(Image and video courtesy of Redmond Pie)
As it turns out, iMovie for iPhone 4 isn’t limited to only editing 720p HD video from the new handset, although it does have a few limitations. Meanwhile, some enterprising hackers have already got mobile iMovie running on an iPhone 3GS.
If you are a previous owner of the iPhone 3GS who’s now upgraded to the iPhone 4, you probably noticed that after restoring from a backup with iTunes, your 3GS-lensed videos came along for the ride. You might also be wondering if you can use those videos in your next mobile iMovie masterpiece.
The good news is that videos shot with the 3GS will import into iMovie just fine. Since they are 640x480 (the traditional 4:3 aspect ratio of standard-definition televisions), iMovie will “pillarbox” them for the 16:9 aspect ratio that is used by the new 720p HD-powered iPhone 4 camera. That means that they’ll properly display on an HDTV, with black bars at the sides to fill out the missing space (there is no option to disable this from happening). You can even mix and match iPhone 4 and 3GS footage within the same iMovie project, although the 3GS will be pillarboxed and of course, appear lower resolution than your new footage.
Unfortunately, you’re still limited to the same three export options, none of which are really appropriate for 3GS videos. Medium reduces the frame size to 640x360 and Large or HD enlarges it (to 960x540 or 1280x720, respectively). Unless you’re editing a mostly HD project, Medium is probably the best export option for your 3GS-originated videos.
If you’re one of those who was holding out hope that Apple would allow iMovie to run on your old iPhone 3GS, you might be in luck. Redmond Pie is reporting that an enterprising hacker has found a way to take his purchased copy of the iMovie app and get it running on the former apple of Apple’s eye. Apparently, Steve Jobs' claims that the 3GS isn’t fast or capable enough to run iMovie may not be true, since the hack requires little more than changing a few options in the app’s .ipa file.
Unfortunately, modifying such .ipa files effectively breaks Apple’s DRM (Digital Rights Management), so the folks at Redmond Pie have removed the full instructions on how to do it yourself. In the meantime, you can enjoy the embedded YouTube video showing iMovie in action on the 3GS, content in knowing that it is indeed possible at all.
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