videoediting
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iMovie, GarageBand for iPad announced -- $4.99 on March 11th
In addition to the announcement of the iPad 2, Steve Jobs just unveiled iMovie for iPad, so all your tablet video editing dreams are about to come true. So what does this new version of iMovie have in store for you? A precision editor, multitrack audio recording, some brand new themes, AirPlay to Apple TV, and the ability to share videos in HD. It'll be available on March 11th (the same day as the new iPad) for $4.99. %Gallery-118179% Apple's also just outed GarageBand for iPad. The app will boast several touch instruments, guitar amps and effects, 8-track recording and mixing, over 250 loops, the ability to email your AAC files, and it's compatible with the Mac version. GarageBand for iPad will also run you $4.99 when it's released on March 11th. %Gallery-118190%
Google demos Android Movie Studio for Honeycomb
Google won't let anyone take pictures during its MWC 2011 keynote, so you'll just have to trust us when we say Eric Schmidt just demoed a new video editing application called Movie Studio for Honeycomb tablets. The app was built from the ground up for tablet devices, and it features everything you'd expect: a timeline-style editor, picture effects, soundtrack and audio support, and of course, HD support with uploads to YouTube. Unfortunately we don't know much else about it, but we'll be digging for more details, so stay tuned. Update: We snuck a picture! You can see the timeline and the playback controls -- it looks really nice, don't you think?
Splice iPhone video editor does iMovie tricks for free (video)
We've no real qualms with iMovie for iOS -- for a phone-based editor, it's fairly impressive. But of course, it does cost money to own, and for some, that's a major issue. Thankfully for those uninterested in ever spending a dime in the App Store, there's Splice. This one's been around for a few months, but the latest version (2.1.11) just happened to land a few days ago. The folks over at Lifehacker have taken it for a spin on the iPhone 4, and for a completely gratis video editor, it certainly looks like a worthwhile download. There's an ad-free version available for $1.99, and even that's less damaging to your finances than Apple's first-party solution. Hit play below to see what's in store.
VCR head gets Frankenstiened into a beefy momentum scroll wheel
We've seen a fair share of VCR hacking in our day, but this momentum scroll wheel built from an old VCR head by Instructables community member Osgeld sets a new bar for jerry-rigging dead technology. Apparently the project arose from a desire to find a 21st century-approved use for the circular part that was gathering dust after being stripped from a spare Sony VHS player. The result is a bulky, yet useful, scroll wheel that can easily be set into motion and sustained via its own inertia to keep spinning for long periods. That feature could prove useful to anyone saddled with a mountain of video editing work, or even you lazy folk just hoping to flick less while reading the web. Unfortunately, a quick glance at Osgeld's DIY tool and part lists indicate you'll need to do quite a bit more than ransack a tape player to get this job done right. But then, when do the good things in life ever come easy?
Elgato debuts Turbo.264 HD Software Edition, cuts price of hardware edition
Here at Engadget HQ, there's hardly a more overused piece of equipment than Elgato's (Mac only) Turbo.264 HD -- in our experience, it chews through bloated video files at a breakneck pace, leaving us with shrunken versions of CES hands-on and the like without any noticeable degradation in quality. Now, that same functionality is being introduced sans an easy-to-forget USB dongle as the Turbo.264 HD Software Edition. For all intents and purposes, the SE version does the exact same thing as the original, albeit at a presumably slower pace. 'Course, it'll still convert videos for use on portable devices (or just shrink the files sizes for easier archiving) far quicker than whatever method you're using now, and the $49.95 price tag is certainly a bit easier to swallow. Oh, and speaking of MSRPs -- Elgato just hacked $50 from the price of the hardware-accelerated version, leaving it at a delectable $99.95. Mmm, files. Delicious.
iMovie hits iTunes App Store, only for iPhone 4 (update)
You may not have an iPhone 4 yet -- unless you lucked out on delivery, you're probably still waiting in line -- but if you did receive Cupertino's latest opinion polarizing handset, you might have noticed it doesn't come with a tool to edit all the 720p footage of jealous friends that you just shot. Thankfully that can be remedied with a portrait of President Lincoln, as iMovie for iPhone just went live -- head on over to the App Store and drop your $4.99. Update: Oddly enough, we're not actually seeing iMovie in the App Store on our iPhone 4 -- only in the desktop client. [Thanks, Joel]
YouTube Editor enables cloud-based combining of clips, trimming of masterpieces
Too many YouTube clips in your library? Not enough cheddar to get a decent piece of video editing software on your PC? Fret not, as the World's Greatest Time Waster has just rolled out a new web-based Video Editor that enables users to combine clips, trim segments, add audio and then preview the results before finalizing. Hey, Numa Numa kid -- get on those mashups, pronto!
Nokia demonstrates N8 video editing capabilities
Nokia's already taken us on a guided tour through quite a few of the N8's features, but it's now back with another video to highlight a couple of particularly standout ones -- namely, the phone's photo and video capabilities. Of the two, the video editor seems to be the most impressive -- it'll let you add both photos and videos to a storyboard, trim clips, and add and customize titles and transitions, to name a few features, and do so with what seems to be a relatively simple to use interface. You'll also of course be able to take advantage of the N8's support for USB On-The-Go, which will let you pull photos and videos off of any USB drive if you need to edit video in a pinch. Head on past the break for the complete video demonstration. [Thanks, Pipera]
Making vacation videos on your iPad with ReelDirector 3.0
If you're still on vacation and reading this on your iPad, it's time to get moving on editing those trip videos you've been shooting over the last four days. You know, all that video of the kids at the beach that you took with your AVCHD camcorder and iPhone. What? You don't have your Mac with you? No problem -- just install the new Nexvio ReelDirector 3.0 (US$7.99) app on your iPad and get to work. The updated version of ReelDirector is free to owners of previous editions and adds iPad compatibility to the mix. If you already own ReelDirector for iPhone, load it on your iPad as well at no extra cost. Nexvio added a demo project to help newbies get familiar with the app, and there are more powerful goodies. It's possible to pan, zoom, and rotate videos, mix videos of different resolutions and orientations into a single project, and add text overlays to any clip. Want to change the fonts for the title or subtitles? No problem. Nexvio has also removed limitations on the number of photos in a single movie project, so creating a fancy slide show of vacation photos is a piece of cake as well. ReelDirector 3.0 is the missing "iMovie for iPad," so if your summer trip plans include shooting a lot of video, edit your work on the go with ReelDirector on your iPad. A full review of ReelDirector 3.0 is forthcoming.
First Look: video editing on your iPhone with Nexvio ReelDirector
With the introduction of the iPhone 3GS back in June of this year, iPhone lovers finally got what a lot of other smartphones already had -- video recording capabilities. A little over a week later, I wrote a post titled "How to make iPhone videos sparkle with iMovie." At the time I remember thinking, "Wouldn't it be great if I could do editing on the iPhone instead of having to do it on my Mac?" Somebody at Nexvio was obviously thinking the same thing, and the company has introduced ReelDirector [US$7.99, iTunes Link], a video editing app for iPhone. One reviewer noted that "it's not Final Cut Pro," but make no mistake -- ReelDirector is a powerful, easy-to-use, and fun iPhone app for creating videos with titles and effects. It's perfect for putting together on-the-spot vacation videos to send to friends and relatives, making quick video podcasts, and teaching kids (or yourself) the basics of video editing.
For the first time, burn a Blu-ray directly within Final Cut Pro 7
Apple might not be ready to add Blu-ray to its computers yet, but prosumers can finally burn their creations directly to the discs (with a 3rd party drive of course) from Final Cut Pro 7. Otherwise, there's also the alternative of burning that HD footage you couldn't bear to squish onto YouTube to a DVD in the AVCHD format, but Macworld notes that beyond a few templates with FCP itself, DVD Studio Pro doesn't support Blu-ray authoring, encoding or burning at all. Of course, video editors probably have one or two other features to concern themselves with so check out the full review, but we'll be busy divining the exact date that "bag of hurt" shows up packed into the next Macbook.
Ask Engadget HD: Best HDTV & secondary video editing monitor for my Macbook Pro?
This week we'll be appealing to all the prosumers out there, one of your own is looking for some assistance, needing a HDTV not just for play, but also for work. We've schooled on the differences between monitors & HDTVs before, and picked out 40-inch+ models with PC inputs, but see what you can do for John's specific requirements: "My situation is this: I would like to combine my purchase of a new HD television as both an entertainment unit and a secondary monitor for my computer. I am a freelance video editor, shoot in HD (1080), and use a Macbook Pro 15" (2.4 ghz). I see 32" model as the right size/price range, and I will be sitting between 2-3 feet away from the screen when editing. Given all this context, my questions are these: 1. What features should I weigh most? (refresh rate, mhz, brand) 2. Given this screen size/viewing distance, does the 720p/1080p difference matter much? I will begin seriously shopping around later this year, but would like some background knowledge before I start talking with sales reps." Any of you making high definition movies instead of just watching them? Let us, and John, know what you look for in a display in the comments. Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.
VPlay brings video mixing to Surface, seriously improves Microsoft's office parties
For most people, there is only one name that matters in the world of Microsoft Surface / "rave" integration. And that name? Al Roker. But that hasn't stopped the company from continuing to develop new and innovative ways to show off its super-sized touchscreen device in the milieu of clubland. VPlay, for instance, is a live video mixing tool that allows one to display video clips and live images, manipulate effects, and concoct some pretty complex signal paths with your bare hands. Interested in giving this one a spin? No word yet on a commercial release, but do make sure you peep the video after the break.
ScreenFlow 1.5, now with 100% more text annotation
For semi-pro and professional screencasters working on Macs, Screenflow has reigned for a year as the closest thing available to the Windows-only category leader Camtasia Studio. It not only records your screen, your video camera or iSight, your audio input and system audio simultaneously, it provides a full editing suite and allows callouts, edits and cuts to be made in post, within the application. It's been one year since the initial release, and the development of Screenflow has continued steadily ... despite company acquisitions. On the mutli-talented application's first birthday, parent company Telestream has announced version 1.5 with custom mouse cursors, WMV export, new audio effects, automatic stereo mixing of single-channel microphones and ... titling.
Maingear intros Remix workstation for the creative professional
We tell ya, Maingear doesn't get a lot of play amongst the big timers like Dell and HP, but it sure knows how to crank out machines that are just different enough to be worth examining. Enter the Remix workstation, a desktop designed for creative professionals who dabble in graphic design, video production and pro audio. As expected, there's plenty of horsepower under the hood including a Core i7 CPU, Quadro FX / CX GPU options, up to 12GB of DDR3 RAM, RAID 0 HDD configurations, gobs of ports and an advanced liquid cooling system to keep the fans from making too much racket. The "handbuilt in America" machine starts at $1,999, though you can easily push that figure above the four grand mark with just a few tweaks. Full release is after the break.
NextDimension RVE portable video editing machine packs an LCD on a tower
Apparently that whole "slap an LCD on the side of a tower" thing is going alright for NextComputing. The NextDimension RVE is a bit more humble than the CinematographHD, though it should be able to handle even the most strenuous video editing tasks. Aside from the 17-inch 1,920 x 1,200 resolution panel plastered on the side, the "portable" tower houses single or dual 2.5GHz quad-core Intel processors, up to 4GB of RAM, up to 1.28TB of RAID storage, NVIDIA GeForce / Quadro FX graphics, a leather handle for portability and an extensive array of input / output sockets. The entire package measures in at 5.69- x 11.44- x 16.8-inches and weighs "just" 22-pounds -- too bad it'll take $6,380 to get one to your door.
Video: Adobe dabbles in video-object manipulation
Hey you, hot-shot movie cutter! Now that we've got your attention, have a look at this. Adobe's research laboratory has been toiling away with a sophisticated interactive video-object manipulation system, which gives video editors all sorts of creative windows with next to no rendering lag. An After Effects demonstration shows an editor selecting the outside of a cab and typing "taxi" -- once the text is imprinted on the vehicle, it stays on the car as it moves up and down the street. We know, you're totally scratching your head trying to envision what we just said, so why not just head past the break and give it a look?
MAGIX intros Video Pro X editing software with Blu-ray support
Looking to edit some of that sweet, luscious 1080p footage and burn to Blu-ray, are you? If you're feverishly nodding your head up and down, and you're all about getting a bargain, listen up. MAGIX has just introduced its Video Pro X professional video editing software, and with it comes Blu-ray support and a $199.99 introductory price for current MAGIX users ($249.99 for everyone else). The program imports video material from XDCAM camcorders and can natively edit AVCHD material, and of course, users can create 1080p discs with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound if you've got a few BD-Rs laying around waiting to be used. If you're not already married to some other brand, you can download this one today and get to cutting.%Gallery-37644%
Maybe iMovie '08 isn't such a bad change after all
Many folks who were used to the array of features iMovie '06 offered were understandably upset when iMovie '08 uprooted just about everything they knew. After all, they had the figurative rug pulled out right from under them. Eric at no one sequel, however, doesn't see this as a bad thing. Eric's entire post is definitely worth a read, but to summarize: while iMovie '06 is a good product, it doesn't exactly live up to the Apple and iLife reputation of "just working." iMovie '06 users need to learn a little too much about video editing - time codes, time lines, "rendering", etc. - causing a significant portion of the public to avoid the practice altogether. I agree with Eric - perhaps it isn't Apple's job to bring pro features and workflows to the general user. Instead, maybe it's their job to to eliminate the need for those features to exist in the mind of said user, greatly simplifying the barrier to entry in video editing so that more can use these otherwise complicated tools.By completely rethinking the practice of video editing and redesigning iMovie around the new paradigm, iMovie '08 could perhaps be the first product that really captures the attention of the larger mass that hasn't caught the bug yet (no pun intended). Sure iMovie is lacking a few features everyone can enjoy, such as a few effects and transitions, but users no longer need to learn what a 'timecode' is just to cut together the summer vacation or a cute puppy montage. It's just skim, click and drag and poof - a video.Isn't that the way Apple products are supposed to work?[via Daring Fireball]
