Apple has updated the iMovie app for Macs to let users edit and adjust the focus in videos recorded using the iPhone 13’s new “cinematic mode” — though you’ll need to wait until you can update to the latest macOS Monterey on October 25th to take advantage.
Introduced in September with the latest clutch of iPhones, cinematic mode uses machine learning to automatically pull focus to the key part of a frame (usually whatever face is biggest and turned towards the camera). It also lets people tap their phone screen to adjust the focal point while recording, and during playback after the video has been shot. Now, iMovie users who have the latest macOS Monterey will be able to make those same adjustments on their computer.
Here are the release notes for iMovie 10.3:
Cinematic Mode
• Edit videos recorded on iPhone 13 in Cinematic mode (requires macOS Monterey)
• Use the Cinematic control in the inspector to modify the intensity of the depth effect
• Choose to focus on faces or other objects by selecting them in the viewer
• View and delete focus points in the video timelineOptimized for Apple silicon
• Improved performance and efficiency with optimizations for M1 Pro and M1 Max on the new MacBook Pro
Also of note: iMovie has been optimized for the new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, just like Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro. The new chips are Apple’s most powerful yet (just like every year), with the M1 Pro delivering 70 percent better CPU performance and twice the graphics performance of the original M1. Check out all the details on the new chips here.
