In The Mix has wild effects for playful video editors
In The Mix lets anyone create videos with stunning visual effects or full films using multiple video clips. Add in music from your iTunes library, record a few video clips, then browse a long list of unique effects to layer on top of the video. With minimal experience, In The Mix's set of features is capable of producing a movie with plenty of flair and creativity. The app is free for iPhone and iPad and requires iOS 7.0 or newer.
Make a video, watch a video or create a feature film - those are your three menu options. This threw me off guard for a moment, though. By "Watch A VIdeo" I thought the app implied I could watch user-uploaded creations from others who downloaded the app, but alas this is just to watch one of your own videos in-app. (That's not a terrible idea for the future though, developers.)
Since I didn't have any videos to watch, I came to the brilliant conclusion that I should try making one. Here you either need to add a profile or a video. A profile is just a description of people involved, somewhat like the ending credits. Fill in your name, director, producer, actors and optionally upload a profile icon.
Now it's time to add some footage. Tap "Add Video" to first choose the audio: music from your library, music plus a microphone recording or just the microphone only. I do wish In the Mix came with a small catalog of royalty-free music to use, but I have an extensive library of music so I can't complain. The app lets you adjust the speed of the music or crop it to a specific part to play in the film. Then tap "Start Recording."
The effects are easily the best part of In The Mix. They're ridiculously fun to play around with. Everything from bubbles to palm trees to rainbows to iPhone borders with random sunflowers flying everywhere. I have no clue why anyone would need the latter but who cares? It's there just in case. The best part is, once you press the Record button, the effects change live as you press them so you don't just need to stick with a single effect per clip.
In The Mix reminds me a bit of Video Star, an app geared a bit more specifically toward making playful music videos. The former does offer a more extensive set of features though; the ability to combine multiple clips to create a "feature film" is handy and transitions and timing are thrown in, too.
Be warned: the app isn't all that stable. It crashed on me a couple of times and it's a bit buggy at times. I can't pinpoint exact issues because they're sporadic. Also, if you care about design aesthetics like I do, the app is just plain ugly. Everything is too shiny and glossy even by pre-iOS 7 standards. Buttons are sometimes poorly aligned and the color scheme is highly flamboyant.
Issues aside, In The Mix isn't bad. It's entertaining to mix and match video clips with music, plus the video effects are alluring. With no in-app purchases, you get the entire package in a single download, too. The app does need some polish and a serious paint job, but it's good enough for what it is. Download In The Mix free for iOS.
