Australian company Blackmagic Design offers their video editing application DaVinci Resolve for a wide range of high quality ultra HD effects, render queue, and video uploading options among other features.
$0
Free
iMovie
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
Apple offers iMovie as a video editing platform supporting video creators with high quality effects, support for 4k resolution, audio editing, and other features supporting the creation of videos and movies.
$0
Pricing
DaVinci Resolve
iMovie
Editions & Modules
DaVinci Resolve 17
$0.00
Free
DaVinci Resolve Studio 17
$295.00
perpetual license
Free Tier
$0.00
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
DaVinci Resolve
iMovie
Free Trial
No
No
Free/Freemium Version
No
Yes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
No
No
Entry-level Setup Fee
No setup fee
No setup fee
Additional Details
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More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
DaVinci Resolve
iMovie
TrustRadius Insights
DaVinci Resolve
iMovie
Highlights
Research Team Insight
Published
Users of iMovie have appreciated its simplicity and effectiveness for creating and editing videos, particularly for personal, academic, and straightforward professional projects. Users often mention its ease of use and its availability as a pre-installed application on Mac devices, making it an accessible choice for beginners and casual users. This has led to its wide use in environments like schools, small businesses, and non-complex video making scenarios where the learning curve and budget are significant considerations.
DaVinci Resolve, on the other hand, caters to a more professional audience that requires advanced video editing features. Its users have highlighted its robust color grading and correction capabilities as a standout feature, making it popular among professionals who need detailed control over their video production. DaVinci Resolve is recognized for its comprehensive feature set and free version that competes with other professional-grade software but at no cost, especially in environments that demand high-quality production values, like professional studios or educational settings where students learn advanced video production techniques.
The primary user base and application of these tools illustrate a distinct divergence in use cases and target audiences. iMovie serves well for users needing quick, cost-effective, and relatively simpler video editing solutions, whereas DaVinci Resolve meets the needs of professional videographers and companies that require high-end production capabilities.
DaVinci Resolve is perfect for any video editing needs. It provides a lot of tools to control images, logos, text, transitions, as well as any other imported media that has been dragged to the timeline. It lets you create deliverables of very good quality and control every single detail from setup to final video export. It might not be the best option for a quick, simple video edit if the user does not how to use it because it will take a while to get on board on how to use it, even for simple edits.
iMovie is a great editing tool for beginners and users with little to no experience. If you are looking for a simple, straight forward way to edit your videos without having any training, this is the tool for you. If you are looking for a robust and very advanced editing platform, you may wish to look elsewhere.
Resolve isn't extremely difficult to learn, at least from a UI perspective. I've found learning the node system isn't a steep learning curve. Users who can visualize how they want a grade or match to look can find their way around the software and use simple tools to get close to their result. People can do this without a lot of experience with the software.
Resolve provides extremely complex color grading opportunities, depending on how deeply you wish to use the software. One can fine tune an image, or use a plethora of masks, camera tracking, effects, and small tweaks to get images precisely where they want. It's a versatile software with so many options for every color grading scenario.
Resolve is free to use. I'm not too familiar with the NLE function of the program, but as a free software, one can accomplish a lot of work without needing to pay. Noise reduction can be a critical element of Resolve, so in that case, you'll need to purchase the full version to utilize the software to its fullest.
Resolve is popular enough that the internet provides many resources, forums, and tutorial videos to better learn the software. This is a big deal for helping to navigate Resolve's capabilities.
File management. This is one of the tricky things that is not a benefit if you are a pro user, however iMovie has a built in file management system that makes sure all the files you are using in your edit are carried along with the project file. It's easy to lose these files as it typically requires manual organization - however iMovie does it for you, automatically.
The editing UI is designed for a modern generation. No longer are we connected to the manual cutting and pasting of the moviola era, it's a drag and drop friendly platform for the digital generation.
Auto save is another huge feature. You never lose progress due to forgetting to hit command + S.
Exporting. You’d think this would be more intuitive but the language Apple uses is a little bizarre...you can choose to save it as a theater project or as a file but it’s not super clear.
Fine tuning. Sometimes you need an exact moment where to stop audio and start a person talking and it can be difficult to get that level of detail to match up.
Tutorials. It would be nice for iMovie to have some quick and dirty tutorials for you to take within the software as many others do but as far as I can tell there is no such thing.
Da Vinci Resolve is up there amongst the big, professional video editing packages like Apple's FinalCutPro and Adobe Premier Pro. To just be included in this league, the package needs to have a plethora of features that the common man does not need. In essence, this overwhelming amount of features makes the product tricky to learn, but once you have the hang of it, it is a dream.
Once again, iMovie is a fast application. It's easy to use and navigate through. It has never frozen or glitched. There is an auto-save feature which helps you to easily close and re-open the software and continue from where you left off. Being an Apple product I do believe there is a level of superiority that surpasses Windows as well.
Not only do they have classes available in Los Angeles, but they'll also allow you to work from home with the manual and demo materials, and then let you test out to get a certification. They get back to you quickly when you email, and they've got a "family" approach to customer service, they make you feel like you're important to them.
Apple does a great job supporting its products. I have never encountered trouble that could not be solved through chat or email. The knowledgebase section of the website, video tutorials online and various user forums also help with most issues. If after using all of these avenues you still have an issue, it may be time for you to outsource your project to a professional!
I learned so much from this instructional exercise, and I appreciated how the educator is an expert all-day colorist. The section on sound reduction was particularly instructive. I noticed a few inconsistencies between certain methodologies in this instructional exercise and approaches suggested in the Advanced Color Grading in Resolve 15 instructional exercise (e.g., where to place sound reduction in the hub tree), but this is to be expected given that there is no one right way to do any of this. I also learned a lot about Resolve's "Restoration" modules for working with authentic film. This instructional exercise will come up again and again in my work.
Not as easy to use as iMovie, and a similar cost structure. iMovie is easier for Apple users / and MS users, to both get proficient at. Movie Maker isn't bad, it just isn't as slick as iMovie. We actually used MovieMaker for a couple of years before migrating most users over to iMovie. We have not regretted the move.
Davinci Resolve allows us to make quick edits and improve the sound on our company webinars and demo videos. This adds a lot of polish, and since we can do it in-house, it's cheaper and allows us to post and share those videos quickly.
We've used the software for some flashier marketing videos, and that does drive some positive attention and business our way. Most of that higher-level work is handled by outside agencies, but the fact that we can do some of it in-house saved us money.
iMovie has given a fantastic ROI for the brand as it allows us to expand our channels (YouTube, TikTok, IG Reels, etc.) and reach new users.
Video is the new digital platform to get on and iMovie helps us churn out video content quickly and precisely.
iMovie helps get our message across in a visually pleasing way for users to easily understand what our product is about, giving us a great ROI as more users convert after watching video content.
