The best apps for shooting and editing videos

best video editing apps

Let me fill you in on a little secret; no one wants to watch your hour-long vacation videos. Friends and family will oblige you, but they are only being polite. What would make everyone’s day is if you would just throw together the best five or 10 minutes of the trip, set it to a nice soundtrack, add a few effects, and call it a day.

We’ve got a list of the best apps for shooting and editing videos so you can quickly slap together the perfect montage and keep your friends from falling asleep during your kid’s graduation memories.

iMovie

iMovie

Of course Apple’s signature movie making app is going on this list. It is easy to use, includes some fantastic features, and makes your mini movies look professionally done. Select from pre-made trailer templates to make your own movie trailer. Choose from eight different movie themes and transitions to create the perfect film. Enhance your video with a variety of effects, including slow motion, picture-in-picture, and split screen. You can add a personal soundtrack and then share your finished piece with others. This app is available for $4.99. [EDIT: One of our readers wanted me to remind everyone that if you purchased an iOS 7 compatible device after Sept., 2013, iMovie is free.]

Fly

Fly

If you want to put together a quick video on the fly, this app is the perfect companion. It comes with a handful of features to help you put together awesome five-minute videos that look like professionals made them. Add effects like dissolve, split screen, and picture-in-picture. Add music and voice over to round out your mini movie and you will be ready to go. This app is available for free.

Cinamatic

Cinamatic

Hipstamatic recently came out with a video making app that includes all of the awesome film and filter effects you’ve grown to love. Shoot three to 15 second clips and then merge them together to make a short film. Rearrange clips in the order you want and select from a variety of hip video filters. Add a soundtrack and then publish your work on Instagram, Facebook, or Vine in an instant. This app is available for free.

Cameo

Cameo

From the creators of the popular video website Vimeo comes an app that lets you create and edit amazing short films that will impress your friends. Choose from a wide variety of pre-made style and effects that work perfect with your theme. Get your friends and family on board and you can collaborate on mini movies. Once completed, share your videos on Cameo’s social site and follow other directors like yourself. This app is available for free.

Horizon

Horizon

Remember how annoying it was when friends would take those lame vertical videos? Luckily, the faux pas seems to have made itself known and a lot less people are making such a mistake. If you still know someone that takes vertical videos, show them this app. You will be doing them a favor, while avoiding having to see their awkwardly tall and thin videos at the same time. Horizon was also recently updated to work with photos and it now supports 2K resolution and 120 frames per second. This app is available for $1.99.

VidLab

VidLab

Maybe on your last camping trip, you took more photos than you did videos. That’s ok. With this app, you can combine them into one seamless mini movie. Add effects and filters to spice up your visuals. Import photos into your videos to make awesome montages. Add overlays to turn your videos into art. Add your own audio tracks so you can narrate or make sound effect for each scene. This app is available for free.

Spark Camera

Spark

Have you ever wished you could capture the entirety of that Perfect Day? With this app, you can do so by just holding your finger down on the screen and capturing a few seconds at a time. Once you’ve recorded all of the best moments of that day, add filters and effects and add a song to really capture the memory. If you want to make multiple videos throughout that same day, or across multiple days, you can do so by saving and adding a new project. Create as many 45-second videos as you like. This app is available for $1.99.

Magisto

Magistro

This is another quick editing app that makes it possible for you to turn videos and photos into beautiful memories in just a few minutes. With this, all you have to do is select the content to be seen and Magistro will stitch together the photos and videos into one awesome mini movie. Select from a variety of transitions and filters for more effects. You can then add your own music, or choose from a list of available free songs. This app is available for free.

Videohance

Videohance

If you are looking for a way to make your vacation memories stand out from the norm, this app will let you add visual overlays to turn mundane clips into outrageous mini movies. Use real-time overlays to add filters and frames. Perfect your look with eight-way power controls that adjust contrast, saturation, hue, and more. Create an animated slideshow using some of your favorite photos. Trim and remove clips or add more. The choice is yours. This app is available for $1.99.

8mm Vintage Camera

8mm Vintage Camera

Call me old-fashioned, but I love black-and-white films. The silent era produced some of the best movies to this day. Sometimes, I like to recreate my own silent film using this fun video filter app. Set it to the decade you wish to reflect by selecting the appropriate filter and then hit the record button to make your movie. Touch the frame shake button to add additional timely effects like jitters. Add a lens filter like scratched film to age the video. This app is available for $1.99.

Don’t forget to check out our previous best-of lists