iMovie is a free video editing application made by Apple for the Mac, the iPhone, and the iPad.

[5][6] With version 3, iMovie became part of Apple's now-defunct iLife suite, alongside other multimedia apps.

[8] Both iMovie and the iMac DV were announced at Apple's special event on October 5, 1999 at the Flint Center.

It gained features to integrate it with the rest of the iLife suite, with toolbox buttons allowing the importing of images from iPhoto, music from iTunes and the setting of chapter markers ready for exporting to iDVD.

iMovie transcodes HD video upon import using this codec and stores it in the QuickTime file format.

Themes allow the user to drop movie clips or photos into professionally designed backdrops.

It also introduced real-time titling, enhanced audio tools and effects, the ability to have multiple projects open at once, video podcasts and blogs (using integration with iWeb), and a refined look based on iTunes 5 and 6. iMovie '08 (version 7.0) was released in August 2007 as a part of the iLife '08 suite.

"[19] Features removed included the classic timeline, the ability to create DVD chapter markers, support for plugins, and in-timeline audio adjustment and control.

[20] However, in response to the release of the subsequent newer version of iMovie '09, Apple removed the download in late January 2009[21] while also reducing the $299 price tag for Final Cut Express to $199.

[23] It introduced some new features and restored some features from previous versions of iMovie, including basic video effects (such as fast/slow motion and aged film) and image stabilization as well as travel map functions for marking locations where a video was shot.

It also improved editing with a precision cut editor and a clip trimmer, improved support for hard drive-based cameras such as the Flip Mino, added some new titles and transitions, and added full iDVD support (which was unavailable in iMovie '08).

In addition, it introduced a Full-Screen Library Browser with which the user can find and examine all of his or her video in one place.

[24] It has the ability to make trailers for home movies, more control over audio, instant replay and flash and hold effects, facial recognition, news themes, and the ability to watch the video on a Mac, iPad, iPhone/iPod touch, or Apple TV, as well as sharing on Facebook and YouTube.

Apple worked with Abbey Road Studios in London, England, to bring original music/film scores to iMovie '11.

This version of iMovie was a complete redesign with more options to share a movie, more movie and trailer theme options from iMovie for iOS, easier to make picture-in-pictures, cutaways, side-by-sides etc., more realistic green-screen effects and easier refinements.

It added support for 4K video editing and included a major user interface overhaul, as well as the removal of some peripheral features.

Versions 10.1.12 and 10.1.16 work on macOS Catalina 10.15.7. iMovie 10.2, released on November 12, 2020, became natively compatible with Apple silicon Macs, and added new backgrounds.

Versions 10.2.3 and 10.2.5 work on macOS Catalina 10.15.7. iMovie 10.3 and later updates added support for Cinematic Mode, Magic Movie and Storyboard, and made performance improvements.

[34][35] iMovie contains a large number of built-in sound effects, and also has the ability to record a voiceover or add a music soundtrack.

[44] At WWDC 2010, Steve Jobs announced that iMovie would be released on iOS later that month, with the basic features of the Mac version.