Released on July 19, 2000, it was bundled with FireWire-enabled Macs, also a separate purchase and later bundled as part of Mac OS X. Released on October 5, 1999, it was bundled with iMac DV, later issued as a free download for Mac OS 8.6 and 9. Effects such as fade-in, fade-out and slides were included by default. From there, iMovie could edit, add titles, and music. Originally integrated with FireWire, it took the raw footage from most digital video cameras and loaded it onto the Mac.

To reach more users, it was also included with with Apple's iLife suite of applications. It was unusual at the time for PC publications to publish such reviews for Macintosh software. Its praise was so widespread, that even PC magazines gave it positive reviews, one even giving it the front page. When iMovie was first released for classic Mac OS in 1999, it proved popular due to its simplicity, with most tasks easily accomplished by clicking and dragging. IMovie is an application program, created by Apple Computer (later Apple Inc.) and provided freely to users of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS to edit their own home movies.

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