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Apple offers Final Cut alternative for mobile video
- Published on March 26, 2017

Apple is providing a video editing alternative to Final Cut Pro for iOS users. With an ever increasing amount of video being created on its mobile devices, Apple has been feeling left-out of the mobile video editing and sharing process. In order for Apple to play an increased role with video being created and shared on phones and tablets, Apple is introducing a Final Cut alternative, Apple Clips. This new mobile video editing app is used for creating videos to be shared across Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, iMessage and other social media platforms. Apple Clips is a separate app, and provides video editing beyond the standard functionality provided within the built-in Camera and default Photos apps found on iPhones and iPads.
Rather than creating a social platform, Apple is providing a tool to enable its popular hardware to moer easily create and share across any social media network. Video created on mobile devices for sharing on social media does not need the professional-grade editing tools of Final Cut Pro. This alternative allows for video editing and post-processing completely on a phone or tablet, keeping Apple relevant.
Apple Clips provides an option to capture video and photos directly into the app, or import them, even placing them into a timeline similar to more robust video editing apps such as Final Cut and Premiere Pro. Imported content can have styling and formatting applied to it through Filters, Overlays, Posters, and Live Titles.
Importance of Text on Social Media Video
Apple understands that many videos start silently or remain silent. Live Tiles is designed to provide an efficient way to add text on top of a video without needing to type by dictating the text. For those accustomed to talking with Siri on their phone, the text recognition will be pretty normal, and it works in more than 35 languages to provide captions across a video wherever they are needed.
While this feature is unique, many users have become accustomed to simply writing across images and video within Snapchat and Instagram, and it would be natural to assume that Apple will at some point offer the ability to provide custom artwork across an image or video clip. Apple Clips also supports what the app refers to as Posters, which are on-screen text that can sit at the start or end of a video (often known as bookends).
Facial Recognition in Video Editing App
Apple Clips uses facial recognition to suggest individuals with whom a video clips should be shared. Users that are identified within clips are listed by way of Smart Suggestions, a new functionality integrated into Apple’ new video editing app.
Difference between Final Cut and Apple Clips
Apple Clips allows for the capture and upload of video clips that can be up to a half-hour, with total video running time up to one hour. Final Cut videos can be of any duration. Final Cut supports multiple tracks, video and audio enhancements, and various cuts, while Apple Clips uses standard pre-sets. In short, Clips is designed for video captured on mobile devices that needs to be shared quickly. Final Cut provides a more comprehensive set of tools for creating professional-quality video. Clips is a relatively simple app which can be learned in a few hours, while Final Cut pro training classes are often required for learning to use the more comprehensive video editing app.
Apple intends to release the first version of Clips to the public within 30 days for users of iPhone, iPad, and iPods.
About the author
Christopher Smith is president of American Graphics Institute. He is the co-author of Adobe Creative Cloud for Dummies and more than 10 other books on design and digital publishing. He served as publisher and editor of the Digital Classroom book series, which has sold more than one million books on topics relating to InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere Pro and other Creative Cloud apps. At American Graphics Institute, he provides strategic technology consulting to marketing professionals, publishers designers, and large technology companies including Google, Apple, Microsoft, and HP. An expert on web analytics and digital marketing, he also delivers Google Analytics classes along with workshops on digital marketing topics. Christopher did his undergraduate studies the at the University of Minnesota, and then worked for Quark, Inc. prior to joining American Graphics Institute where he has worked for more than 20 years.