Preface to the iLife 06 Edition

Preface to the iLife '06 Edition

The Macintosh iLife '06 is the fifth edition of a book that was originally called The Macintosh Digital Hub. The original edition contained about 120 pages and debuted in 2002before Apple brought iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, and iDVD under the iLife umbrella. When that happened, in January 2003, the second edition, renamed The Macintosh iLife, appeared.

Since then, a new version of iLife and a new edition of this bookhave become an annual adventure. The book has grown to over 400 pages and is the best-selling book on iLife.

It seems that iLife has taken over my life.

And I couldn't be happier. Apple and the Mac are on a roll, thanks in part to the iLife programs. More to the point, I get to spend a healthy (okay, sometimes unhealthy) part of each day listening to music, playing music, taking photos, and making movies: vocations and avocations I've loved since I was a kid.

If you've bought previous editions of this book, thank you and welcome back. If this is your first time here, welcome to a different kind of computer booka book that uses beautiful design to teach programs that are also beautifully designed.

Welcome to The Macintosh iLife '06.

What's New in iLife '06?

Here's a quick recap of the enhancements that Apple added to iLife '06. If you're new to iLife and are unfamiliar with its jargon, don't worryyou'll find everything you need to know in the pages that follow.

iTunes and iPod. Apple's digital music jukebox is better than ever, with more options for buying and playing not only music, but TV shows and other videos, too. And the iPod has evolved to encompass video as well.

iPhoto. iPhoto 6 adds improvements across the board, including the ability to manage far larger photo libraries, and new editing features. You can now design and produce beautiful photo calendars and greeting cards, and if you subscribe to Apple's .Mac service, you can share photos using cutting-edge photocasts.

iMovie HD. Macs are always getting faster, and iMovie HD 6 takes advantage of this to display real-time previews of effects and transitions. For adding visual sizzle to your movies, iMovie HD includes motion-graphics themes that you can customize. Other enhancements include the ability to work in multiple projects at once and new audio filters and effects.

iDVD. iDVD 6 brings new menu design themes, a streamlined user interface, and support for widescreen video. And the new Magic iDVD feature lets you assemble a DVD faster than ever.

GarageBand. iLife's digital recording studio is now a radio studio, too, with features that make producing podcasts easier than ever. You can also bring QuickTime movies into GarageBand to add music soundtracks and audio enhancements.

iWeb. A new addition to iLife, iWeb lets you create Web sites, complete with blogs and podcasts. A set of design templates gives you a head start; customize them as needed.

How the Book Works

This book devotes a separate section to each of the iLife '06 programs: iTunes and iPod for listening to music; iPhoto for photography; iMovie HD for video editing; iDVD for creating DVD-Video discs, GarageBand for making music, and iWeb for creating Web sites. Each section is a series of two-page spreads, and each spread is a self-contained reference that covers one topic.

The Book, The Web Site

There's just one thing this book doesn't cover: tomorrow. The iLife scene is always evolving as new programs and new developments change the way we work with digital media.

That's why this book also has a companion Web site: www.macilife.com. At this site, you'll find links to the products discussed in the book as well as tips and news items, updates, and reviews of iLife-related products.