Video software is an exploding market, with more apps and desktop software options popping up each month. The right video software can making producing content easier, give you more professional looking results and even save bad footage. Before you invest time or cash in new video software, here’s the rundown on some new entries.
Qwiki
Qwiki, a free app for iPhone that will also work on an iPad, is a slideshow creator with an easy interface. The app uses your uploaded video footage and photos to arrange an eye-pleasing slideshow. You can edit, add effects or include music on the final product, but your original video audio is not preserved.
Your content is highly shareable, with instant publishing to Facebook, Twitter or as an embed on a webpage. Qwiki will edit your original content length, however and you’re limited to a maximum of 25 base items for your slideshow.
Vine (Android)
Vine for Android has received a lukewarm reception from users. While the app is free through Google Play, its known bugs and lack of editing tools make its use limited. You can record in-app and directly publish to Twitter’s huge audience base, however and the interface is easy to use. Vine videos are limited to six seconds and will automatically loop.
Ashampoo Snap 6
Ashampoo Snap 6 is the lower priced alternative to the popular screen capture software, Snagit. While you are giving up some features if you use Snap over Snagit, whether you actually need them depends on your content campaign.
Snap 6 offers a variety of tools to capture screen images for editing, caption addition and publishing. Video is also supported but without its own set of editing tools. You can publish projects to social media websites, including Facebook, by clicking a few buttons in the software’s interface.
Capture options include freestyle, full and rectangular. You can save captures in various formats, but unlike Snagit, you can’t save them in Flash. Watermark placement tools and resolution tweaks make it easy to use Snap for tutorial or instructional content creation. Snap 6 does not have an instant revert button, which is a minor drawback. You have to undo work by steps if you want to start over.
When you’re considering investing time or money in video software, your best bet is to try free or low-priced entries with the features you believe you need. Once you’ve had some experience with the software, you can decide whether you need to take it to the next level in terms of time and initial cost.