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Can anyone recommend some simple editing software for video for mac? I just want to edit some videos, perhaps with dissolves, and add music.

the most simple editing software should come already installed on your MAC
IMOVIE
nice easy drag and drop style interface
lotsa tutorials online if you get stuck

I personally didn't like IMovie. Didn't allow high res output. I got Adobe Premiere Elements, and since I'm used to it, I liked it.

Hi Andy,
No doubt IMovie software is user friendly but it didn't allow high resolution output.
I have tried adobe premiere elements and found it great video editing software for mac.

for sure Imovie as its limitations. However if you are not familiar with video editing software it's interface is simple and it comes bundled with every apple computer.
It also depends what you are editing and what you want to do with the final product. A point and shoot camera that shoots video or a low end consumer camcorder used to make some video for the internet or to screen on your computer is what I was thinking.

I personally have little experience with IMovie. Final Cut Pro is the tool of choice for me for editing, although I also use Adobe Premiere because it works well with After Effects

Hi barrows,
I have heard Apple company has released new video editing software on the Mac App Store. Didn't tried Final Cut Pro X but using adobe premiere elements without any difficulty.

I second this. I spend a lot of time using premiere CS5 on the Windows side of things, but if you are a mac guy you are already set up to use the best, FCP.

iMovie will put out any resolution you like. I export 1080p (1920x x1080 HD) vids all the time. Just export via Quicktime and specify the res you want. You can even choose a custom pix dimension.

iMovie is a fantastic program, but lacks a manual. Get David Pogue's excellent Missing Manual for iMovie and you will be set.

Philip: thanks for this, but I am stil not sure what is going on with iMovie? Example, I shoot in camera at 1280x960 @ 30 FPS, I them import to iMovie set to "full". So far, it appears that iMovie indeed imports full resolution to the "event", as the files are the same size as in camera. Then edit this up as a "project". Now my finished "project" ends up showing a size of 108 MB for about a 4:42 movie. Then export with QuickTime set to export 1280x960 @ 30 FPS, and the result is the file size grows to 372 MB.
It appears to me that when one edits a "project" in iMovie it must be downsampling the file and not editing at the native rate, and then QuickTime is then just upsampling to whatever rate one sets?
I would like to continue to use iMovie, and not have to learn something like FCP, but is it really possible to get 1280x960 or 720p resolutions through iMovie?
I also can find no way to check image size of imported files inside iMovie? Right click does not give the info, and neither does "get info".
Frustrating...

export as h.264. I like adobe premier pro. You might need to use streamclip to convert it into a raw editing format.

Chris,

Yes, the export via QuickTime was done as h.264, at 30 FPS, audio with ACC @ 320 kpbs.
One caveat, I am using iMovie '08, perhaps I should upgrade to iMovie '11?