Question – iMovie 08

Here at iboughtamac are happy to field questions from our readers. This question came from Deborah.

I love iMovie 08 and have been surfing the net about it after having
completed one video project so far. Read one article on your site that had
an initial review, but… is there any new info on add-ons for iMovie 08? I
would just like more transitions, ANY video (special) effects, etc. Is it
possible to use add-ons (special effects,etc.) that worked with old versions
of iMovie? If so, how do I go about it?

This is a great question, many of the iMovie purists think that iMovie 06HD was so much better, and that is not truly the case. iMovie 08 is much more different. Unfortunately plugins are not supported in iMovie 08; however as an owner of iMovie 08, you are entitled to download iMovie 6 HD for free. That can be downloaded here,

If you go that route, you can get some iMovie 6 plugins . I have found a pretty good list here or here.

Making your own movies is always fun, and I find it interesting to go back to the movies I first made, and see the progress that I have made. Hope this has helped.

Good luck



  • bob
    so there aren't any video effects on 08? no fast forwarding or anything?
  • CharlieZ
    Any confirmation of iMovie 6HD still be available to iLife 09 users?
  • Wardy Miller
    Cheryl,
    You are correct and I adjusted the post. You have taught me a valuable lesson, not to try to answer posts while at work.

    Again thank you.
  • Wardy, according to MacWorld's iMovie08 review, released around the start of 2007, "third-party plug-in support has been lost—old plug-ins don’t work, and there is no API for new plug-ins in iMovie ’08." Can you point to some documentation of Apple adding back an API for third-party developers? Or explain how to install and use plugins with iMovie08?
  • Luckily, for any iMovie 08 customer, you still can download and run iMovie 6HD for free from Apple.
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