Just in a few short years, video has legitimately taken over the internet. As an incredibly versatile and powerful storytelling medium, video is able to grab and hold our attention better than text, audio, or imagery. So no wonder there has been an explosion of tools to help you create the exact look and feel you seek.
While professional movie editing software costs anywhere between $240 and $450 a year, Apple generously offers its video editing suite iMovie on both iOS and macOS platforms for free.
From the first scene to the last. Whether you’re using a Mac or an iOS device. Also, Apple provides separate purchase of iMovie for Mac included in iLife, together with iWork, iWeb, iDVD, GarageBand, etc. This article will show you the history of iMovie, how to download iMovie for free and introduction to a better iMovie for Mac alternative.
If you’ve extensively used iMovie in your work, you may have experienced it slow down, lag, or in the worst case scenario — crash. Even if you are not working with large HD files, or using Stabilizing or Rendering features that demand a lot of power, it’s possible for iMovie to come to a standstill. This can be extremely frustrating, especially if you are on a deadline!
Why is iMovie so slow?
If you are wondering what’s causing your Mac to freeze repeatedly when cutting clips or why it’s taking forever to drag and drop things around, look no further than iMovie’s hunger for performance power.
To see how much impact running iMovie has on your Mac, just open up Activity Monitor and inspect the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and Random Access Memory (RAM) levels. While CPU points out the amount of work your Mac can handle and how quickly it can perform a task, RAM affects the processor’s ability to quickly and easily access information.
Buying more RAM is a good idea, but can be costly. Luckily, there are a few other ways to speed up iMovie that can save you money, energy, and time.
Plug your Mac into a power supply
Charging is a simple hack that can give your Mac a noticeable boost! Here’s why it works: the CPU adjusts its speed on the fly in order to balance performance and power consumption. As such, it automatically switches to low power mode when not hooked up to a power adaptor. But when plugged in, CPU doesn't have to concern itself with energy conservation.
If you are not close to a socket or happen to be without a charger, you can manually adjust the Energy Saver preferences to not let macOS put hard disks to sleep, so they wouldn’t spin down and turn off motors while on battery power, thus making iMovie wait longer when it needs to access data.
To change or adjust Energy Saver preferences:
Open System Preferences > Energy Saver > Battery tab.
Uncheck the “Put hard disk to sleep when possible” box.
Uncheck the “Enable Power Nap while on battery power” box.
Delete unwanted folders and cache files
Still finding iMovie slow? Delete some files — a general rule of thumb is to have at least 25 GB of free space on your hard disk to run iMovie smoothly.
Start by deleting iMovie cache files. Cache files are essentially data files that log what you have done. They document changes you make and speed up revival next time you want to work with the same data in iMovie.
To delete unnecessary iMovie cache files:
Close iMovie.
Open a Finder window and select Go from your Mac’s menu bar, then Go to Folder…
Type in ~/Library/Preferences and select Go.
Move the com.apple.iMovie.plist file to the Trash, empty the Trash, then open iMovie again.
Now, move all unwanted cache folders from your Mac to the Trash:
Open a Finder window and select Go > Go to Folder…
Type in ~/Library/Caches and select Go.
Delete the files and folders that are taking up the most space.
In addition, to really trim the fat from your Mac’s storage files, you should delete outdated iMovie folders. If you’ve updated to the latest version of iMovie, and no longer want to use the previous versions, iMovie Projects and iMovie Events folders can be deleted. Also, remove what’s duplicated and no longer needed from your iMovie Shared folder.
Minimize tasks and close other programs
You may have noticed iMovie slowing down if you have other programs open on your desktop. To speed it up, close all the apps you don’t need. And don’t forget to quit all the background processes that demand power as well, such as Energy Savers, Spotlight Search, Time Machine, and FileVault.
Some more tips for streamlining your Mac’s efficiency include:
Setting a plain screensaver
Removing all icons from your desktop
Creating and logging into a new user account for iMovie
Optimize your Mac for iMovie automatically
While optimizing your Mac manually can seem daunting and repetitive, you can achieve even better results faster by using smart optimization software. A tool such as CleanMyMac X could be a perfect and quick solution.
Among other things, CleanMyMac X deals with storage, speed, and malware issues. It magically turns junk into free space. Here’s how to do it:
How To Download Imovie On Mac
Download CleanMyMac X (free trial available).
Click Smart Scan in the menu bar on the left.
Click Scan.
Click Run.
The app makes it very easy to find those large cache files and “needy” programs that prevent your Mac from reaching its full potential.
Besides Smart Scan, it’s a good idea to go to the Optimization and Maintenance modules , where you can review other methods to give your Mac a much-needed boost.
How To Download Film Into Imovie On A Mac
Now your Mac and iMovie are ready for you to create your video masterpieces. You will want to repeat this cleaning process from time-to-time (at least once a month) to avoid any lags or disruptions, whether you do this manually or using a tool such as CleanMyMac X.
Before you begin, make sure to back up your iMovie libraries, your media, and the iMovie app.
Try these troubleshooting steps in order
After trying each step below, test iMovie again to see if you've fixed your issue.
Restart your Mac
Reset NVRAM
If you use an external device with iMovie like a camera, reset NVRAM:
Shut down your Mac.
Disconnect all external devices other than your keyboard and your mouse.
Reset NVRAM.
Open iMovie and attempt to reproduce your issue.
If iMovie works, reconnect devices one at a time until you can reproduce your issue. Restart your Mac after reconnecting a device if the device requires it.
If iMovie still doesn't work, you might need to update your device's firmware or have the device serviced.
Update macOS and iMovie
Choose Apple menu > App Store, then click Updates. If an iMovie update is available, click Update to download and install it.
Check camera and media format compatibility
Make sure you're using a camera and media format that works with iMovie. If you can't find your camera listed or need further assistance, contact the manufacturer of the device for support.
If you're using a third-party video interface with your Mac, check with the manufacturer for firmware or other software updates for your device.
Test with a new library and project
You can create a new library and test project to check if the issue is with your library, project, or iMovie app. First, create a new library:
Quit iMovie.
While you press and hold the Option key, click the iMovie app in the Dock or double-click the iMovie app in the Applications folder.
In the Open Library window, click New to create a new library.
Name the test library 'Test iMovie Library,' then save it to the Desktop.
Next, create the test project using a built-in trailer template, then export it as a QuickTime video file:
In iMovie, click Projects to return to the Projects view.
Choose File > New Trailer, click the Action trailer template, then click Create.
Choose File > Share > File, click Next, name the file 'Finish Line,' then save the video file to the Desktop.
Next, import the QuickTime video file into a new project in the new library:
Click projects to return to the Projects view. In the window, click OK.
Choose File > New Movie.
Choose File > Import Media, then click Desktop in the Import window sidebar. Select the 'Finish Line.mov' file in the list, then click the Import Selected button.
Select the clip in the browser, then press the E key to add the clip to the timeline.
Try to recreate the issue you were having. For example, if iMovie quit when adding a transition, try to add a transition to the timeline.
If the new library and project work as expected, you've isolated the cause of your issue to the original library or project. Try to restore a previous version of the original library from a Time Machine or other backup.
Test iMovie with a new user account
Create another user account on your Mac, then test iMovie with the new user account.
Reset iMovie
Reset iMovie to default settings. Libraries won't be affected.
Reinstall iMovie
Delete iMovie, then redownload and reinstall it. Libraries won't be affected.