Daily iPhone App: Magisto takes your best camera roll picks and turns them into an eye-catching video
If you want to quickly fire off a montage of your favorite photos and videos, then you should check out Magisto, the magical video editor.
Magisto lets you choose photos and videos that you want to compile into a shareable clip. Instead of having to splice the video and add all the snazzy effects yourself, Magisto does it on your behalf. You mark off your photos and videos, select some background music, pick a theme and the app does the rest. It'll chop up your video, mix in some photos and glue them all together with a handful of fancy effects and filters. Each clip takes less than five minutes to process. While you wait, you can check your email or browse the web, and Magisto will alert when your clip is completed.
The end result is a compilation that you can share publicly with the Magisto community or privately with family and friends. Quality-wise, the final clip is creative enough to be entertaining, but it won't win an Academy Award for its effects. I tested the app with a handful of my iPhone 5s photos and videos and overall was pleased with the output (view my sample clip), with a one caveat.
I liked how the app chose to mix the video and photos with the just right balance of media types. Some of the transitions, though, are a bit too choppy for my taste and don't smoothly flow a video into a photo or vice versa. The beauty of Magisto, though, is that you can start over, choose a new theme and have another clip in just a few minutes.
Magisto is available for free in the iOS App Store. The app allows you to create a clip with five photos and 10-minute/10 video clips for free. If you want additional photos or longer videos, then you must upgrade to the paid version. Subscription plans include a one-month subscription for US$4.99 or a year subscription for $17.99. The service also requires you to sign up for an account if you want to share your clip. If you just want to play around with the app, you can do so as a guest.
