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Apple iLife '11 full review is in

There's a lot to like about iLife '11, Apple's just-updated suite of media sharing and editing applications. We got our grubby mitts on it last week, and posted the full review on Friday.

Click here to read it.

Apple had a long history of releasing a new version of the suite every January for four years, then it was six months late for the '08 version before getting back on track for '09. This version comes a year and nine months off that cycle. The big question you're probably wondering is whether it was worth the wait? … Read more

Apple iLife '11

The bottom line: iLife '11 is a welcome and long-overdue update to Apple's suite of digital media applications. This year's version adds a handful of advanced features to iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand without making them more difficult to use. It's a shame iDVD and iWeb did not receive updates with this year's version, but with a slightly lower price for upgraders than in years past, iLife '11 still represents a good value to consumers looking for a set of tools for editing and sharing media. At $49, and close to two years since the last major … Read more

System requirements for Apple's iLife '11

With Apple's release of iLife '11, new hardware requirements have been published so that people can run the latest software enhancements. Keep in mind that these are the minimum specifications required to run the new iLife '11 and better hardware will ensure smoother operation.… Read more

First look: Apple iLife '11

Editors' note: We will continue to update this article as new information becomes available from Apple.

Today in Cupertino, Calif., Apple announced a major update to its multimedia management suite. The hope for iLife '11 is that it will provide a compelling reason for customers to choose Apple computers over hardware running Windows during the upcoming holiday buying season. Current Mac users can upgrade to the new iLife for $49 starting today.

iPhoto '11: The first feature for iPhoto mentioned this morning is the enhancement for full-screen modes, showing not only photos and editing possibilities, but also the ability to scroll through albums. Full-screen modes really immerse you in your photos, and have become a much desired component for many programs, including Web browsing as shown in the new "Reader" feature in Safari as well as document-composing in Word and Pages, along with e-book readers.

In addition to full-screen features, iPhoto is now more integrated with online services such as Facebook and Flickr, and will dynamically grab photos from these online accounts to show in iPhoto albums and galleries. Oddly, there was no mention of MobileMe support, but we can expect that MobileMe members will be able to access their galleries in iPhoto at least the same way as they currently do.

For those who miss Apple's iCards, the new iPhoto will have options to print photos on letterpress cards. It's not really an iCards replacement, but gives a real card people can hold in their hands, which from some perspectives is preferable.

The last new feature of iPhoto is a major enhancement to photo book creation. The books are a lot more customizable, and can be quickly formed and populated from any album. As expected with an update, there are also new themes and options for customizing layouts implemented into this feature.

iMovie '11: Apple's main goal with the latest version of iMovie is to make it even easier to use than before. For one, the app will offer news and sports themes. Also, the audio-editing bar is now highlighted to make it stand out more in project mode. Changes to the audio fade-in are visible as you edit, and there are also new audio effects, such as robot and Darth Vader. Additionally, the program offers automatic titling, which will add text such as "instant replay" to specifically selected scenes.… Read more

Apple's iLife '11 rumors include new iWeb and no iDVD

Back in January 2009, Apple released iLife '09 and we haven't gotten a full version update since. Now, new rumors peg a November 2010 release for the iLife '11 suite that includes 64-bit support, a brand new iWeb, iOS compatibility, and the demise of iDVD.… Read more

Troubleshooting basics: iLife '08 or '09

If you are experiencing issues with any of the iLife applications included with your Mac (iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, or iWeb), you can take these basic steps to begin troubleshooting your problem.… Read more

First Look video: Apple iLife '09

Apple updates its popular production suite, iLife, that aims to corral your video, photo, music, and Web needs inside one big fence.

Facebook compatibility, facial recognition algorithms, advanced editing features, and music lessons from the stars are just some of the improvements made to iVideo, iPhoto, GarageBand, and iWeb. Check out what's new in this First Look video. We've also got a slide show with even more iLife '09 goodness, and an in-depth review for iWork, Apple's productivity suite.

First taste of iLife '09: iPhoto's face recognition

Jasmine posted her brief sneak peek at iLife '09 yesterday with a slide show, and it's pretty clear that major improvements have come to Apple's suite of lifestyle applications, most notably iPhoto '09, iMovie '09, and GarageBand '09. Since I'm an amateur photography nerd with aspirations of rock stardom, I'm most interested in iPhoto and GarageBand, though the new iMovie may be enough for me to whip out my Flip camcorder and record more than just dogs riding on skateboards. Of course, iWeb '09 has a few updates, too. I have just got through the iPhoto '09 face recognition hurdle, and am just starting on the rest of the iLife suite. So here's an in-depth look at the facial recognition bit of iPhoto, with more to come later.

iPhoto '09 Lets start with the belle of the ball, iPhoto '09. Why do I say that? Because the new Faces and Places feature on iPhoto '09 was definitely one of the biggest news out of Phil Schiller's Macworld keynote. While iPhoto '08 introduced Events, which lets you group photos based on the dates they were taken, iPhoto '09 introduced three new features that got the Mac community buzzing--facial recognition, geotagging, and social network support. For the facial recognition, you don't have to tag every single photo you have with a name and a face; the idea is that iPhoto '09 will be smart enough to do the facial recognition for you. However, it will only work after you do the necessary legwork to make it all happen.

Assuming you don't have photos in your iPhoto library already, you'll have to import them. Me, I have about 3,500 photos sitting in my Aperture library on the laptop, and that's not even counting the more than 10,000 photos I have in my external hard drive at home. So if you're a big photography dork like me, it'll take some time for all the photos to import over. Once that happens, you can immediately start identifying faces and names. Sometimes iPhoto will be smart enough to detect faces for you, and sometimes it won't be. If it does detect a face, it'll display a square over what it thinks is a face, with a placeholder name "unknown face" underneath it. If it doesn't detect a face, you'll have to hit the "Add Missing Face" button on the bottom left, select the face, and add a name. Once you identify a face with a name, you can go to the Faces corkboard, select a face, and iPhoto '09 will scout out your entire library to find photos with a similar face. Once it does, it's up to you to go through the results to confirm or not confirm if the photos really do show that person. This is how the facial recognition training works.

… Read more

Up close and personal with iLife '09 photos

Curious about the new iLife? You can get a look at all the new features in this gallery of iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, and iWeb.