MovieAid Free is a simple Android app that will allow you to quickly perform many of the most used video editing functions straight from your Android, including assemble several videos into one, add images to your video (or make a video from images), add transition effects, add titles (and even subtitles), replace or add an audio track or music, and even upload it to YouTube or other sites.
I’ve been an amateur film maker for as long as I can remember, starting off with a chintzy 8mm camera way back in the covered wagon days (hyperbole alert!) and moving up to using my Android’s rather impressive video capture functions. The digital age has been one of ceaseless wonders for those that enjoy the hobby of making home videos, offering easier (and cheaper) means of recording your footage as well as fairly easy to use and powerful software to edit and compile end results. With the proliferation of Android mobile tech, our options are even more expansive but the main problem I have personally found with that process is that some of the most beloved and familiar programs, like Microsoft Movie Maker, won’t import the raw footage clips that I record with the ‘droid. This is not such a huge deal because I can always convert the footage before importing it but even then you can still run into problems with corrupted files and other issues. Not to mention the fact that you’re still strapped into the chair sitting at the computer to edit and finalize the videos.
Enter: MovieAid, a simple yet quite functional app for Android OS 2.2 or higher that will allow you to import video clips directly from the Android’s camera, edit them together in whatever manner you like, then compile and export them as a finished film. It will even help you to get your film uploaded to the destination of your choice, whether that’s to a friend’s Android or other mobile device or to YouTube or whatever other video hosting site you prefer. In short, MovieAid allows you to shoot, edit and finish home videos on the go so you don’t have to be strapped into the computer chair to be creative!
MovieAid is free to download, install and use. There is a ‘Pro’ version (as with many free ‘droid apps) that will unlock a couple of more advanced features but the free version is highly functional and quite useful even without those features. The free version is limited to end result videos that are 60 seconds long or less but the average video you will want to send via MMS has to be shorter than that anyway so it’s not such a big deal. Among the various features included you will find things like the standard ability to mix and clip your raw footage files (in nearly any format, so almost any cam setting will do) into a timeline as well as add captions and even overwrite the audio portion of your clips with background music of your choice (mixing music into the background while keeping the audio from the raw footage is a Pro feature) or record your own audio track on the fly using the mic on your ‘droid! That means you can add your own voice as commentary at any point you like in the film. There are various transition effects (like fade mixing) you can use to go from one clip or scene to another, or simply splice them together any way you like. Compile the end result and export it into a chosen format which can include everything from standard VGA to HD videos. It will even allow you to put together single frame snap shots to create stop motion animation or a video slideshow if you so desire. One of the most impressive and unexpected features is the live preview window, which I would have expected to use far more memory and CPU than it does.
Using MovieAid is a blast as it is easy and intuitive for anyone who has any experience on the Android OS. Pinch to zoom, tap and slide to scroll, all the standard controls are easy to figure out even if you don’t want to read the documentation. The app even gives you hints when it notices you are doing certain things, without being intrusive like certain animated paper clips we know. It should be mentioned that to do something as resource intensive as editing and compiling movies, you will want to make sure your Android is as powerful as possible of course. I tested it on a MyTouch Q Android phone, which isn’t the best or most impressive one on the market but is definitely not a ‘low end’ or ‘budget’ phone either so I would suggest you have at least a mid range phone before attempting to use the app without frustration or long waits. Bear in mind as well that the more clips you import and the longer you end result film is, the more resources you’re going to need and use during the edit process but aside from those minor points I didn’t find much to count as a downside in this app.
The free version of MovieAid is absolutely awesome in my opinion and totally worth checking out if you have any interest or desire to create and edit home videos on your Android device. Who knows? You might turn out to be the next great film maker and one day you can say, as you hold that little golden statue, that it all started with an app you found out about on Freewaregenius! Until next time, my friends!
Get MovieAid here