App for journalists: Vlogit, for producing eye-catching social videos

What is it? An app designed to allow YouTubers, vloggers and content creators to produce shareable videos on their phone.

Devices: Android

Cost: Free

How is it of use to journalists?

Creating videos using our smartphones has become easier as our phones get more powerful and app developers begin to better understand the tools we need to create professional content out in the field.

Apps like LumaFusion, FilmicPro, KineMaster and Quik are making us able to leave the big cameras behind and head out with our phones – and there are new apps being released all the time, all offering something different for content creators.

Vlogit has been specifically designed for video-bloggers who want to get content to their audiences as quickly as possible, while being able to add their own look and feel to the video with filters, transitions, and various other editing tools.

Journalists can take advantage of this free tool by experimenting with its functions, which seem specifically designed for social videos, with eye-catching transitions and effects.

Get started by signing in with your email, Facebook, Twitter or Google account details. You can continue as a guest, but note that only logged-in users get access to the full range of features, including exporting full HD videos and creating videos without a watermark.

Once you're in, you'll see your home screen, which is where your projects will be listed.

Begin by tapping the settings icon at the top left of the screen. Here you can change the default project settings, such as the time that pictures will last for in your video, the length of transitions, video resolution and video background. Of course, this can be changed later on to suit the needs of individual projects.

Create your first one by tapping the library icon. Preview a video by tapping and holding, before trimming it to the desired length.

As you choose the photos and videos you'd like to add to your project, you'll see them appear in a row at the bottom of the screen. This will be the order your files appear on your video timeline, so either choose them in the right order or use your finger to drag them around.

Screenshots from Vlogit. Choose your files and edit them on the timeline.

Before you move on to the editor, look at the toolbar at the top of the screen. Here, you can select an opening title from a list of pre-set options, which will move onto the timeline just like every other piece of content.

When you're happy, tap the red arrow icon to move onto the editing screen.

Tap on individual files to edit them using the icons at the bottom, including adding text, stickers, PIP (another picture in a picture), music, transitions between files, and also filters. You can also alter the speed of videos and the individual audio levels.

If you tap the pencil icon, which appears after a file has been selected, you can trim your clip, split it, crop or resize the image, take a snapshot and rotate it.

When you're happy with the preview of your video, export it and either take a thumbnail icon with your camera, or tap the 'Create A Thumbnail' icon to use borders, frames, text, stickers and a drawing pen to make it eye-catching. You can choose from any frame in the video here.

Finish by saving the video to your camera roll, or by uploading directly to Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Dropbox, Twitter, or to your WhatsApp contacts.

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