iMovie’s “magnetic timeline” makes it easy to insert shots into a sequence without other clips losing relative position. With PowerDirector, you have to open the clip in a separate viewer to do this. It’s easy to select parts of a clip to use: you can scroll along a clip in your media library and set in/out points with a few key presses. This may make you think that it’s a significantly more basic program, but iMovie’s strength is the slick, no-fuss editing. Everything is collected within one workspace. IMovie’s interface looks more traditional than PowerDirector’s.
The interface can look complex to new users, but it’s not too difficult to learn how to import footage into the media library and assemble clips on your timeline. This tab has a preview monitor, media library, and effect controls panels at the top and a multitrack timeline along the bottom. Edit is where you’ll spend most of your time. PowerDirector’s interface is split into four main tabs: Capture, Edit, Produce, and Create Disk. PowerDirector’s mask designer (Image credit: CyberLink PowerDirector)