Review: Edit and post iPhone videos with Givit

When we first reviewed VMIX Media’s free Givit video-sharing app for iPhone in July 2012, we focused on the service’s sharing capabilities—the ability to choose who can see the videos you shoot and share from your iPhone.

Since then, though, Givit has evolved. Users still control their ability to share—in fact, they have more control than ever. But the app has added video-editing capabilities that make it easier for users to share somewhat polished video creations with friends and family, instead of dumping raw footage on them.

At the center of the rebuilt app is a highlighting function. You can either select highlights from video already recorded on your phone, or tap a “highlight” button while shooting live video. (If a highlight catches you unexpectedly while recording, no problem: A second button lets you retroactively begin capturing the moment even while you’re in live recording mode.)

Once recording ends, Givit can stitch those highlights into an edited video, which you can further polish by adding effects (such a slow-motion replay) or by adding music, either from your iTunes library or from Givit’s own small collection of tunes. The fade-out feature also lets you end the video gracefully, if you so choose. And it does all of this rather quickly: I made a video of my wife and son decorating the family Christmas tree, set to the tune of “Jingle Bells,” and the video was edited and uploaded to Facebook before the tree was even complete.

Video-philes who want to make precise video creations might want to avoid this app, as it’s best suited for quick videos to share through YouTube, Facebook, or privately. For everybody else, Givit’s continued improvements make it a go-to app for making quick, meaningful movies for family and friends.