Slick Encore Review: I was an iMovie fan back when it was running on Mac Classic 9.x. GeeThree’s Slick plugins were the first to add special effects to iMovie.

Now there are 10 volumes available. Transitions and effects that make your movie efforts, well, slick. Jack uses Final Cut Pro, I use iMovie.

This isn’t a plug. At least, it’s not a commercial plug because I’m not getting anything for telling you what I think of iMovie and the plugins available to add special effects.

I actually had to pay for my plugin collection for iMovie and I have a bunch, including most of those from developer GeeThree which makes the popular Slick Volumes.

If you have Mac OS X Panther or Tiger then you have iMovie. If you’ve used it, then you know that iMovie, though somewhat simple compared to professional non-linear video editing applications, is powerful.

The video from a cheapo miniDV camera looks good in iMovie. The video from a more expensive Sony video camera sporting HD looks even better.

Your video won’t look any better in Final Cut Pro (’Pro’ as in ‘expensive’). You’ll simply have more tools to make your movie a real movie.

iMovie is free. It comes as part of iLife and is free on each new Mac. iMovie, despite the price tag, is powerful and capable of professional looking results.

A few choice plugins, and all the effects you’ve come to expect in video today can be yours.

GeeThree’s Slick Volumes, there are 10 in all, give you easily installed new transitions, new effects, Picture-in-picture, special titles, dissolves, lighting efects, 3D transitions, and much more.

Volume 1
This was the first volume I purchased back in the OS 9.x days, now available for iMovie and OS X. It’s a good start with over 50 basic transitions and effects.

Volume 2
This is called the ‘Spice Collection’ and comes with a number of specially licensed effects you’ll see in movies and TV shows. Watch out. This collection is addicting.

Volume 3
This includes over 100 plugins and adds over 30 titles to the collection. There’s also a Soft Paint tool, one of my all time favorites, along with the typical page curl transitions, and some professional soft wipes.

Volume 4
This group of plugins is called the ‘Hollywood Edition’ and starts to add the more esoteric and complicated effects and transitions to your iMovie efforts. This includes bluescreen, Picture in Picture, Split Screen, and Matte compositing tools.

Volume 5
This bunch of 100 new plugins allowed me to create my own ‘Pop Up Music Video.’ Place text anywhere on screen, add animated titles. Make sure you buy plenty of RAM for your Mac.

Volume 6
It’s here where I had to take a breather as these plugins were becoming more professional than my ability. Volume 6 added a real color corrector, key frame controls, and the ability to draw on top of video.

Volume 7
I stepped up my collection when 7 came out as it’s loaded with 3D transitions that work wonderfully on my new iMac G5. New animated titles were added. The transitions now use OpenGL.

Volume 8
At this level I needed a different camera and a tripod. So I thought. Volume 8 added image stabilization and a nifty pan and zoon, morph and warp, and an improved Picture-in-picture. Even better was the stack of 100 animated backgrounds.

Volume 9
These last two volumes start to add effects that truly hit the professional level. Except for audio, judicious use of effects and transitions in iMovie give results comparable to Final Cut Pro. 9 added more 3D transitions and mixes and dissolves.

Volume 10
The latest release upgrades the less-than-stellar lighting effects tools for iMovie with Lighting Studio. Multi-camera editing is possible in iMovie.

GeeThree’s Slick Volumes are not the only iMovie plugins available. They’re affordable and work well.

If you’re using a newer Mac with plenty of RAM, a little patience and a digital video camera will get you some attractive and competent movie productions without the expense of Final Cut Studio which is the cost of a new Mac by itself.

Are you a movie maker? Plain or fancy? If you’re using iMovie do you have specific filters and special effects that you prefer?

Share your experience and perspective with other Mac users in the Comments section below.

Check out the daily list of our 9 Word mini-Reviews at NoodleMac, and Kate's daily in-depth Mac software reviews at PixoBebo.

• Article by Carol Mary Miller • Published on Friday, March 30, 2007
• Category: Encore Reviews • 6 Reader comment(s) • Email This • Digg This • Shop Now

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Readers Talk Back:

Lino Positano says:

I do not want/need to use a movie camera because I am satisfied enough with my Nikon 7.1 MP camera that also takes movies. It saves them in the silly AVI format. I need to rotate them and convert them, but iMovie is not able to either. Is there a free utility/program that can do this?

— Posted on Sat May 03 at 10:42 am by Lino Positano

David Coffin says:

Good point, FCPer. iMovie certainly still has some charms (haven’t tried the new one everyone’s squawking about), and I always check out all the other “little” editors, too, like Videator and now Norkross Movie. But if money’s an object and you can’t do both, I’d argue that for most folks who want to step up their game, going for FCE is a better use of it than buying all the iMovie plugins the same cash will buy you, if for no other reason than FC lets you automate parameters. How would a beginner know which ones were the real iM gems, anyway, without some advice like yours about removing shake? If you’ve got all the plugins for iM plus FC, then, sure, you can pick and choose, and sometimes iMovie+a plugin will ace FC. No doubt this new version will have some hidden virtues too; I’ll check it out eventually.

— Posted on Tue Aug 21 at 1:03 am by David Coffin

FCPer But says:

I’ve been with FCP since day one but ya gotta admit iMovie has some nice 3rd party fx. I for one am using it to stabilize some footage with Slick pack 8. Results are remarkable, would have taken some time to do in After Effects, FCP 4get about it, but a few clicks in iMovie and voila!!! Steady footage. I am a pro Editor since FCP 1.0 and we know that you use whatever works for you, but sometimes these cheapo programs can be used to great avail. The stock Slick fx remind me of the envy I had for my Vegas pals who had some nice funky built in FX. I’ve told all my FCP pals to take a look at iMovie and see if they can use IT as a plugin for FCP, the way we used to use Photoshop “the best FCP image editor.”

— Posted on Mon Aug 20 at 10:18 pm by FCPer But

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