Editing videos usually require a robust computer, some amount of skills and a usual staggering price of the editing software. However, smartphones are offering an easier way to make a video with a few great apps.
As smartphones and tablets get more powerful every year, mobile devices videos are looking more and more like the real deal, so users should get to know which apps could help them post-produce the better video.
These apps can cut the boring bits of the video, drop in some transitions and add soundtrack and rhythm. These tricks can turn an amateur piece into social media gold.
The video editor for the beginner user: Magisto
Magisto Video Maker has over 80 million users worldwide and featured I Google Play Editor’s Choice and Google’s list of Best Android Apps of 2015.
The editor automatically turns photos and video clips into professional-looking music videos to share on social networks like Facebook or Instagram. The video effects on Magisto include automatic video stabilization, facial recognition, filters, and transitions.
Magisto is free for Android and iOS devices and is ready to download on the Play Store and the App Store. Download size is 106 MB. It is compatible with iOS 8.0 and Android 4.0 onwards.
The video editor for the medium user: iMovie and PowerDirector
iMovie was a benchmark release on iOS, and it should be on every Apple mobile device. The app features a video-editor interface but makes it easy to splice together footage, cut pieces and add transitions with simple taps.
The app ca also add titles, music, voiceovers and photos to the workflow, or it ca pick a bunch of TV-style templates. It can even deal with 4K footage.
iMovie is a free 697MB download at the App Store. It requires at least iOS 9.3. It works best with Apple’s tablets or iPhone 6 onwards.
Android’s answer to iMovie would be PowerDirector, a user-friendly but yet powerful video editor. The app can arrange and clip trims. It ca also add titles, transition, voiceover and soundtrack.
PowerDirector also creates full HD movies with slow motion FX.
The app is available in the Play Store for free, but download size varies with each device.
It requires Android 4.3 ad up and works best with the following processors (or higher): Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, Samsung Exynos 7420, Nvidia Tegra K1, or MediaTek P10.
The video editor for the advanced user: Pinnacle Studio Pro
Hands down, the best video editor app, goes for iOS. Pinnacle Studio Pro is Videomaker Best Product of the Year 2014, the same spot Adobe Premiere Pro CC got in 2016.
The long-established editor app provides a wealth of powerful features intended for pros.
The editing is fast and intuitive and gives users plenty of control over speed, picture-in-picture, pan-and-zoom transitions, color, and titles. It is the closest thing there is to a desktop-style video-editing on a mobile device.
Pinnacle Studio requires iOS 9.3 or later, and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. It is a free 238 MB download on the App Store.