New iPhone Photo App: ReelDirector
Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 8:02AM | Glyn Evans **** Video Editing for iPhone 3GS! ****
Description from the AppStore: ReelDirector makes it simple for everyone to create movie right on iPhone 3GS. With a drag-and-drop timeline, multiple text watermark styles and 27 pro grade transitions, you'll turn your scattered video clips into polished movies in just minutes.
ESSENTIALS:
Add and stitch together clips, drag-and-drop to rearrange order.- Add text watermarks of title, opening credits and closing credits with 4 styles and 9 positions to choose from.
- Put transitions between clips to smooth or blend the change from one scene to another. With 27 transitions to choose from, create professional looking videos with ease and fun.
- Share your movies by email or save to Camera Roll (OS 3.1 required)
EDITING:
- Timeline - scrollable, seekable within clips, easy to arrange order
- Preview - full preview of frame at current timeline position, with watermarks and transition applied
TEXTS:
- Title and multiline opening and closing credits
- Combine 4 styles and 9 positions to create 36 different appearance
- Gradually fade out title and opening credits, fade in closing credits
TRANSITIONS:
Animated preview for each transition, easy to find the one you like.
- Automatically insert transitions between each clip in your project, just pick one in Project Properties; or
- add/change transition for each clip while editing.
Available transitions:
- Cross Dissolve
- Fade Through Black/White
- Flash Through Black/White
- Blur Fade (fade out of focus)
- Blur Cross (first scene fades out of focus)
- Wipe Left/Right/Top/Bottom
- Wipe Soft Left/Right/Top/Bottom
- Wipe Blend Left/Right/Top/Bottom
- Push Left/Right/Top/Bottom
- Push Left/Right/Top/Bottom with Border
AppStore Link: ReelDirector - Price £4.99/$7.99
Editors comments: Finally a full blown video editing app comes to the iPhone 3GS, with titles, fades and all. Hopefully we will see more video apps appearing for the iPhone 3GS, and who knows Apple may even approve the many video capturing apps that are awaiting approval for use on the iPhone 3G!!
Sadly I do not have an iPhone 3GS so can't test out this app, so if any of you do buy it, then be sure to come back and post your comments (if anyone would like to write a review of this app for the blog, then please get in touch).
ReelDirector in New iPhone Video App
Reader Comments (16)
thats really cool! and even better than the apple-stuff!
greets
marksu
this sounds great, i've been waiting for such apps...
My only concern before jumping on that one is i'm pretty sure this is just a start and we're gonna see many of those 'video editing apps' show up in the appstore over the next weeks...
And i'd love to see some competition before getting one...
(not mentioning some real user reviews to check out : how is speed and such?)
Or lower intro prices so i can advertise around...
Or upcoming improvements/updates list that'd wipe any hesitations :
are effects (like all the photo ones we see around here) possible in such an app ?
I'm pretty sure all we see applying to the photo world on the iphone these days will over the next months shift to video as well...
99c apps to add this or that effect, from black and white to DOF, some to make '24' like montages or 'CSI' color-style videos, some to add your own soundtrack (which is gonna cause many more copyright issues over youtube) and so much more...
I might be throwing ideas out to some other devs. but thats fine by me.
I can't develop them but i'd need them. I got the Hitchock app. right away and i'm sure this video thing on the iPhone is just at it's start, because it's just such a great tool to have around and test ideas quickly.
I just want to see all those and competition soon enough. (and if any needs some beta input, i'd be glad to help)
"the right camera is the one you have in your pocket" ; this must be true about video cameras too... and this one really fits well in my pocket.
But how powerful is it really on that side, i don't need any FinalCut there, but a nice iMovie type with all that implies is what many are waiting for...
anywho, this is a great site, but not enough comments yet so i thought i'd allow myself this big one. And i'm bored today...
Keep on with the news
Cheers to all,
n.
'Use your iPhone Carefully & Responsibly'
this is pretty rad. the quick test i did is really stupid, and sideways but if you want to check out a real life example made in under 5 minutes (http://fauxlaroids.posterous.com/quick-reeldirector-test)... this doesn't make "tall videos" "tallscreen" it turns them sideways ... which is unfortunate. but hopefully they'll fix that soon.
i totally think this is worth $8.
you can take one clip and cut out chunks of it, etc.
although my example is totally lame, i think this app is kinda great.
i agree, new apps like this will *hopefully* be jumping off all over the place soon, and i'm eager to try them all ... so yeah. go get this one. if you have questions, want me to try something before you spend the 8bux lemme know.
tanks Kate, & ok that's already enough of a review for me, it seems to work as advertised so i'll give it a try, i'm too eager to try such apps anyway...
Hope i'll have some interesting enough tryouts to post around
(& i'm eager to try to get some footage exported from that through AE for some tweaking, see how it comes out)
Downloaded & tried out on a very basic montage/clip,
-4 rushes/shots
-cut to 10 different clips on the timeline
-length is 1:47 min, with a flash to black transitions and titling on open and end, and it took like 6 min to export in the end...
result is smooth, clean, titling looks crisp on the phone, really nothing to complain about...
i'm quite impressed.
app is easy to use, during my first test i just encountered one bug on a clip i wanted to reload for a different part of the shot, while it had worked before it suddenly decided to keep the screen black, with sound rolling...
my first wish would be to be able to re-edit the cuts made by double taping the clip, not possible yet to got to reload/recut/redrag _ And some preview mode of the final result, but is there power enough ? not quite sure
but all in all it's a great starter app in this upcoming field...
keep'em comming
Thanks for you comments and iphoneography to be the first site to mention ReelDirector!
Hopefully I can answer some of your concerns. These are definitely on our list of next update:
* Put some ability to add/record sound. It is not possible to fetch music from your iPod library - Apple only allows developer to play them back. Record one is not perfect but seems the way to go.
* A more usable and precise clip trimming/splitting tool. The one provided with Apple's API is buggy as nam3 mentioned.
* And more transitions.
Kate, are you sure you are having problem with portrait orientation (tall) video? In the preivew it is side way (will fix), but after you create and save the video, it should be correct.
Thanks you all and here are 5 promo codes, please comment when one is taken.
Hongyu Chi
President - Nexvio Inc.
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iTunes link
I have taken the last code. THANKS! I am now known as Pocket Scorsese.
I just tried out the app over lunch, recording clips getting food at the corporate caf. Then I edited a short movie together while eating. I was done before I got half way through eating and showed my colleagues. Everyone was impressed with the simplicity and quality of the final product. I am too.
There's always going to be additional features we wish an app had. This apps simplicity and ease of use will be considered an asset by some and limiting by others. An audio track and additional title options would be nice,as well as the ability to re-trim a clip but after 1 hour I can say that I am truly impressed. This app does a lot right. It saves a project as you go (if you need to close out to capture another clip for instance), playing and trimming the individual clips as you bring them in the timeline works well, you can send via email right from the app. You can't watch the edit in real time but you can drag the scrubber bar to different points in the timeline and see the transitions which is helpful.
All-in-all this is very well done and will be all that most iphone videographers and vlogers need.
I'd be happy to share my sample video if people want.
One more thing, I recorded one of my clips holding the phone the other way around. On its side but lens at the bottom (how are you supposed to know which side is up). That particular clip ended up upside down in the finished movie. It's strange but not surprising. There seems to be a weird thing with the way apple implemented its tilt sensor. iMovie on the mac does the same thing with clips recorded that way and there's no way to rotate it apples program either.
@Hong. Nice looking app, and thanks for the feedback, and I am sure these tweaks will be very welcomed.
Thanks to everyone who has posted feedback on this app, which is very welcomed.
Caca. I redeemed the code on my iphone and it never showed up there or my mac at home... hmm. Hello tech support!
Just used the first code. looking forward to playing with the app.
This app is pretty awesome. Had movie clips edited together in minutes. Only thing I would like to see is the ability to add text in other parts of the movie (not just beginning and end) and to be able to adjust length of time for text to be viewable. Its a little too fast right now that text disappears.
I just bought the app... just in the 15 minutes of playing with it I've found it to be worth a lot more then 8 bucks.
The above response from Hong is the sort of thing users crave from developers: a list of future features you would ask for before you can ask for them.
Please please, please can I have a promo code. I REALLY want to try it out. Please? I will will write on long review.
Please,
Thanks!
Spend the money on the app, it's 100% worth every penny and it supports a great developer who already is working on making the app even better!
I wish I could say that about 2/3rds of the apps I've ever bought.