We haven’t heard from Apple’s Clips app in a while but today the company says it has released the app’s biggest update yet. New features and changes include a refreshed user interface, the ability to record in both vertical and horizontal aspect ratios, and is optimized to record and share in Dolby Vision HDR with the new iPhone 12 lineup.
Apple detailed the update in a Newsroom release today:
Apple calls the new UI “fresh” and “streamlined.” You can see more content at a glance, there’s a new Effects browser, as well as sticks, shapes, and soundtracks.
Clips, Apple’s video creation app for iOS, receives its biggest update yet with highly requested features that make it easier than ever for anyone to pick up an iPhone or iPad and start creating fun, multiclip videos — no editing experience needed. Clips 3.0, available today in the App Store, features a streamlined interface and full-screen browsers on iPhone that make it even simpler to record and add effects. On iPad, Clips supports landscape orientation, Scribble with Apple Pencil, and the use of a Bluetooth mouse or trackpad. The new version also lets users make videos in multiple aspect ratios, including horizontal and vertical, ideal for creating eye-catching content for Instagram Stories, Snapchat, YouTube, and more. And Clips 3.0 is optimized to record and share content in HDR using the rear-facing cameras on all iPhone 12 models, resulting in videos with more vibrant colors and contrast.
The new Clips includes an all-new dedicated iPad experience that Apple is hoping will be great for younger users. It defaults to 4:3 landscape ratio and there’s also Apple Pencil Scribble support:
Setting the stage for even more creativity, Clips adds a fresh feel with a redesigned record screen that floats on top of the viewer when shooting vertically or horizontally. Users can view more content at once with redesigned Effects, Media, and Projects browsers. And swiping up on any Effects browser displays a full-height card that fills the screen with stickers or text labels that let users personalize their videos. In addition, Clips adds a collection of new content including eight new stickers that are perfect for social posts, six additional arrows and shapes, and 25 new soundtracks that automatically adjust to match the length of videos.
Apple also highlights support for Dolby Vision HDR:
With a redesigned iPad interface featuring large Effects browsers and an easy-to-reach record button, Clips on iPad makes it even simpler for young creators, students, and teachers to make great videos. Users can take full advantage of the iPad display by recording and editing in landscape orientation — an experience that is further optimized when paired with Magic Keyboard or Smart Keyboard, and a Bluetooth mouse or trackpad. Clips automatically opens to a new 4:3 landscape project, the optimal size for full-screen videos on iPad. And Clips now supports the new Scribble feature in iPadOS 14, converting handwritten text with Apple Pencil into typed text in labels and posters.
You can read more about the Clips refresh here. The 3.0 update is a free download from the App Store and will be available starting today. It requires iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 or later.
For videos that stand out with amazing color and contrast, Clips supports HDR video capture using the rear-facing cameras on iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro. Clips users can record HDR footage directly into their project and add more HDR photos and videos from their Photos library. Clips will even share the final video automatically as a Dolby Vision HDR file.
