Mobile Apps for Video Producers: Montaj, Lapse It, Pinnacle Studio for iPad and Movie Slate

It’s all about apps these days. Whether you want to log a jog or manage a meeting, you can count on an app to help you do it better, faster and easier than ever before. Video and media production are no different. There is a growing number of terrific tools for media makers that you can consider using. In this installment, we’ll sneak a peek at Pinnacle Studio for iPad, Montaj, ProPrompter, Lapse It, Pinnacle Studio for iPad and MovieSlate.

Lapse It

($2 on Android; $2 on iOS 5.0 or later)

Capturing amazing time-lapse videos is a simple process with your Android or iOS device’s camera and Lapse It. Position your phone to frame up a scene (making sure the camera doesn’t move), then launch the app and let it do its thing. Lapse It shoots a series of HD resolution shots at set intervals over hours, or even days, and then stitches them together to create cool time-lapse videos that you can export at resolutions including 1080p/30fps to share or save to your computer for integration in your edits.

MONTAJ

(Free on iOS)

MONTAJ is a fun, on-the-fly app for making simple music montages. The app allows you to shoot a collection of short five-second clips, then arrange them over a music bed and add color effects filters. You can have a bit of fun and shake your phone for an instant randomized edit, or sequence your clips yourself, then click to share your edits via social media.

The shot log history feature gives you fast, searchable access to the shot information you need, without wading through hours of footage.

MovieSlate

($25 on iOS 5.1 or later)

Any producer can benefit from logging takes on the set, and DSLR shooters may need to re-sync audio and video recorded separately. MovieSlate gives you a professional level digital slate, clapperboard and shot logging app for your iOS devices. The shot log history feature gives you fast, searchable access to the shot information you need, without wading through hours of footage. Every time you click the clapper, all of a shot’s production data is logged, including GPS location, and timecode, then you may email reports in HTML, XML, Final Cut 7 and X, Avid ALE, Adobe Prelude and Premiere, CSV, and if you need more, MultiCam and Sound Dept are descriptive, optional plug-ins that add extensive capabilities.

Pinnacle Studio for iPad

($13, iOS 6.0 or later)

If you are looking for a well equipped editing app for use on your iPad, consider Pinnacle Studio for iPad. The revamp of the popular app from last October includes more than 30 all-new montage and title templates, and fast, easy import of audio and video files from email and other apps. The app includes integrated interaction with YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook and Box, and with the Cloud Connection Pack in-app purchase, users can also share files to, Dropbox, Google Drive and Microsoft SkyDrive.

 

Chuck Peters is a 3-time Emmy Award winning writer, producer and host. He is an independent producer and media consultant in Nashville, TN.