App for journalists: PocketVideo, for editing short videos for social media

Credit: Image by PocketVideo

What is it? An app that allows you to create, shoot and edit videos directly from your smartphone.

Cost: Free

Devices: iOS and Android

How is it of use to journalists?

As audiences continue to consume news on social media, journalists are aware of the need to produce videos that engages viewers on specific platforms.

PocketVideo allows reporters to optimise their videos for their platform of choice, be it Facebook, Vine, Snapchat, YouTube or Instagram.

The free app allows journalists to add text, images, doodles, filters and music to videos – useful if you're looking to jazz up your footage to catch people's eyes as they scroll through their social media feeds.

Once you open the app, you'll be prompted to create an account with your email address, phone number or Facebook details. This will enable you to save your videos to your phone's camera roll, and share them with the community of PocketVideo app users.

Start a new project by pressing the 'plus' icon at the bottom of the screen, where you'll be subsequently asked to choose the social media platform you are looking to produce material for.

Once you've chosen one, your video timeline will appear. Simply add your video footage to the timeline by tapping the 'plus' icon.

Here you can import multiple pieces of footage from your camera roll, YouTube or Vine accounts, or simply choose the camera option and shoot within the app.

Once all your footage is on the timeline, tap an individual clip to display the range of customisation tools available to you, including adding filters, transitions and voiceovers. For news packages, always remember to use effects sparingly.

Additional footage and layovers can be added to each clip here, including emojis, animated text, and other photos and videos.

Once you've added an element to a clip, alter when viewers enter and leave the individual clip. You can also change their size by pinching in and out with your fingers.

When you are happy with your video package, add music if you wish, and then tap the finish button in the top right-hand corner to save it to your camera roll or share it to social media.

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