iMovie for Mac picks up 4K video editing support

By Joseph Keller
published

Apple has updated iMovie for Mac, adding support for 4K editing and sharing, along with support for editing videos shot in 1080p at 60 frames per second. You can also import movies and trailers from iMovie for iPhone and iPad, and the Media View has been redesigned.

It should be noted that 4K video editing requires a Mac from 2011 or later with at least 4GB of RAM. To play back 4K video in full resolution, you'll need an iMac with Retina display or Mac Pro connected to a 4K display. Here's everything that's new in iMovie 10.1:

  • Create and share movies at stunning 4K resolution (3840 x 2160) on compatible Mac computers (1)
  • Create and share movies with 1080p HD video at 60 frames per second for smoother, more true-to-life action
  • Import movies and trailers from iMovie for iOS (version 2.2 and later), so you can start editing on an iOS device and finish on your Mac
  • Redesigned Media view lets you see more of your library while browsing videos and photos
  • Projects view makes it easy to find and open your movies and trailers
  • Tabs in the Browser give you faster access to titles, backgrounds, transitions, and music while editing a movie
  • Option to hide Browser while editing a movie
  • 10 additional video filters from iMovie for iOS
  • View pixel-for-pixel 4K video while editing a movie on iMac with Retina 5K display

You can download iMovie for Mac from the Mac App Store now.

Joseph Keller
Joseph Keller

Joseph Keller is the former Editor in Chief of iMore. An Apple user for almost 20 years, he spends his time learning the ins and outs of iOS and macOS, always finding ways of getting the most out of his iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac.

4 Comments
  • While it's great they have finally updated this..... It's not great that the file format iMovie saves 4K video in isn't compatible with the 6S or 6S plus. Just tried airdropping an iMovie 4K video straight to my phone and it doesn't show up in camera roll.
    Then tried using photosync as that's pretty reliable and says video isn't compatible with the device. Anyone else noticed this or is it just me? Sent from the iMore App
  • Put it on iCloud Drive and try opening it from there, in the iCloud Drive App. Apple does need better CODEC support in the iOS devices, though. At least for playback.
  • I played around with this a bit last night.
    I found that even though my original content was shot at 1080p/60, the old projects stayed 30fps.
    I can't find a way to upgrade them either. Even if I add new media to the project, it appears that the previously imported media, and therefor the video in the timeline, remain 30fps. I mean, it's nice that they've added 60fps finally, but now I have to/ want to redo a few projects, and I have to completely start from scratch. Sent from the iMore App
  • I notice the picture at the top of the article doesn't show "Photos Library". Strange, a fellow commenter in a different article stated they could not access their Photos library from iMovie.