By As much as OEMs and Google have been trying to improve video editing apps and tools on Android, the fact remains that the current crop of options out there simply don’t cut it for anything more than quick fun. If you’ve been looking for a pro-grade video editing suite for Android then there’s no reason you shouldn’t know about TyphonRT.
The project is headed by Mike Leahy who has spent the better part of more than a year and more than 2,500 hours whipping up a custom video processing engine. The engine is unlike anything we’ve seen from any video app, and lays the groundwork for a suite of apps TyphonRT will look to launch over the course of the next year.
The Kickstarter project tells of the initial app that will be created to take advantage of the engine, a video capture app which allows you to rearrange short clips, apply presets of around 150 different filters in any arrangement you want, and other simple features you’d expect out of a video editing app. TyphonRT takes things a step further with professional-grade features such as editing the lower-third of a video with an overlay of some sort (like a banner for a news cast, for instance).
Looking ahead, Leahy looks to bring more apps to form up an entire suite of powerful video editing tools. One such app will be one that focuses on stop-motion video, and other great ideas are sure to be in the pipeline.
There really isn’t anything out there that compares to what TyphonRT is promising, which is why it’d be a shame to see this Kickstarter project go unfunded. The project currently sits at about $6,000 of its total funding goal of $20,000 and there are just four days left to reach the finish line. The cheapest pledge to give you access to the initial video editing app is just $5, with more expensive options being available to get additional apps (of your choosing) from the entire suite once they’re ready to go.
Leahy says more than just the need to get funding to get the suite ready to go, this Kickstarter project is all about building an early community of folks who can help shape the road of development down the line with their ideas, suggestions and, inevitably, endless bug reports.
After all, this is a very ambitious project and there’s no better way to find out what people want most out of a video editing suite than to capture their attention and ask them. If you’ve been chomping at the bit for a more sophisticated option for editing videos on your phone or tablet then be sure to drop a pledge over at Kickstarter before the gong tolls.
They aren’t even close to reaching their pledge amount. I’d consider purchasing this app, but I’ve been staying the hell away from Kickstarter after being burned many times using them.
Yeah, this isn’t looking too promising of making the goal. I’m also not a fan of subscription based software. I’ve been using the same photo editor on my computers for many, many years and it continues to work just fine and will do so for quite a while.
Finding a fair value for the full time+ effort I and a future team put into making the suite of creative apps and constantly improving them requires some sort of revenue (it’s that or you / the user becomes the product / ads / poach your user data like a lot of other apps). I’m definitely going to try the subscription model, but the reason for it is that if you subscribe to a particular feature like the effects preset editor it unlocks it across several creative apps instead of requiring users to repurchase it in every single app in the creative suite that they may use.
That’s awesome but I’m still not buying into it. All of my photo editing and video editing software has been a one time purchase, no subscriptions involved at any stage.
My guess is… as cool as it could be, very few actually want to sit and try to get in depth with video editing on a small screen device with limited power. Video editing can be pretty labor intensive.
I think amateurs would love it (vloggers), but I can’t imagine a pro sitting down to use this instead of their high-end Adobe software (I don’t think it’s intended to replace those).
I think the key is immediacy. Whether amateur or video pro one can mess around with trying out new effects composition ideas anywhere and with real time video content and not in post after video has been shot in a desktop tool far removed from the source of the action.
The way I describe the design process in making the initial app is that if I was going to make a game I would make something like Minecraft; an open world / exploring game. I simply applied similar design goals allowing users to freely explore effects composition with few limits.
Think of it more as Instragram on steroids than a full blown video editing app. The initial app features creative capture + effects composition. It’s more about creating novel and interesting effects from subtle to rather overt that go way beyond just applying a single filter. It’s all in real time too before and during recording. The real fun is putting effects composition into the hands of millions and who knows maybe even eventually billions of creative folks who aren’t video professionals or who can’t afford more expensive tools; that is the magic of mobile and Android.
And limited power is not the case anymore for mobile. Most of the graphical limitations have been relaxed since the Nexus 5 / Snapdragon 800 / Adreno 330 GPU opened up the gates for this type of app.
I do plan to release additional creative capture apps that have various twists in addition to providing a “mothership” editing app that will be more similar to a video editor with overlapping edits, etc.
Out of the 6 thousand they have so far, 3 thousand was pledged by one person. I’ve used Kickstarter once, the product was delayed for over a year but I did receive it as advertised.
I used my Ouya a lot until the Shield Tablet :p
I certainly hear you on the general satisfaction issues from various Kickstarter efforts that have not made it up to par. This has been a common response I’ve read.
The initial creative video capture + effects composition app will be free with IAP for preset packs, but the real juicy part is a reasonable yearly subscription for the preset editor which allows open exploration of effects composition and unique effects preset creation. I’m going to try and find a way to make that available for free too just without saving or ability to share and load others presets, so folks can get a taste of the real power of the app before buying.
In many ways the Kickstarter is really to build an early user community. I’ve actually already spent out of pocket $80k to build the core product / underlying video engine. This is very much a real thing! Alas, I’m fully leveraged at this point with just the final release engineering concerns at hand. Tipping the Kickstarter means I can launch it without delay Q1 ’15 and not have to take another 3rd party contract to fund the final launch. Bootstrapping has been arduous and I’ve had to work in waves on my own IP between contracts. So far I’ve had to postpone launching ~6 months to work for others whereas if the funds were there I could have launched this tech over the summer.
I got to thank folks for checking it out though and backing. It was a shock to wake up this morning with ~20 more backers. :D Will it make it… Still don’t know, but thanks for everyone from the Phandroid community for checking it out!
I wish you all the best! It certainly looks like a nice product!
I had the opportunity to see some of the work that’s already been done on this at the Big Android BBQ back in October. This could be a real game-changer as far as depth of features and ease of use.
Why would you want to use a small, underpowered android device for “professional” video editing? Wouldn’t it make much more sense to sit down at a proper workstation with a big screen and decent video card for stuff like this?
If only we lived in a perfect world where we could always shape our surroundings to match our immediate needs. :)
Huh?
Eh?
It’s more of a suite of specialized creative capture apps (the first featuring deep effects composition) that will eventually be tied together with a more advanced editing app. It’s not a desktop replacement for editing. However, the mobile form factor definitely brings new ways of interacting with creative effects and this is what I’m exploring initially.
Android devices today are not under powered at all! A tipping point has been reached as early as the Nexus 5 / Snapdragon 800 that brings many more capabilities to mobile on the graphics side. It’s only going to get more intense and rather quickly from here!
That’s the case with everything that a phone can do. Why take photos with a phone when you can buy an actual camera?
This is great for me and my friends. We’re trying to do a short YouTube series and this will be great for editing on the go. Nobody is at home, and when we are we want to play video games or sleep. =.P
There’s potential out there. We already use our phones to do everything else instead of using the actual product. Camera, PDA, Pager, Computer, Game Consoles, Computer, etc.
Knowing the developer personally, he is an excellent guy and this is his absolute passion.
He nerds out on mobile GPU and processesor architecture more than I do.
He even gave a presentation on the newest versions of OpenGL and Vector renders with relevance to Android in 5.0 and later 4.4.4 at the Big Android BBQ.
Support this project. Much of this will make its ways to Open Source and that alone is worth the price of entry.
Aw, thanks Stacy! I actually am trying to get out the source code and more from the BABBQ presentation + AnDevCon in the next few days on Github. It’ll provide a jump start for anyone interested in modern OpenGL programming with Java for Android.
https://github.com/egrsoftware/java-android-gldemos
>He nerds out on mobile GPU and processesor architecture more than I do.
The nerding out happens on G+ and is where I post about GPU tech and the ongoing progress of my efforts: https://plus.google.com/+MichaelLeahy
And indeed the larger goal in time is to open source a good deal of the underlying middleware / TyphonRT core that backs the TyphonRT Video Suite!
This app looks awesome! I’m going to support this app for sure! I saw the video on YouTube. Looking forward to getting this.
That guy sounds like a stroke victim under duress in an Al-Qaeda hostage video
Try working with the undocumented and buggy (requires workarounds) MediaCodec API sometime; to tame it is to risk a stroke and lost hair.. ;P
So what are your plans if you don’t get the funds you need in time?
As mentioned in a comment below I already have spent considerable funds ($80k) out of pocket to get 95% of the way there, so it’ll be a delay in launch as I build up a war chest again to take it to market myself. I do have a short term contract lined up for Dec / Jan and that just may be enough to get things launched still in Q1, but I may have to take an additional contract beyond that and sometimes it’s hard to find short ones. The launch could be delayed as late as June ’15 which would really bum me out; I’d still gamble that no one will have an Android app like what I’ve come up with by then. Anything can happen though.
I’ll be pursuing other “long shots” such as applying to the GTC conference startup competition which has a $100k award. I believe I can be a contender. I’ll have real time depth based effects for video ready by then as I am just getting a Tango tablet in this week.
The other alternative is conceivably working with outside investors if I can find a good lead investor match, but that has been relatively hard in the SF Bay Area where most use iPhones themselves / are not interested in Android. Not many investors understand doubling down on video on Android from middleware to apps may be a good bet compared to competing in a crowded market on iOS. [anyone reading]: If you are one let’s talk.. :D
Thanks for the information and quick response. Glad to see you have a plan. I really hope you are able to get this going as soon as possible.
I’ll jump on the KickStarter Michael Leahy and spread the word to my folks on G+ . Dunno how different the follower groups are, but it’s a great project and I support anyone who supports Open Source
=.O
This with FX Guru!! Yes!! Now I can edit videos on the go. I’ve been using KineMaster Video Editing and FX Guru.
This is great!! This is EXACTLY what I needed. Now I can start training up and getting ideas on video editing. while away from home since I’m never at home. =.=
Right on.. On the go idea / clip generation is definitely the application of the video suite I’m creating. The initial app is focused on creative capture + effects composition. A follow up app will tie together with expanded editing functionality the various creative capture apps in the suite. Of course one is free to choose whatever editor makes sense for them too!
I’m curious how you might feel on the subscription model of KineMaster. It seems like it’s $40 / year or ~$5 / month to remove a watermark. Folks have commented on subscription models in general in the comments here, but this one actually seems fairly high. Is there enough new features actually added to the app?
I ask this because I’m considering a subscription model for the TyphonRT Video Suite, but for specific major features that are constantly upgraded and improved. You only need to subscribe to the major features that you actually use. An example of this is the effects preset editor which allows users to build their own composable effects presets. I have yet to decide on watermarking videos. If I do though it will be something like $1 a year or subscribing to any other features to remove them which in my mind is a fair and honest transaction appropriate for the capabilities granted.
I’m concerned about having so many micro-feature subscriptions that it may confuse folks. I do hope I can work things out to bundle major features in groups / packs. Thanks for any of your thoughts…