iLife
iLife is a package of multimedia programs from Apple, consisting of the individual programs iTunes, iPhoto, iDVD, GarageBand, iMovie and iWeb. Apart from iTunes, which is also available in a version for Microsoft Windows, the software is suitable exclusively for the Mac OS Xoperating system for the Apple Macintosh.
All individual programs are included with the Apple Macintosh; upgrades are available for a fee. The components of iLife work seamlessly together, so that, for example, slide shows from iPhoto can be accompanied by music from the iTunes library, or podcasts from GarageBand can be accompanied by videos from the iMovie library.
iPhoto
iPhoto is a software for archiving and editing photos. Stored photos can be displayed continuously as thumbnails or full-screen and sorted by the people pictured, the place where the photo was taken, the date or the image title.
Since "iPhoto '09", the "Faces" feature automatically detects a specific person, of whom there are other photos in the library, and compiles them on a pinboard. The "Places" feature displays the location of photos taken with a GPS-enabled camera on a map.
To improve poor photos, iPhoto has the most important retouching functions, e.g. removing red eyes or adjustingbrightness and contrast. Furthermore, photos can be cropped or changed with effects, e.g. with a sepia or black and white rendering.
To create a full-screen slide show, iPhoto offers a range of layouts, titles, and transitions between photos, and suitable music can be imported from the iTunes library.
iMovie.
iMovie is a program for video editing and designing movies that are composed of several clips. By dragging and dropping the individual sequences are put in the desired order and accompanied by music from the iTunes library.
A precision editor lets you fine-tune cuts, titles and transitions. Movies can be presented more effectively with a range of themes, such as pinboard, filmstrip, or comic book.
Video stabilization improves shaky footage. It does this by analyzing the amount of shake and compensating for it with a reduced camera movement slider, for each clip or the entire video. If a passage is too shaky, it is marked and fading is recommended.
GarageBand
GarageBand is a software for recording and mixing music or podcasts. The user is presented with a mixer on which multiple tracks can be recorded and mixed. For guitar tracks, amp and stompbox effects are available for selection to recreate the sound of older guitars.
GarageBand also comes with basic interactive tutorials for learning piano or guitar on the Macintosh itself. The courses include HD video instruction by well-known musicians, synchronized notation, and animated instruments.
Additional "Loops" and "Jam Packs" with software instruments and audio effects are also available for GarageBand, some for free or for a license fee.
iWeb
iWeb is a software for designing websites. For this purpose, there are several layouts with fonts, backgrounds and colors to choose from, which are filled with photos, texts or widgets taken from other stand-alone iLife programs by drag-and-drop.
No programming knowledge is required on the part of the user to publish informational websites, photo albums, movies, blogs, and podcasts to the web via MobileMe or a hosting provider using FTP protocol.
To add functionality to a website, interactive widgets can be dragged and dropped into place, including RSS feeds, a counter, YouTube videos, HTML and other dynamic content. When a homepage is changed, iWeb also notifies Facebook's community to let friends know about the changes.
iDVD
iDVDis a program for producing DVDs with movies and slide shows. The desired albums, slideshows and video clips are selected using the Magic iDVD function and automatically provided with a main menu, buttons and slideshow menus.
The OneStep function enables the production of a DVD with the most recent video recordings. When a camcorder is connected to an Apple Macintosh, iDVD opens and burns all the footage directly to a single- or double- layer DVD that can be played in widescreen on a 16:9 TV, Apple Macintosh, or personal computer( PC).