GoPro boss Nick Woodman in February described editing as an “inconvenience” for users of the company’s action cameras. The comments suggested he was looking for a solution, and a month later the California company acquired two startups behind powerful editing apps.
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Now GoPro has repackaged and relaunched the software to offer GoPro users an easy way to turn their action-packed footage into something short, snappy, and (hopefully) watchable.
First up is Quik, formerly Replay. The work of French firm Stupeflix, Quik (pictured) is being trumpeted as the “fastest and easiest” way to knock together an entertaining sequence featuring your footage. It does this by automatically analyzing your video to find the best moments before adding transitions and effects. It’ll match the cuts to the beat of your chosen soundtrack, too, and you can also add custom text overlays, title slides, and, if you really must, emojis.
Quik is free and available now for iOS via the iTunes Store and Android via the Play Store.
The second offering, Splice, gives editors more manual control over the look of their final cut. It may not be as quick as Quik, but GoPro claims Splice still lets you create fully customized, professional-looking videos “in just minutes.”
Splice comes from Texas-based software outfit Vemory, which describes its mobile app as packing “the power of a professional desktop editor.” There’s certainly plenty of functionality, with editors able to choose transition styles, trim clips, add filters, create slo-mo sequences, and more.
Splice is also free, though at the current time it’s only available on iOS.
Most GoPro users who’re serious about editing often use powerful third-party offerings as opposed to GoPro’s bundled software, which offers few features. The action-camera maker believes its new, feature-rich offerings will help create a more seamless shoot-and-edit experience to help videographers create impressive clips with minimum effort.
It also hopes that rolling out improved editing software will make its gear more appealing by turning an “inconvenience” into something quick, effective, and hopefully enjoyable. The effort is all part of the company’s broader strategy to get its business back on track following the release of disappointing financial data back in February.
