Read/Write Web

Video Editing 2.0: 8 Ways to Remix Online Videos

So you've shot your masterpiece, but it's a little rough around the edges. If you have any hope of winning that Oscar, you're going to need to do a little editing. But renting out an editing bay means thousands of dollars and figuring out what all the shortcut keys on the Avid keyboard do. But wait, you're in luck! Friday evening, YouTube launched their new video editing tool: YouTube Remixer, in partnership with Adobe. Avid it's not, but perhaps it's just what you need to turn your raw vacation footage into Spielberg or Coppola.

Unfortunately, YouTube's Remixer debuted to some rather tepid reviews, in part because it is more or less the same software Adobe rolled out with Photobucket in March. But wait, you're in luck again! There are a bunch of other online video editing tools, and we'll take a brief look at some of them below (though again, don't expect Avid).

Video Editing Tools

Jumpcut lets you upload video, photos, and audio, or import from Flickr or Facebook, and edit using a Flash interface. Add titles, effects, transitions, music, and split and crop video tracks. Then publish your video and let others remix it. Jumpcut also has some social networking features (like groups). Jumpcut is probably the best of the online video editors, though I really wish there was a way to export videos off the site.

Of the bunch, Jumpcut's editor most resembles the feel of offline editors, like iMovie.

Eyespot is a full featured editor like Jumpcut. It lets you upload video, photos, and audio and then add transitions, effects, titles, and music. The editor isn't as attractive and easy to use, in my opinion, as Jumpcut's, but Eyespot offers a good deal of free media sets from partners like The Colbert Report, Public Enemy, and Dreamworks Pictures.

Movie Masher lets web site owners offer editing and remixing capabilities to their visitors via a sophisticated flash widget, which can be customized to match the look of your web site. The editing tools allow you to sequence and trim clips, add effects, transitions, titles, and music, using a familiar timeline editor.

Cuts lets you import video from MySpace, YouTube, and Google video (or anywhere you can get the direct .FLV URL) and then make your own "cut" by removing scenes, looping scenes, and adding captions and sound effects.

(Almost) Video Editing Tools

Mojiti isn't a video editing tool in the way that the YouTube Remixer, Jumpcut, Eyespot, Movie Masher, or even Cuts are, but it still probably warrants a mention in this round up. Instead, Mojiti lets you annotate videos you import from just about any video site out there. You can use it to add properly timed titles, captions, or translations to videos.

You could use Mojiti to put lyrics on a music video, for example.

Vidavee Graffiti lets you add effects to YouTube videos (like cartoon speech bubbles, titles, and frames). I found the interface kind of clumsy and hard to use, but maybe you'll have better luck.

muveeMix is a way to arrange your videos and photos to music, add titles and credits and export them to your blog or social network profile. It doesn't offer nearly as much control as, say, Jumpcut, but isn't as complicated either.