BONUS TIP: Tap the Aftermarket

iMovie uses a plug-in architecture, which allows you to create your own effect plug-ins - or more likely, to use plug-ins created by software developers. Here are some of our favorites.

Stone Design's Videator ($49, www.stone.com). This plug-in lets you apply a Polka Dot filter effect, among many others. Besides movies, Videator works on live video feeds, handy for the VJs out there.

GeeThree's Slick plug-ins ($29.95 and up, www.geethree.com). Now in its 10th volume, the Slick family of iMovie plug-ins covers everything from chroma-keying and compositing to lighting effects, 3D transitions, and the time-honored Page Curl.

ShearLight's Effect Shop ($35, www.shearlight.com). You can add keyframing, for better control of effects over time, and compositing tricks like chroma- and color-keying, for that weatherman-in-front-of-the-map effect.

Videator lets you save strings of configured effects - otherwise, we'd never be able to re-create this exact mess, er, effect.