GY&K APPtitude Test: Magisto
Thanks to a tip from entrepreneur Yosi Taguri, we recently discovered a fun and potentially valuable new video editing app called Magisto. The app attempts to eliminate the need for time and skill when it comes to creating an edited video with the content you capture.
It sounded too good to be true, so we decided this would be a great APPtitude test. We know video content can be an extremely valuable tool for marketers, and while there will always be a need for high quality video, it’s also more acceptable to sacrifice some quality in the YouTube era. This is especially true if the content is entertaining, informative, engaging, etc.
I personally tested Magisto with footage from the internal launch party for a newly remodeled space in the GY&K office. Based on that experience (video below), I believe the app is something marketers should consider adding to their mix. I can already think of a few ways I might use the app in the future. For instance, next week I’ll be attending Magic Marketplace, a fashion/apparel trade show, and this tool is one way I’ll share the experience.
Make awesome movies from plain videos, automatically. Join Free!My APPtitude Test co-host Ben Peirce works in our multimedia department and he’s an extremely talented filmmaker and producer. Needless to say he was a bit more skeptical going into this experiment.
Here’s Ben’s take on Magisto:
The Good: The speed and ease of use is pretty remarkable. Even though it takes a long time to upload and process, it’s still a lot less time than I’d spend editing it myself and I can be eating a sandwich and reading comic books while it’s working. The transitions and effects are pretty slick too. A lot of those effects would take hours to create from scratch. That’s actually a pretty dangerous thing, since people already assume that editing and animation just happens like magic. I kind of wish they’d invested the same technology into a product I can actually use with some creative control.
The Bad: You have NO creative control. That’s fine if you’re just shooting a bunch of b-roll and you don’t really care how it comes together but not if you have anything specific to get across. The face recognition can work against you too. In my bowling video I got a lot of people walking back from their shot and zero actual pins getting knocked over. The ownership and sharing capability is a little sleazy as well. I can post my video to Facebook, YouTube etc. But If I want to actually have a copy I have to buy it from Magisto?! That’s my footage, and they don’t own the music so how can they get away with selling it back to me? And why, if I’m shooting 1080p HD video on my iPhone 4s, is my video only available at grainy, low-res 360p?
Final Verdict: Look, it’s a fun tool that’s going to make lots of people shooting random embarrassing video of their friends look like they know how to edit video. But if you actually have something to say it’s like the old saying goes – “if you want something done right, you’ve gotta do it yourself.”
Here’s the video of Ben’s bowling party that he edited with iMovie on his iPhone. Editing time: 1hr
This is Ben’s Magisto bowling party video. Editing time: 5 minutes
Is Magisto an app you plan to download and test out? If so, please share you videos with us on Facebook and let us know if there’s another editing app we should check out.
Brady Sadler is the VP of Business Development & Marketing at GY&K. Connect with him on Twitter @BradySadler
