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Cuts : A first look at remixing the video web
Last week we told you about Cuts; a web 2.0 service which lets you remix YouTube and Myspace videos. Download Squad got its hot little hands on a beta ticket for the new service and today, I eagerly jumped in to take the virtual razor blade to a few YouTube videos.
Cuts' captioning is a pretty addictive idea; Like filtering Web 2.0 through VH1's Pop-Up-Video. I'm ashamed to tell you how much time I spent making the video above. I'm also sad to say I can't manage much enthusiasm for Cuts' other features.
In addition to adding snarky comments, Cuts also allows you to make, cuts. Looping and skipping portions of video is reasonably easy with Cuts' interface, although you're constrained to making your edits on keyframes within the encoded sequence. There's also a short "Analyze" function which must be run on any video you edit and, at least in the current beta, each video must be "Analyzed" each time you leave and re-enter the editor.
Sound effects can also be added, although they must be chosen from a pre-defined list. Having only a few canned sounds to pick from limits what you can do, and also means you'll be completely worn out on the available sounds within minutes of watching your first video. The ability to edit or fully replace the soundtrack to a video would be a serious improvement but, simply the ability to upload an original sound clip would make a difference. As it stands, the canned sounds are good for little more than adding flatulence jokes to aerobics videos; Frankly, I'm not a fan.
Overall the beta version of Cuts is, "neat". It's a little buggy, it's missing some key features that could make it a hit and, aside from adding captions I just fail to see the entertainment value.
Give me the ability to mix together multiple videos into a mash-up of YouTube's greatest hits or, the ability to upload new original soundtracks or sound elements and I think you've got something. For now, however, Cuts remains a bit too much of a novelty without any substance.
Cuts' captioning is a pretty addictive idea; Like filtering Web 2.0 through VH1's Pop-Up-Video. I'm ashamed to tell you how much time I spent making the video above. I'm also sad to say I can't manage much enthusiasm for Cuts' other features.
In addition to adding snarky comments, Cuts also allows you to make, cuts. Looping and skipping portions of video is reasonably easy with Cuts' interface, although you're constrained to making your edits on keyframes within the encoded sequence. There's also a short "Analyze" function which must be run on any video you edit and, at least in the current beta, each video must be "Analyzed" each time you leave and re-enter the editor.
Sound effects can also be added, although they must be chosen from a pre-defined list. Having only a few canned sounds to pick from limits what you can do, and also means you'll be completely worn out on the available sounds within minutes of watching your first video. The ability to edit or fully replace the soundtrack to a video would be a serious improvement but, simply the ability to upload an original sound clip would make a difference. As it stands, the canned sounds are good for little more than adding flatulence jokes to aerobics videos; Frankly, I'm not a fan.
Overall the beta version of Cuts is, "neat". It's a little buggy, it's missing some key features that could make it a hit and, aside from adding captions I just fail to see the entertainment value.
Give me the ability to mix together multiple videos into a mash-up of YouTube's greatest hits or, the ability to upload new original soundtracks or sound elements and I think you've got something. For now, however, Cuts remains a bit too much of a novelty without any substance.
Comments
4
Subscribe to commentscharlesFeb 14th 2007 6:58AM
bahah, brilliant!
SverreFeb 14th 2007 10:01AM
Heres a site that makes mashups with youtube vids. http://www.gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooogle.com/canter.html
Yeah, thats google with 53 o's.
nekoFeb 14th 2007 1:42PM
i was excited about this when i signed up for an invite months ago. they said you could mashup a couple different videos, and all sorts of fancy stuff. then just the other day they email me and say.. -gasp- they have A LAUGH TRACK. so between the time they thought of it and they made it, it devolved from an awsome internet tool to america's funniest home videos. i'm going to avoid this until they make it what they promised.
Evan KraussMar 28th 2007 8:14PM
Ask and you shall receive. http://www.cuts.com/blog/2007/03/26/coming-soon-publish-your-cuts-mashups/