Apple today announced a major update to Clips, the free app for iOS that makes it easy to create and share fun videos using iPhone or iPad. Clips introduces Selfie Scenes and adds artistic style transfer effects and a redesigned interface that makes it easier than ever to create great videos on the go.
Selfie Scenes is an exciting new feature that places users into animated, 360-degree scenes when recording selfies. Using the sophisticated TrueDepth camera system on iPhone X, Selfie Scenes transports users into bustling cities, serene landscapes, abstract paintings and even the Millennium Falcon and Mega-Destroyer from “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”
“Clips users love how quick and easy it is to create amazing videos on iPhone or iPad,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Apps Product Marketing, in a statement. “And we’re making it even more fun with Selfie Scenes. By harnessing the incredible new TrueDepth camera system on iPhone X, users can now record selfies against a variety of fun and whimsical backdrops with just a tap.”
— MacDailyNews (@MacDailyNews) November 9, 2017
Introducing Selfie Scenes
With Selfie Scenes, users can choose from 10 Apple-designed scenes, featuring unique locations, characters, colors and visual styles plus two scenes from “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” Each scene is a full 360-degree experience, so it surrounds users on all sides as they move iPhone X. And environmental sound effects make scenes even more immersive.
New Effects and Stickers
New artistic effects use advanced machine learning and style transfer technology to turn any photo or video into a moody oil painting, vibrant watercolor or elegant pencil sketch — in real time while recording. Clips also adds more content from Disney, including full-screen posters featuring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, as well as Star Wars stickers featuring animated versions of Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Chewbacca and others. Users can also add more personality to their Clips videos with 16 new Apple-designed stickers and 21 new royalty-free soundtracks from indie artists. And, as with all Clips soundtracks, these new tracks automatically adjust to match the length of videos.
Redesigned User Interface
The easy-to-use interface gets even better with a streamlined design that puts frequently used controls easily within reach. A new Effects browser lets users view and choose filters, labels, stickers and emoji. Labeled buttons make it easier than ever to edit Live Titles, add or change filters, trim, mute and delete clips. And full-screen browsers allow users to see more of their content when viewing their photo library or selecting animated posters.
iCloud Support
Users can now access and edit their Clips videos across iPhone and iPad via iCloud. Videos are automatically uploaded and backed up to iCloud, so users can start a video on iPhone and finish it later on iPad. Photos and video clips in iCloud Photo Library are referenced by Clips, not copied, to make efficient use of iCloud storage. And Clips adds support for Shared iPad, so students can create amazing videos in both one-to-one and Shared iPad environments.
About Clips
With Clips, users can create personal video messages, slideshows, school projects and mini-movies with amazing features like Live Titles that automatically generates animated captions from a user’s voice and 360-degree immersive Selfie Scenes on iPhone X. Clips lets users add personality to their videos with dozens of filters, animated stickers and full-screen animated posters. The app includes more than 60 soundtracks that automatically adjust to match the length of videos. And Clips uses the content and subjects in a video to make intelligent sharing suggestions via Messages, making it fast and simple to share with others.
Availability
Clips 2.0 is available today as a free update on the App Store and is compatible with iPhone 5s, iPad Air and iPad mini 2 and later models, running iOS 11.1 and later. Selfie Scenes are only available on iPhone X and style transfer effects are only available on iPhone 7 and later models and 2017 iPad Pro.
Source: Apple Inc.
Looks are catchy, but does culture really need more navel-gazing? Emphatically…no. Facebook serves up a feast for all.
This is more anal gazing, than navel.
Is it my imagination or is Apple’s new tech tending towards ‘toy-ifying’ the iPhone with Animojis, and Clips now, over developing solid productive in-house Apps, leaving development of ‘serious’ Apps to 3rd parties that don’t have full access to higher iOS APIs? I agree it’s more ‘fun’ in the meantime.
your imagination Xenx. Steve said things were made to lead people in a direction, b/c they didn’t know what they wanted. Tim’s MO, imo, is to feed what culture is driving. To drive tech that feeds the “self-approval-loop” (Facebook and the like), is hard to see as a “Think Different” mentality that SJ’s embraced.
Eh, in the end it’s all just software and I’m sure developers would rather Apple stay out of their “serious money” playpen.
Most innovation and progress in tech starts off being criticized as a toy. Ben Evans has a good quote about this: “the future has always looked like a toy that can’t be used for real work”.
Then the toys mature and become useful in ways we simply can’t predict right now.
This is a feature that is of zero interest to me, but as an Apple shareholder, I think it’s useful way of making the IOS platform more appealing to young people, which is obviously beneficial to the current bottom line and future prospects.
By utilising the depth sensing abilities of the camera in iPhone X, Apple is allowing people to make tasteless videos in a much more competent manner, but we’ll soon get fed up with seeing the same stuff popping up everywhere. Using it will most likely be a passing fad, along with talking emoticons, but they will grab people’s attention and create a “gee whizz” factor for now, which is never a bad thing.
The concept of a 360-degree selfie sounds so … self-centered.
Imagine if the iPhoneX could take 360-degree selfies of the real-world like some Android devices with 360-degree camera add-ons can today. There would be no need to carry an extra ‘piece’ making yet another selling point for the price they ask.
Apple, because flaunting your insecurities and narcissism is so trendy.