Rating: 
Summary: Sorry excuse for anyone who IS a musician.
Review: Sure. You've read the other glowing reviews. You've seen the 4 and 5 star ratings. Okay boys and girls, now do you REALLY want the truth? As a consultant to software manufacturers who wanted to actually help folks, not hype folks, I know of what I speak ( I also hold multiple earned doctorates). One caveat: If you do NOT know where "Middle C' is located on the piano keyboard --or don't care to know--- In THAT case, this software WILL be a good investment for you. It is merely a "cut and paste" to add songs to videos, photos, whatever. But we're speaking about a company--Apple--- who STILL doesn't have a built in MIDI utility for OSX. (It is promised for the 2005 edition---but I've heard that before). If you wish to actually write chords, or play a keyboard and MIDI it into a MAC, forget it! Summary: I liked what one reviewer stated, " this is a Casio type program" . It really is. If you are non-creative type or don't have time to be creative and want a quick fix like most droitistic Americans-- purchase this program, it will help you become just like everyone else.
Rating: 
Summary: Make your personal computer be a personal compter!
Review: Computers are wonderful tools that have greatly changed just how we do just about everything. Apple iLife software continues this tradition. I have used both Mac and PC computers. I have also used software written for both. There is nothing easier or more intuitive than Apple iLife. It is not the most powerful software. For $400-$600 you can by professional grade software that will blow the socks of iLife. However, for the average "Joe" there is nothing better. It doesn't take a lot of computer savvy. iLife does most of the work for you - and quickly. Other software we have used for loading pictures is slow, hard to manage and less desirable in many ways. I used this software at my sister-in-laws wedding. In no time at all I had a wonderful slide show set to music for everyone to watch. Doing all this work on a PowerBook G4 15" laptop allowed me to later show my father-in-law what he missed due to some health issues. With iLife, you can edit your pictures. You can order copies with just a click of a button. With just another click, you can e-mail them to anyone in your e-mail address book. Another click you can post them on a web-sight for your friends to see. For example, we recently moved to a new state. I posted a slide show of our new home for all our old friends to see. We had over 60 different friends view the web sight. Can you image the cost of making prints for all those people? In addition, you can set your pictures, web sights to your favorite music in iTunes. Speaking of iTunes, I love music - always have. If you like to listen to music, make your own recordings of your favorite tunes you will love iTunes. Plus, iTunes makes it easier and more affordable to buy music. I don't understand why the music industry continues to over-price their CD's but they do. And who can afford to buy an entire CD for just two or three songs. Now, with iTunes you can buy only the songs you want from a particular CD. Once down loaded, you can arrange them in any order you want, burn them on your own CD or hook your Mac to your home stereo and listen through you speakers. In addition, whatever music you have in iTunes is easily used in iPhoto, iDVD or the other applications iLife opens for you. You will not be disappointed with iLife unless you desire to spend tons of money for three or four different software programs that will not work together as seamlessly as iLife.
Rating:
Summary: Make your personal computer be a personal compter!
Review: Computers are wonderful tools that have greatly changed just how we do just about everything. Apple iLife software continues this tradition. I have used both Mac and PC computers. I have also used software written for both. There is nothing easier or more intuitive than Apple iLife. It is not the most powerful software. For $400-$600 you can by professional grade software that will blow the socks of iLife. However, for the average "Joe" there is nothing better. It doesn't take a lot of computer savvy. iLife does most of the work for you - and quickly. Other software we have used for loading pictures is slow, hard to manage and less desirable in many ways. I used this software at my sister-in-laws wedding. In no time at all I had a wonderful slide show set to music for everyone to watch. Doing all this work on a PowerBook G4 15" laptop allowed me to later show my father-in-law what he missed due to some health issues. With iLife, you can edit your pictures. You can order copies with just a click of a button. With just another click, you can e-mail them to anyone in your e-mail address book. Another click you can post them on a web-sight for your friends to see. For example, we recently moved to a new state. I posted a slide show of our new home for all our old friends to see. We had over 60 different friends view the web sight. Can you image the cost of making prints for all those people? In addition, you can set your pictures, web sights to your favorite music in iTunes. Speaking of iTunes, I love music - always have. If you like to listen to music, make your own recordings of your favorite tunes you will love iTunes. Plus, iTunes makes it easier and more affordable to buy music. I don't understand why the music industry continues to over-price their CD's but they do. And who can afford to buy an entire CD for just two or three songs. Now, with iTunes you can buy only the songs you want from a particular CD. Once down loaded, you can arrange them in any order you want, burn them on your own CD or hook your Mac to your home stereo and listen through you speakers. In addition, whatever music you have in iTunes is easily used in iPhoto, iDVD or the other applications iLife opens for you. You will not be disappointed with iLife unless you desire to spend tons of money for three or four different software programs that will not work together as seamlessly as iLife.
Rating:
Summary: ...what you've all been waiting for...
Review: Face it. Most of those interested really want Garageband above all. That being the main program I use from iLife, I'll review it. Garageband is the Final Cut Pro of Music. It's excellent for musically talented and musically challenged. No need to worry about beats or anythin', because Garageband makes any and all set loops go together with ease. Disregard the review by a fellow who claims it is a program for kids and idiots who want to show everyone else their noise. It IS a very sophisticated music editor while remaining simplistic and fun to use. I spent hours mixing and matching endlessly. The possibilities are infinite. The "drag and drop" style of operating masks movie-editor Final Cut Pro, also available here at Amazon. It's an easy to learn, easy to use tool that most people will love. I recommend, that, if you planned on buying iLife '04 solely for Garageband, then by all means, do so. I really think that if you love music and you love making it, regardless of playing an instrument, that you will adore this product.
Rating: 
Summary: Not perfect but better than anything else
Review: I have been a Mac User for almost 20 years and I have to say that this package is one of Apple's greatest achievements. To take so many different components (the one thing in common is the digital footprint of all the media involved) and make them work together so well.
I reviewed iLife 03 and was astonished by the melding of video, sound, and pictures. I was less than thrilled with iMovie's performance, but that speaks mostly about my older (QS 933 G4 and G3 PB at the time) equipment than it does about this software. Like that package, iLife 04 is more about the sum of it's components rather than the individual pieces. But I'll talk about them anyway.
iMovie 04: This is a much improved version of the big changes made in the 03 version. I've yet to crash it no matter how many effects and transitions I throw it. They added improved sound effects as well. If you want more than what Apple gives you, check out Gee Three for more iMovie effects and transitions packages.
iPhoto 04: Yawn. I'm sure it's much better than before..I just don't see that much difference. It is still a great photo archiver and it works with any Digital camera I thrown at it so far. Plug it in and it works. Just like it should.
iDVD 04: MUCH improved over the 03 version. New effects and the ability to add pre-video before your menus is very well done. Many new themes as well. Minor ding to Apple for not allowing external DVD burners. Guess you gotta sell those SuperDrives SOMEWAY.
iTunes 04: No real interface changes other than Smart Playlists. Very tight integration with the Apple Music Store for purchasing music online and of course if you own an iPod, there is nothing better to use than iTunes with it.
GarageBand 04: Some of the reviews here have slammed GB for not being the be-all to end-all of digital music creation. Somewhere they have forgotten a few things. Like how not everyone wants to create music from scratch for video clips or just for putting together some fun songs. I challenge them to find a program as easy to use for 50 bones anywhere else that is more fully featured. Guess what? They can't. I'm not a musician, but I can throw together some loops and effects and make something that at least I find listenable (Check out the GB tunes I made at macidol.com under artist name Guy Serle). Is it really art? Nope, and I don't claim it is. But it is fun. GB is the easiest software of this type to make music. Apple gives you everything you need to get started including 1000 loops. Many companies are now creating packages of loops in Apple's format that are drag and drop easy to install. Search for "Apple Loops" in the search engine of your choice and you'll find lots to choose from.
I took one star away for some minor issues I have that aren't really worth going into. If you have at least a G4/G5 (or even a high end G3) Mac, this is worth getting for the ridiculously low price that Apple charges. It is the best software bargain out there bar none.
Rating:
Summary: Buy it for Garage Band alone.
Review: I won't even talk about the other iLife apps. Good though they are, the real story of iLife '04 is Garage Band. It is a powerful, easy-to-use non-linear audio editor. Now, it won't be all things to all people. It is primarily designed as a loop-based music creation system. However, you can add non-software instruments (including vocals) as well, filtering them through various effects, including several adjustable guitar amp modelers. The results--for the price--are absolutely astounding. This program is to music creation what PageMaker was to desktop publishing, lo those many years ago. Unfortunately, that means that everyone with a Mac will now become a 'composer,' but that sort of power-to-the-people freedom is great, in my opinion. Important note: if you buy it, make sure you immediately install the Garage Band update (version 1.0.1?), which is available at the Apple site. It clears up several issues in the initial release. One other important note: This program is a total resource hog! You need a fast G4 or G5 processor and at least 512MB of RAM. It also helps if you have a faster hard drive. (By the way, to the other reviewer who couldn't rename tracks: sure you can. Simply click on the instrument in question, click the "I" button and choose "save instrument." This allows you to rename the track. You can even rename regions within a track. Click on the region and rename it in the name window in the lower left-hand corner of the main window.)
Rating:
Summary: Garageband should be called "i-casiotones"
Review: iLife '04 is a great suite of applications. These applications are all very intuitive, and fun to use. For me, the greatest update in this package was iPhoto 4. The previous version of iPhoto was a great program, but it lacked speed. The new iPhoto, iPhoto 4, has a lot more horsepower, and I can easily sift through my library of photos now. I recently used iDVD for the first time, and I must say, it was very easy to use. The themes that are included with it look very nice. The DVD that I created now looks very impressive, though it was very easy to create. iLife '04 also includes iMovie, which I have not really used yet, but I'm sure I will use it someday. It also includes the newest application, Garageband, which is a great program for musicians and fun for beginners to use also. I was impressed at how many loops were included in Garageband. iLife '04 is a set of easy to use, and very practical applications. With all that is included in it, the price could not be better. It's a must have for any mac user who has or wants to edit digital content, such as music, movies, or photos.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Suite of Applications for a Great Price
Review: iLife '04 is a great suite of applications. These applications are all very intuitive, and fun to use. For me, the greatest update in this package was iPhoto 4. The previous version of iPhoto was a great program, but it lacked speed. The new iPhoto, iPhoto 4, has a lot more horsepower, and I can easily sift through my library of photos now. I recently used iDVD for the first time, and I must say, it was very easy to use. The themes that are included with it look very nice. The DVD that I created now looks very impressive, though it was very easy to create. iLife '04 also includes iMovie, which I have not really used yet, but I'm sure I will use it someday. It also includes the newest application, Garageband, which is a great program for musicians and fun for beginners to use also. I was impressed at how many loops were included in Garageband. iLife '04 is a set of easy to use, and very practical applications. With all that is included in it, the price could not be better. It's a must have for any mac user who has or wants to edit digital content, such as music, movies, or photos.
Rating:
Summary: Like Microsoft Office for the rest of your life.
Review: iLife '04 is the latest version of Apple's incredibly well received suite of programs for your Mac leisure time. The five applications included in iLife '04 are so tightly integrated that they almost fuse into a single program. Want to include a song from iTunes in your iMovie Project? Simply click a single button. Same if you want to burn a slideshow from iPhoto onto a DVD. No other suite of programs will give you the ease of use and powerful functionality of the iLife apps. Here's what's new in '04: - iTunes 4 - The critically lauded "best digital music jukebox" adds the ability to share your tunes over a local network (Mac and/or PC). You can also now view the iTunes Music store in a separate window so as not to interrupt the browsing of your collection. Even better, is the ability to back up your iTunes Library onto DVD even if it takes up more than one disc. - iPhoto 4 - Finding your pictures in iPhoto has never been easier now that iPhoto automatically stores photos in folders by year. If you looking for a photo that was taken in 2001, no need to scroll, simply click the 2001 folder and all the photos you took in 2001 will be visible. When you do need to scroll (or just want to) you'll amazed at how much faster iPhoto can scroll through large collections. Also added are Smart Albums (just like Smart Playlists in iTunes) and the ability to rate photos on a 5 star system. Finally, you can now share your photos over a local network (Mac and/or PC) just like in iTunes. - iMovie 4 - My favorite new feature is the ability to edit multiple clips at the same time. This saves so much time, as does the incredible speed boost of iMovie's faster rendering speeds. You now also have the option of trimming clips directly in the Timeline without loosing your original footage. Another great help when creating your movie is ability to use Bookmarks to quickly jump to certain sections of your film. One very cool feature is the ability to use an iSight as a digital camcorder. Once your film is complete, you can easily post it on your .Mac hompage by clicking one button. Pretty impressive! - iDVD 4 - More customization is the name of the game with iDVD4. 20 new themes are included as well as 5 new slideshow effects like Cube and Page Flip. Have you ever wanted your customized DVD to play a movie before the menu screen appears, well now you can with Auto Play intro movies. And probably the best innovation, you can now put up to 2 hours of video on a single DVD. - GarageBand - New to iLife for this edition, GarageBand allows seasoned musicians as well as no-talents such as myself to create music on their Mac. Thousands of loops are included as are effects and amps. The possibilities are nearly endless. Simply click, a loop, drag it onto the soundstage and drop it. Repeat. Add some effects and you've created your very own song. These songs are instantly available in iTunes and consequently every other iLife app. So let's see, you get five critically acclaimed, award winning programs for less than it costs to take a family of four out to the movies. And they'll be enjoying this suite long after the memory of the film has faded. This is simply one of the best deals around. Playing on your Mac doesn't get much better than this.
Rating:
Summary: iLife 04: the Best got even better!
Review: iLife 04 continues to astound with it's tight integration and unparalleled ease of use. All 4 of the core apps have been upgraded and of course everyone's heard about GarageBand. Probably the biggest improvement of all was with iPhoto. iPhoto is a true gem but with versions 1 and 2 it suffered from horrendous performance hits as soon as your image library broke the 2000-2500 barrier. Not so anymore. iPhoto fly's with my 3500 image library. With it's organizational abilities and it's integration with Mail, .Mac, iMovie and iDVD, iPhoto is clearly the standard in consumer digital image cataloging apps. Both iDVD and iMovie received nice upgrades as well. Both are much snappier and responsive on my Mac and both have also included new themes (in iDVD) and transitions/titles in iMovie. I really love iDVD's new Map and Status tab. Very handy indeed! The slide show creation tool in iDVD is very much improved as well and makes creating a professional slide show presentation a breeze. One problem I had with iMovie was the speed when rendering transitions and titles. That's not a problem anymore. As I mentioned earlier there are plenty of new goodies to play with as well like the "Far, Far away" title effect. For me iPhoto, iMovie and iDVD are the most important of the iLife 04 apps and all three received major upgrades in performance as well as additional goodies. I already had the latest iTunes and we all know that's the best in class as well so I won't talk about that. GarageBand is the big "Oooh Aaah" addition to the suite. It really doesn't do much for me but that's just because I have little interest in creating music from canned loops. That's not to say that it isn't a great app. As usual, Apple did the impossible and brought a music production studio to the masses for a ridiculously low price. If I could play an instrument, I do think it'd be a lot of fun to create music with GarageBand. I did play with the app a little and it is very easy to use. I read a PC magazine review of iLife 04 (sorry I can't remember which mag it was) and they said that if it were possible to assemble equivalent programs on the Windows platform (which it isn't because there isn't anything that integrates like iLife) the bundle would cost upwards of $500. I'd agree with this statement 100% as I provide tech support for both Windows and Macintosh as part of my living and I've yet to come across anything that even comes close in price and/or functionality. It just doesn't exist on the Windows side. I've done at least a dozen installations of iLife 04 on my own machines (3) as well as clients and have yet to run into any issues like those posted in the first review. Something else is going on and I encourage that person to visit Apple's support page and post some questions. Also, if you're a pro as it would appear one of the other reviewers is, don't get iLife. It's a $50 consumer product and never intended for professional use. If you're using FinalCut as your editing software you should be using DVD Studio Pro and Soundtrack not GarageBand and iDVD. For anyone else using previous versions of any of the iLife apps this is a must have upgrade. Just make sure if you want to use iDVD or GarageBand you'll need a fairly powerful Mac. iDVD requires 733mhz G4 and GarageBand needs a 600mhz G3 or better. And yes, you need an internal DVD burner for use with iDVD. With the price of DVD burners so low there isn't any reason not to upgrade if you can.
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