iLife Overhaul Proves Worthwhile

by P. J. Connolly

iLife 11 is available in a single-user license for $49 or a five-license Family Pack for $79; it is free with purchases of new Mac hardware.

The date a photo was taken is used by iPhoto to sort images; each day can be designated as a single entry or broken into events.

The book creation options in iPhoto 11 include a new interface for project layout and display.

iPhotos facial recognition tools allow users to automatically tag images with names of those who frequently appear in photographs.

Users can take advantage of Apples online printing services to create professional-looking letterpress cards and other materials.

iMovie 11 adds new project themes to its repertoire, taken from the worlds of news and sport.

Also new in iMovie 11 is the ability to invoke instant replay and slow motion effects with a single click.

GarageBand 11 gives users a powerful set of audio editing tools and prerecorded musical tracks; exiting audio files are easily imported.

iLife 11 includes current versions of iDVD and iWeb as well as the new GarageBand, iMovie and iPhoto; it takes about a half-hour to install everything.