Mobile Video Apps by Beata Dumaplin
Video making has never been more accessible than in today’s mobile world. Almost every digital device, from music players to smart phones, can shoot video. With the increase in video capture, we have also seen a growth in video editing software, especially for mobile devices. We took a walk around the Internet and found quite a few video editing apps. Read the rest of this entry »
If you are like me or my sister, one of the first things you do when you wake up in the morning is turn your computer on. For me, it’s to check the weather for the day and to turn on music, for her it’s to check the news. This morning something was different; as I’m trying to multitask between making my bed and turning on music I hear “Apple has released its new iPhone 4!” Busy and slightly frustrated I mumble something sarcastic like, “Cool!” Thinking it’s not a big deal.
However, later on when I arrive at Videomaker I am informed that I will be writing my first blog (“Yikes!”). While trying to think of ideas for the blog, the buzz at Videomaker is on the release of the iPhone 4, what a coincidence! As soon as the words “iPhone 4” is mentioned a conversation instantly begins on the camera and editing capabilities available on the iPhone 4.
The iPhone 4 allows you to shoot HD video with the camera located on the back. If you run into a low-light setting, the illumination sensor, also located on the back, will help. There is also a VGA-quality camera, which is located on the front, in case you want to take a video of yourself.
The iPhone 4 also offers a tap focus feature that allows you to simply tap on the part of the screen where you want the camera to focus. Once you tap on the area it immediately focuses on that area and adjusts your exposure. Once you’re done simply tap on the next area you want to focus.
When you’re finished recording, you are ready to edit. However, there’s no need to whip out the laptop or wait until you get home, because the iPhone 4 now lets you use iMovie on the phone, utilizing the 960 x 640 resolution, with 326 pixels per inch on the 3.5-inch screen. After that, you can send your video to friends and family via MMS or send the video to YouTube. The iPhone also gives you the ability to sync the video that you have recorded and edited to your Mac or PC.
Now what does this mean for the video producing world, you may ask? It was pointed out to me that the iPhone has the potential to overtake the pocket video camera world. Meaning, you may see people start to trade in their pocket video cameras for the iPhone 4 which lets them record and edit all within the comfort of one highly portable device.
The iPhone 4 is available June 24th but the pre-order starts June 15th.
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Alicia McCoy is a student at Butte College majoring in Multimedia Design with an emphasis in Digital Audio and Video.
Non-Linear Editing applications have become very mature at this stage. So much so, that I think we need to stop calling them Non-Linear Editors. When was the last time you edited a project linearly? It seems odd to define a software category as the opposite of something that no one is doing anymore anyway. It’s like saying horseless-carriage instead of car. How about just “Editing Software?” I know it doesn’t sound nearly as cool as “Word Processor”, or “Database Application”, but it’s descriptive.
In the same vein, does it make sense to base editing software on the film paradigm anymore? Do we really need bins, clips, and razors when most new people coming into editing have never even touched film before? In today’s environment, where the whole process is digital, and we’ve even stopped using tape, what need is there for “footage?”
As more and more people are drawn into the world of video production, whether just for fun, or as part of their business, visual literacy is becoming just as important as written literacy. And as these people learn editing, maybe it’s time to abandon the whole film based timeline paradigm for editing software, in terms of something different.
There are a few companies making some dramatic departures from the timeline. Take a look at this clip from the newest version of Apple’s iMovie 09 and you can see how the traditional 3 point editing structure is being replaced by drag and drop. The fact that the kid who made this tutorial is probably about 12 years old, shows just how ubiquitous video production is going to be as this YouTube generation grows up.
Another interesting editing paradigm can be found in LoiLo’s Loiloscope software, which takes full advantage of the graphics card, not just to render the final video, but in the editing interface itself.
I can see a lot of useful tools and interesting workflows, will “film-based” editing be relegated to pros only, or will we all be moving to a “drag and drop” future?
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