Apple Releases iMovie Update Adding New Tools Useful for Video Marketers

The number of marketers implementing video in their digital strategy grows at a faster and faster rate each year, and for good reason.

After all, video is more engaging for your audience, showcases your brand’s personality, and is shown to produces better results when compared to static content.

So, why haven’t all brands hopped on the bandwagon yet?

Many brands that haven’t invested in video believe that they don’t have the technical expertise required to produce a polished marketing video.

While there is value in having a dedicated video team, you don’t need one to get started.

Take Apple’s iMovie — it’s free for all Apple devices and is created to be user-friendly enough for beginners.

Recently, Apple announced all-new updates to iMovie that make this program an even more attractive option for marketers to get started.

The new iMovie comes with a slew of frequently requested features that make the free app more competitive compared to its paid-for rivals.

What’s New in iMovie

Green Screen Support   

One of the most notable additions is the support for green screen effects. This means users will be able to remove the background for shots taken using a blue or green screen and replace it with a different setting for their video.

From there, users can also customize the new background using a four-point mask and a strength slider to make it as bold or as subtle as desired.

Adding this to its wheelhouse allows iMovie to better compete in with more advanced video editors, while still remaining a free, user-friendly option for the less experienced.

Photo Overlay Capabilities

The update also includes the ability to incorporate photos as overlays. This allows users to create picture-in-picture and split screen effects in the final video.

Now, if you’re creating a marketing video about a specific product, you can show it right on screen without needing to cut away from the current shot. This was another highly recommended feature, making both the editing process and the viewer experience much smoother.

New Royalty-Free Music

A major pain point of making videos is incorporating music. Many platforms have strict copyright laws that prevent creators from adding any licensed music into the videos, even if it’s only brief.

So, many editors use royalty-free music as an alternative, but the selection is limited. This is why you often hear the same tracks in many YouTube videos.

To give video creators more variety, Apple has added 80 new soundtracks to iMovie across a variety of genres, including pop, chill, sentimental, and more. Also, the songs will auto-adjust to the length of the video, taking another step off the editor's plate.

Why is This Important for Marketers?

iMovie has always been a great video editing option for users with a low budget who may not have a lot of video editing experience.

Now, these new features keep the user-friendly experience intact while also offering options to create high-quality videos using similar capabilities users get with more advanced and expensive programs like Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro.

This lowers the barrier to entry for video marketing, allowing inexperienced video creators to create high-quality videos with professional backgrounds, split screen capabilities, and more variety of music.

If you haven’t started creating video content for your business yet, I highly encourage you to take a look at iMovie's new features (already included in all Apple devices!). For more help with getting started, you can read a beginners guide to iMovie here.