imoviemac e1426816111633Following this morning's public release of macOS High Sierra, Apple has updated its iMovie for Mac app with support for High Efficiency Video Coding, aka HEVC or H.265.

As outlined in our in-depth post on HEVC, HEVC is a next-generation video compression standard that's been introduced in both macOS High Sierra and iOS 11. HEVC brings high-quality video with better compression rates, for files that are approximately half the size of H.264, the previous standard.

With support for HEVC, iMovie is now able to import videos in the HEVC format on macOS High Sierra. Today's update also improves compatibility when sharing to YouTube, a feature introduced in iMovie for iOS a couple of weeks ago.

Though iMovie has been updated with HEVC support, Final Cut Pro X, Apple's professional video editing software, has yet to gain support. iMovie can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for free. [Direct Link]

All iOS devices and Macs on High Sierra will support HEVC playback, with encoding/decoding hardware acceleration available on newer iOS devices and the latest 2017 Macs for faster performance and less battery drain.

In other Mac-app related news, iBooks Author, Apple's free app for creating iBooks, has also been updated following the release of macOS High Sierra. iBooks Author, includes support for wide color gamut images and the ability to add images and video from the Photos app using the Media Browser or drag and drop.

Top Rated Comments

mox358 Avatar
109 months ago
Why is it not patched in yet?
Ever since Apple released the stupid watch the computer business is lacking :-(
I love the “stupid watch”... the Series 3 is quite impressive.

That being said, I also love FCP and I think Apple has enough cash to be able to develop both simultaneously.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...