One of the things that I really appreciate about the iPhone is the fact that I can use it as my portable camera. With every new iteration of the phone, the camera gets better and better, and soon it will be a solid device that can rival other standalone cameras. As you know, camera apps are a dime a dozen; there are a few that stand out and the rest just kind of take up space in the App Store. But with video, it is a little different in that there still are a few that stand out, but you don’t have as many apps to choose from.
One that recently caught my eye was Vidify, which is very different than some of the other well know video apps like Socialcam and Viddy, which were both reviewed here on iPhone.AppStorm previously.The main function of it is to create your own video collage to share with others; think of it as a simple way to edit a bunch of videos into one. If you like to take video with your iPhone or just want to spice them up a bit, you are definitely going to want to find out more about Vidify.
Making Your Video Collage
First off, the app is unique in that it takes a variety of videos that you select, and then it automatically puts all of them together into one movie that highlights parts of each one you chose. You can select any number of them, and once you’re done, you are asked to select the type of music you want to use to accompany your collage. Vidify has a very small list of music that they provide, or you can also select from your iPhone.
Selecting your videos (left) Picking your music (right)
Once this is done, there are a variety of settings that you can play with to make your collage even better. First, you can apply a filter to your videos by selecting one of the three that are provided for you. Things like fading in and out, cross dissolve as well as video resolution can also be manipulated to make your video stand out. After you have done all of this, you let Vidify work its magic and create a movie for you out of the clips that you selected. The nice part about this feature is that you don’t have to spend hours editing your own videos on your computer, you just let the app do it for you. The down side is that you don’t get a say as to what parts of your videos gets put into the final cut; you are going to just have to trust that Vidify is going to do a good enough job.
Editing Features (left) Filters (right)
Sharing and Interacting
Once you are done creating your collage, you can now share it with the world. Vidify gives you a few options on sharing your creation by utilizing Facebook, YouTube and email. There is even an option to send the video to AirPlay so that you can watch it on your Apple TV, assuming you have one.
Sharing Options
If you decide to upload your video to YouTube, then it also gets added to the Vidify Community page. This is where you can look at others who have posted their collages. Videos can be “liked” and also watched, but outside of that there is no other type of interaction.
Vidifiy Community
My Thoughts
I am so on the fence on whether I truly like this app or not. On the one hand, I think it is solid because it gives me the opportunity to easily put together a video collage with music. It is very easy to use and I like the settings you are given to edit your video to make it your own. I think this app is great if you have a lot of video from a specific event and you are looking to put together something to show an overview of the activity. There are times where I just don’t want to edit a bunch of clips and spend the time it takes to do that, and so something like this makes it quick and easy to do.
On the other hand, there were just some minor things about Vidify that I was a little puzzled by. For one, I would like to see more sharing options, possibly Twitter and Vimeo. Also, I had trouble at times logging into YouTube and getting my video to upload properly, so I am not sure if this was specific to me or if others had this trouble as well. Lastly, being that I am an Apple guy through and through, I love when an app is easy on the eyes, and this one could use a little work in that department.
Conclusion
Overall, I definitely like the functionality of the app itself because it gives me an easy way to whip up a quick video collage. Being that I take the majority of my video on my iPhone, this is a great complement to have right there on the phone. The UI could use some work and it would be nice to see more sharing options, and then I think this would be a really good one to have. But if you are one that wants a simple way to put together a video montage without all the hassle of having to get them to your computer and edit, then Vidify is the way to go.