Now that the iPhone 4 comes with a flash, a front-facing camera, and another camera capable of shooting video in HD, many of us are not quite sure what to do with all that video-making power tucked away in our pockets. Thankfully, an army of creative app developers is hard at work turning that hardware into something fun to use, easy to learn, and sure to make some really impressive videos. Read on to discover five video apps that will unlock your iPhone’s full movie-making potential.
Vintage Video Maker ($2.99, MacPhun LLC) There are lots of apps that turn still photos from the iPhone into hip vintage-style shots with loads of character. Unfortunately, video shot with the iPhone’s built-in camera has been largely ignored. Thankfully, Vintage Video Maker has stepped up to fill the gap. Vintage Video Maker comes with a great variety of pre-loaded themes, like 60’s, 20’s, sepia, and black/white. Plus, Vintage Video Maker lets you tweak the sound of the video by adding an old-timey film projector sound, ragtime piano music, or even music from your own library. When your masterpiece is ready, share it with friends by e-mail or by uploading it to YouTube.
Justin.tv (Free, Justin.tv) Justin.tv is widely regarded as the YouTube of live, streaming content. If the video you’re taking is time sensitive, or you want to speak to an audience in an instant, unfiltered way, then Justin.tv is for you. And, now that Justin.tv has a polished new iPhone app, shooting live video for the web has never been faster or easier. Justin.tv not only lets you broadcast live over 3G or WiFi, but you can use the app to watch other users’ streams, post comments, and share content through other social networks like Twitter and Facebook.
iMovie ($4.99, Apple Inc.) iMovie is one of those apps that’s so impressive, it comes pre-loaded on every display iPhone in the Apple Store. Just like the desktop version of iMovie that comes with the iLife software pack, iMovie for iPhone makes editing home movies extremely easy and, believe it or not, actually pretty fun. Users can select from a variety of themes, record video directly into a project, and use simple gestures to cut, rearrange, and delete footage. When your masterpiece is complete, you can share it via MobileMe, YouTube, e-mail, or MMS.
StopMotion Recorder ($0.99, graf) Stop motion video is a blanket term that covers everything from classic claymation like Gumby and The Nightmare Before Christmas to the LEGO animations of Michel Gondry. Traditionally, stop motion has demanded a lot of skill and a huge amount of patience, but now StopMotion Recorder aims to change all that. StopMotion Recorder for iPhone makes creating original stop motion animations on your iPhone a breeze. With tons of options like automatic capture with the sound of a clap to “onion skin” frame overlays that help you keep your place, StopMotion Recorder is as powerful as it is fun to use.
TimeLapse ($1.99, xyster.net) Time lapse photography is a trick where video is shot extremely slowly– typically one frame every 10 seconds or so– then played back at a normal rate. The effect is often stunning: plants will grow and wilt before your eyes, or clouds move across the sky at break-neck speed. It’s an effect you’ll recognize mostly from television advertising. Now, TimeLapse puts that kind of trick photography within reach of anyone with an iPhone. TimeLapse can run for minutes, or even days at a time. Use it for fun, or even as an ad-hoc surveillance camera.