conference & ExpoMacworld Conference & Expo
Produced by Boston-based IDG World Expo, Macworld | iWorld is a trade-show with conference tracks dedicated to the Apple Macintosh platform. It is held annually in the United States, usually during the second week of January...
on January 10, 2006. This product provides the ability to share content from the other iLife applications using Apple templates, and with one-click uploading to MobileMe
MobileMe
MobileMe was a subscription-based collection of online services and software offered by Apple Inc. Originally launched on January 5, 2000, as iTools, a free collection of Internet-based services for users of Mac OS 9, Apple relaunched it as .Mac on July 17, 2002, when it became a paid subscription...
(previously called .Mac). The application also allows users to create links to their own podcasts and photocasts from the webpage. This is the latest application added to the iLife suite.
MobileMe Web Gallery
The Apple MobileMe Web Gallery is a feature designed for easy photo sharing on the Mac platform. It allows users to create event or photo albums using the Web Gallery of their MobileMe account, and allows them to show their photos with visitors, who may also download the images and upload their own. This feature is accessible directly through iLife (iMovie, iPhoto, and iWeb) allowing users to upload without their web browserWeb browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
.
See also
- iWorkIWorkiWork is an office suite of desktop applications created by Apple for the Mac OS X and iOS operating systems. The first version of iWork, iWork '05, was released in 2005. The suite originally bundled Keynote, a presentation program which had previously been sold as a standalone application, and...
– Apple-exclusive productivity suite - MobileMeMobileMeMobileMe was a subscription-based collection of online services and software offered by Apple Inc. Originally launched on January 5, 2000, as iTools, a free collection of Internet-based services for users of Mac OS 9, Apple relaunched it as .Mac on July 17, 2002, when it became a paid subscription...
– an online service integrated with some iLife features - List of Macintosh software