Apple introduced Clips in a press release today after previously detailing its new 9.7-inch iPad. Clips will be available on the iPhone and iPad and can be used to share to several major social networks. It draws on the most popular elements of existing video editing apps, remixing them into a first-party solution for simplistic filmmaking on iOS devices.
Apple said Clips is built around ease of use and simplicity. Its main functions can be accessed from a single screen. When you’re in the editor, a bar at the top of the display gives you access to the text, effects and music tools. The bottom third of the screen is occupied by a media library view which lets you add content from your camera roll or record new material within the app.
Once you’ve added your videos to Clips, you can begin to edit them into a polished video. There are no complicated timelines or tracks. Instead, you drag videos around to rearrange them and then add effects and filters with a couple of taps. The app will come with a selection of posters, backgrounds, shapes and emoji, as well as “dozens” of music loops to accompany your content.
In attempt to prevent Clips being nothing more than a basic Snapchat or Instagram clone, Apple has worked to add at least one unique feature. The app’s headline capability is “Live Titles,” a system that lets you create animated captions and titles using your voice.
READ MORE: Reddit tries out a new Facebook-like landing page
As you speak, captions are generated automatically. They’ll display in sync with your voice when you play the video. Live Titles supports a variety of text styles and is available in 36 languages. You can customise auto-generated text to fix grammatical mistakes.
Clips is essentially the video editing capabilities of popular social networks rolled into a single standalone app. Apple is hoping people will use Clips over the individual editors offered by each service because the app can export to multiple platforms at once. At launch, social networks and video sharing sites including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Vimeo are supported.
“Clips gives iPhone and iPad users a new way to express themselves through video, and it’s incredibly easy to use,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Apps Product Marketing. “The effects, filters and amazing new Live Titles we’ve designed for Clips let anyone make great-looking, easily sharable videos with just a few taps.”
Clips will launch for free in the App Store in early April. It’ll be available on most supported iOS devices from the iPhone 5s onwards. iOS 10.3 is required. Apple hasn’t said whether it’ll be preinstalling the app on future devices. Clips is unlikely to come to rival mobile platforms anytime soon, instead being an iOS-exclusive to increase the value of Apple’s products.