by , 3:10 PM EST, January 11th, 2005

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Apple Computer introduced Tuesday iLife '05, the newest edition of the company's consumer creative suite. iLife '05 features new versions of iPhoto, iDVD, iMovie, iChat, and GarageBand. All of these upgrades were described by Apple CEO as "major upgrades" during Tuesday's Macworld Expo keynote. It also features a new price tag of US$79, and will be available on January 22nd.

"iLife '05 is far beyond anything available on a PC, and is a must-have upgrade for every Mac user," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a statement. "If you have a digital camera, digital camcorder or create music, iLife '05 is built for you."

iPhoto 5

iPhoto 5 offers several new features, including new editing tools, a new layout and controls, including controls to set exposure, black and white points, saturation, tint, temperature and sharpness, while also showing users a histogram. For many consumers, the most convenient new editing tool may be the ability to "straighten" photos, or rotate an image so that it lines up with an on-screen grid.

In addition, iPhoto 5 features new iPhoto Books, new Book sizes, and a cheaper price for more photos, starting at $3.99. iPhoto Books and prints can be ordered directly from within iPhoto itself.

iPhoto 5 also includes new Book themes, which the crowd enthusiastically greeted during Tuesday's Macworld Expo keynote.

For prosumers and pros alike, iPhoto now supports the RAW photo format throughout the application. RAW is used in many high-end digital cameras.

iMovie

The most significant new feature in iMovie 5 is support for HDV video. Users can import and work with HDV video, a hybrid between High Definition and regular DV video.

For consumers, iMovie also includes Magic iMovie, a utility within iMovie that will automatically make a movie for you. Users can automatically import their video into separate clips, adds titles, transitions and music, all in one step.

iDVD

Apple concentrated most on adding new themes to the iDVD update. The software includes 15 new themes that include moving drop zones that can display video clips or photos in motion across a DVD menu. Users can also create a DVD in one step with OneStep DVD by connecting a video camera and clicking a button.

iDVD 5 also supports all single-sided DVD formats including -R, +R, -RW and +RW with a compatible Apple SuperDrive.

GarageBand

The biggest new feature in GarageBand 2 is the ability to record more than one track at a time. The software can record up to eight tracks at one time, making the software useful for actual bands for the first time.

In addition, the software can display musical notation in real-time, providing a musical score that can then be manipulated after it is recorded.

In a similar vein, real-instruments tracks can now be manipulated after they are recorded, just like software instruments and GarageBand Loops.

Apple also announced a new Jam Pack called Symphony Orchestra.

iLife is priced at $79, and will be available January 22nd, 2005. You can find more information on the suite at Apple's Web site.