Kapwing Online Video Editor – In Review
A free one stop shop for video editing online?
As a creative educator using interactive theatre online, I always look for new tools to use and share with my class. Video editing is such a magical, empowering journey. I have been amazed at how much beauty and joy people can draw from creating videos expressing themselves and exploring a theme.
Yet good video editing software could be costly and complex to master. I came across Kapwing when I was searching for a tool to add subtitles to a video series I was making for our Podcast, and I was surprised to find a small wonder of online video editing.
I have tried many video tools and have also used semi-professional editing software like Sony Vegas and Adobe Premier and I must say I am truly impressed with Kapwing and what it could do.
Here is a short video review I made:
WHAT I LIKE
Very intuitive editing user experience.
Able to work with video layers like a pro.
Auto-generate and translate subtitles!
THINGS TO IMPROVE
Content scheduling to social media
Collaborative editing on the timeline
You need a pro account to work with longer videos and make them private
How does Kapwing compare with other similar tools?
Compared to other online editing tools, Kapwing stands out in how the intuitive editing experience is similar to pro video editing tools that can cost hundreds of dollars. It also offers excellent features, which are very good for the social media work we live in today, like auto-generating and translating subtitles adding a progress bar and waveform to your videos. It does all this (and probably more) with a free version that does not have the annoying watermark many freeware versions have. The limits of a free account (size of uploaded files, length of video and prviate video sharing) are not a big issue if your main use case is to make short videos for social media.
That said, if you tried Kapwing and see it is not doing the trick, you can also check other video editors out there. Here is a shortlist of three other tools (free and not) I use and think are worth checking out.
VEED – Cloud-based video editing with lots of the features Kapwing has. We got a non-profit account, and I love their waveform graphics, yet I find Kapwing more intuitive and easy to work with.
CANVA is a powerful design tool with lots of features and options for making slides, flyers, and videos. Like Kapwing, it has a very usable free version but does feel like a pro video editor like Kapwing.
MAGISTO – Automatic video editing makes your photos and video look super great without much effort; that said, the free version is watermarked, and you do not get the control and extra features of Kapwing.
CREATING IN TIMES OF PANDEMIC - TOOLS REVIEW
The COVID-19 pandemic and global lock down set in, new challenges arise for Social Artists around the world. In ImaginAction look for ways to flourish and grow as a global community of Social Artists meeting across borders. finding new ways to bring our Applied Theatre, Social Arts and community building experience from around, to lively clusters and community of practitioners, facilitators of Social arts. As we are developing new creative proposals and projects locally and globally we also get to learn a lot about using creative learning tools for collaborative learning with groups and students.
This video review is the first one we wish to share with you!
Here are a few more we might be able to do in the future send as message with which one you want me to do next and feature on our blog:
Sutra.co – Heart-based online courses and community conversation spaces (and how we use it)
Canva.com – Powerful creative, versatile and free graphic design tool (and what to do with it)
Zoom.us – The video meeting tool that is really hard to beat (and how to best use it)
Ko-fi.com – Getting support from you community to you creative work (and a tour of our Ko-fi space)
GreenGeeks.com – 300% renewable energy powered web hosting (and a backstage tour of our website)
Join and Support our global Social Arts Community
ImaginAction has organised mentoring programs and learning journeys with conflict-affected communities (Northern Ireland, Colombia, Palestine, Italy, Senegal). A group mentoring of practical and essential skills and deep capacity building has taken place over ten days to 4 weeks. Mentoring is lived as mutual “seeing” and “processing” of the lived experience of being social artists, a facilitator and a human being working in the field of arts for healing.
ImaginAction mentoring process can sometimes relate to 1 on one learning relationships developed over time among individuals with some shared research and inquiries as artists and human beings.
ImaginAction is piloting a new global mentoring program with an international group of mentors to provide 360-degree professional development services for those who “believe arts and community can help regenerate our world“.
Uri Noy Meir coordinates the pilot program of the Global Mentoring Program. It integrates practical experiences in arts for socially engaged arts action, group and 1 on 1 mentoring time, and applying trans-formative embodied learning approaches.
Through the generous support of grants from Jarvis and Constance Doctorow Family Foundation and the Community Foundation of Utah, we were able to build a foundation for ImaginAction digital transformation. On our Sutra space, Facebook page, and website, you will find information on online events and learning opportunities with social artists, educators, and facilitators from around the globe.
