Clips is the simple app from Apple that you use to make videos. After a week we found some room for improvement and we still have enough wishes for Clips.
Our Apple Clips wishes
Apple released its photo and video editing app Clips last week. You can use it to edit photos and videos to make a cool movie, completely suitable for social media. Because the app is so simple, everyone manages to put together a nice video. If you still need help, read our Apple Clips tips.
Now that Clips has been available for download for a week, we conclude that Apple has made a nice app that could use some improvement. Below our wishes at a glance. What are you still missing in the app? Let us know in the comments!
1. Speech balloons
One of the coolest things about Clips is the ability to have words appear on screen as you say them. People who watch the video without sound will know what you are saying. It is even more fun to actually display the text in a speech bubble, like in comic books. The app offers such balloons as a sticker, but you type (or speak) something in advance. Since Clips even has a comic book filter, it’s crazy that you can’t make text appear in a bubble while you say the words.
2. Options for settings
Apple keeps its app pretty tight. Probably for a reason, because by letting users fiddle with settings as little as possible, the app remains simple for everyone. In some cases, a little more personalization was useful. For example, to enable and disable certain languages. Clips automatically recognizes Dutch, but if you use English words, it often goes wrong.
3. More editing options
In Clips you can choose different types of texts and text cards that, for example, indicate the end of the video or that you set for a birthday. In these cards you can adjust the text, nothing else. That in itself makes sense, since it is about animations, but a little more adjustable variation wouldn’t be out of place. Even if only changing colors to keep them a little fresher. It is also not possible to place texts in a different place, which sometimes makes the positioning look strange.
4. Drawing
Movies and photos can be supplemented with filters and emoji, but we miss a way to scribble on the screen. This is useful for marking something, for example. Other apps in which you can easily edit videos, such as Instagram and Snapchat, do offer that option.
5. Cut fragments
If you have an ugly end to an otherwise nice recording, you can cut that part off very quickly with Clips. But if you have a video that you want to cut into pieces for use throughout your Clips video, you can’t. Dividing a fragment in two would be a useful addition, for example if you want to place a fun text card in between to clarify the situation.
6. Zoom in
Have you tried zooming in during a Clips recording? You may have noticed that it is not so easy. You have to keep the recording running with one finger and move two fingers apart with your other hand. This not only produces shocks in the image, but it also does not work well. Apple should take a look at how an app like Snapchat solves that. In it, swipe your thumb up from the record button to zoom in and down to zoom out again. Much simpler and nice for the sudden and dramatic moments in your videos.
7. More filters
Basically, however, Clips is a great app. We hope that Apple will provide regular updates in the near future. In it, the company can then add more filters and text options to supplement the existing range. Furthermore, masks (such as on Snapchat) would also not be out of place for the service.