specialFX
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Bring Hollywood-style FX to your iPhone or iPad
I've looked at a few apps that allow you to layer effects over videos and found them impressive. Today I'm looking at Green Screen Movie FX Studio (US$4.99, universal) for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. It goes a step beyond some others and lets you create impressive green screen effects. The app also allows tweening so you can set a few positions for an effect, like a tank, a rocket or dinosaur, and it fills in the animation between the starting and ending points. The app features 88 video FX layers, which you can resize, rotate or move along a timeline. Effects include explosions, fires, weather (snow, fog, hurricanes), space ships and much more. In addition, there are backgrounds you can insert behind people in your videos like Niagara Falls, Paris, beaches, etc. %Gallery-171312% Background replacement requires your subjects to be in front of a solid-colored background, which the app replaces with something else. If you want to use an existing video with no solid backgrounds, you can still add effects to layer over it. This app packs a lot of complex technology into your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad and therefore isn't something to just jump into. Fortunately, extensive video tutorials are available and helped me make some videos on my iPhone that worked quite well. I think it would be even better on the larger iPad screen. There is a good video demo of what you can expect here. Your creation can be shared through the usual social networks, as well as email and Dropbox. Green Screen Movie FX Studio requires a minimum of an iPhone 3GS, fourth- or fifth-generation iPod touch and any iPad. It does require iOS 5.1 or later, and the app has been optimized for the iPhone 5. Green Screen Movie FX Studio is really a clever app that does what it claims. Just be prepared to experiment and learn about all the app can do.
Cinefy puts a Special FX studio in your pocket
Put this in the category of "I didn't think I could do this on my iPhone." Cinefy is a US$0.99 app for the iPhone that lets you overlay Hollywood-type special effects over your videos. There are dinosaurs, missile attacks and lightning strikes among 100 nicely rendered CGI effects. The app also allows you to add a music track from your iTunes library. The app is timeline-based and easy to figure out if you have done elementary media editing, but it lacks built-in help. It would be nice if there was a demo video so a novice could figure out the basics. You have to layer the effects over a video clip, but developer Daniel Hellerman told me that an upcoming version will support photos. If you want to have the most realistic effect, shoot the background with a steady hand. When you're done, you can send the finished clip to your camera roll, and email it or send to your favorite sharing service. Cinefy is an amazing app. Some time ago I took a look at Action Movie FX, which is free and does similar things but has far fewer effects. The app is a large download because of all the effects, so make sure you have the room for it. The developer is committed to adding features and keeping it updated. I really enjoyed playing with Cinefy, and there are lots of creative possibilities. I've included a couple of screen grabs from movies I created. The movies have more impact than the stills. %Gallery-169332%
