Today I decided to put together the clips and photos of my adorable nephew playing “jenga” with his gigantic cardboard blocks.  This isn’t the first time I’ve used iMovie.  This isn’t the first time I’ve use iPhoto.  This, however, is the first time I’m using the new movie trailer option from iMovie…and let’s just say that IT’S NOT INTUITIVE.  Now…I’m a die-hard Mac fan.  I promote their products and sing their accolades every chance I get.  I love Macs.  I love their user-friendly features.  I love how everything has cute little logos or buttons.  I love how seamlessly the various applications work together behind the scenes so that we can make pretty amazing products with little to no headaches and minus the frustration.  But not today.

Today I spent almost an hour just trying to figure out why my videos from iPhoto were not visible in my iMovie event library.  I try to troubleshoot things on my own before going to the help menu because after all Macs are user-friendly.  But alas, even the Help menu for iMovie was no help.  Come ON!  Really?  Not a trouble-shooting section where we could go to seek answers on why we can’t see our videos in iPhoto?  I have to admit.  I said a few choice words.  I pounded my fist in frustration.  I think I scared my cat.

So, I took a deep breath…and just sat there.  Hoping that somehow, someway the answer would just magically appear.  I closed both applications.  I opened both applications.  I opened my newly created project with nothing in it.  And then a little window pops up asking me if I want iMovie to make thumbnails of my videos.  I clicked “no” earlier because it said that it would take a little while to do so and I didn’t have a little while.  I wanted to make the video, send it to my brother and go sit on the couch to read my new book.  But this time, I read the text.  All. of. it.    Apparently I can’t see any of the videos in iPhoto unless a thumbnail is made of it in iMovie.  Well, DUH!  So, why is it an option to hold off making thumbnails later if you can’t view videos to use in iMovie?  Apple normally doesn’t try to confuse its loyal followers, but this one takes the cake.  The default should be to immediately make thumbnails of the videos because how else are you going to make a flippen’ movie?!?!  Am I frustrated?  Yes.  Of course!

But now that I’ve vented, it’s time to go back to what was supposed to bring me pleasure and that is making a video of my adorable nephew playing jenga with his gigantic cardboard blocks.  Wish me luck!