With nearly 5 billion social media users worldwide, there’s never been a greater need for accessible, mobile-friendly content creation tools. Thanks to the ever-evolving nature of smartphones, the average tech consumer now has a professional-quality video camera on them at all times. But what’s the best way to edit the videos you take on the go?
Fortunately, these excellent editing apps are great for both content creators and the average consumer. They make it fast and easy to edit mobile videos and reduce the need for bulky and expensive equipment. However, with so many video editing apps currently available for download, consumers must compare and contrast their options to find the best editing tool for their needs. Let’s explore five of the most popular video editing apps currently on the market and discuss what sets each of these tools apart.
What Does a Video Editing App Do?
When you shoot a video on your phone, you may need or want to adjust it before sharing the content on social media or a media hosting site like YouTube. Sometimes, it’s necessary to trim a video in length or cut certain scenes entirely. Similarly, if you film a piece of long-form video content in multiple segments, you’ll need to combine those segments or arrange them differently to produce a clear narrative for viewers.
Other video editing apps offer additional functionality, such as visual and audio effects. Users can add music or sound effects to their mobile videos as well as aesthetically pleasing transitions between scenes. Some apps in the sections below also allow users to add subtitles and captions to their videos to make their content more accessible.
Video Editing App #1: InShot
InShot is one of the most popular and highly-rated video editing apps for Android and iOS devices. The app provides powerful editing tools and effects while staying user-friendly. InShot allows users to trim, cut, and merge video clips and add music, filters, emojis, stickers and text to their video projects. InShot also offers more advanced functionality like chroma key compositing and special effects like slow motion and reverse video.
In general, InShot provides a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to resize videos for various social media platforms and elevate their content offerings with unique effects and add-ons. If a user upgrades their InShot subscription, they will receive access to even more tools and features, including additional visual effects and stock footage. InShot also has automated captioning options, so users can easily add computer-generated captions to their video projects. However, it’s essential to remember that built-in automatic captions often fail to achieve the required by accessibility laws. It’s often better for creators to use other captioning methods to enhance their video content.
Video Editing App #2: PowerDirector
PowerDirector is a professional-grade video editor with premium effects, templates and tools. PowerDirector works with both Android and iOS devices. However, the iOS version offers some capabilities that the Android version does not. PowerDirector has many standard video editing tools like multi-track timeline editing, 4K video export options and enhanced solutions like motion tracking and AI-generated visual effects.
This easy-to-use platform is a great option for content creators of many different experience levels. Many even consider PowerDirector a rival to desktop-quality video editing platforms. PowerDirector offers text-editing options for creators to add captions and subtitles to their videos manually. However, manually adding individual captions is tedious, so creators may want to explore alternative methods.
Video Editing App #3: Adobe Premiere Rush
Adobe is a long-time developer of video editing software solutions and Adobe Premiere Rush builds on this reputation with a comprehensive mobile video editing solution for iOS and Android users. It offers mobile users robust features and options that integrate with other Adobe Creative Suite platforms.
The free version of Adobe Premiere Rush provides several foundational elements that are useful for beginners. Still, those creators looking for additional functionality may benefit from upgrading their subscriptions and gaining access to additional features. Adobe Premiere Rush makes it easy for users to import video content from other Adobe apps like Premiere Pro. It allows users to add graphics, animations and effects to their projects. Premiere Rush users can easily optimize their finished projects for export to social media platforms, which makes this solution well-suited for on-the-go editing and sharing.
Video Editing App #4: KineMaster
KineMaster is similar to some of the above solutions in that it provides a user-friendly interface that’s convenient and accessible for beginners and pros alike. Its multi-layer timeline, precise trimming and cutting tools and robust visual effect options make it a comprehensive editing solution for various video projects.
KineMaster’s multiple subscription options provide users with different levels of functionality. For instance, premium users can export their videos in 4K without watermarks. Premium users can also access KineMaster’s asset stores to enhance their media projects further. With KineMaster’s text editing tools, you can manually add captions on the app. This process may be unduly time-consuming for on-the-go content creators, who would benefit from a more streamlined, professional approach.
Video Editing App #5: Splice
GoPro developed the video editing app Splice to offer mobile users a more streamlined, convenient video editing solution. Its intuitive editing workflow makes it easy for users to combine video clips, photos, music and text into compelling short videos for social media. Splice offers an extensive music library and customizable video effects so that users can elevate the quality of their social media videos. The app even allows users to share videos directly to the social media sites of their choice, so there is no need for an additional download/re-upload process.
Splice is unique because it offers both manual and automatic captioning capabilities, allowing users to exercise greater control over the captioning process. However, it’s worth noting again that auto-generated captions like those offered on the Splice app may prove insufficient for supporting modern accessibility standards.
What is the Best Way to Caption Mobile Videos?
Once you select your ideal video editing app, you may want to focus on the accessibility and captioning solutions. Adding accurate captions to your social media videos is a great way to expand your audience while supporting critical accessibility requirements like the ADA and WCAG. Videos containing captions enjoy greater engagement and longer average watch times. As a result, it’s important to invest in a high-quality captioning solution that supports all viewers.
Verbit provides professional, accurate captioning solutions that meet the needs of modern content creators. Verbit’s dual approach to captioning and transcription combines the efficiency of artificial intelligence with the expertise of professionally trained human transcribers. This process delivers captions with high accuracy rates to support major accessibility requirements without compromising on speed or reliability. Verbit also offers a variety of software integrations with popular social media and media hosting sites, so users can easily caption content before posting on their favorite platforms. Taking this step is a great way to maximize the reach of video content.
Using Modern Technology for Video Editing and Accessibility
Advances in technology make it easier than ever for individuals to film, edit and share video content with users worldwide. From beginners to seasoned editors, everyone can benefit from the flexibility and convenience of high-quality video editing applications like InShot, PowerDirector, Adobe Premiere Rush, KineMaster and Splice.
By taking advantage of these platforms’ professional-grade functions and features, users can elevate the quality of their video content and expand their reach to new, diverse audiences. Additional solutions like closed captioning can further boost audience engagement and make video content accessible to viewers with disabilities and other specific needs. If you’re interested in learning more about making video content more accessible and engaging, reach out today to speak to a member of the Verbit team.