![]() ![]() After all, there are plenty of options for simple video editing, including recent entries from companies like Apple. ![]() At a certain point, re-editing sort of defeats QuikStories’ primary purpose. Ideally the videos it outputs will be strong enough to stand on their own, however. The app’s ultimate success will depend, in part, on finding the balance between automation and customization. It’s a bit cumbersome and glitchy, but fun to tinker with, but the interface ultimately appeals more to the average smartphone user on holiday than the hardcore GoPro enthusiast jumping down cliffs and quarter pipes. Lots of presets filled with colorful filters and whimsical transitions for any mood. You have the option to actually move clips around, trim footage, choose a different song, change the duration of the video. The algorithm leaves something to be desired in this early version, but users can, thankfully, go back and tinker with things after the machine spits out the video. ![]() In auto-mode, my final Quikstory highlighted the following: my stubby fingers adjusting the camera, 10 too many clips of trees during the bike ride, the bike falling to the ground, several blurry shots and my dog’s bum - two minutes of ‘meh.’ Veanne was pretty disappointed by the end results of the automated process: The company won’t go into detail about the secret sauce fueling the choices it makes as far as what to include in a given story, except to say that it has developed an “algorithm to identify ‘highlight’ moments within video,” according to a rep. It’s easy to see how the app could ultimately serve as a useful tool for users looking for the path of least resistance from shooting to sharing. Thus far, the app has only been available in limited release to the GoPro team and a handful of beta reviewers, ourselves included. The build, it’s worth noting right off the bat, isn’t quite final, so some of the issues may be resolved when the final version drops today. Our video producer Veanne has spent much of the past few days playing around with QuikStories. It’s a hell of a lot to hang on a single app - particularly one that, as of writing this piece, doesn’t feel fully baked. QuikStories’ success or failure won’t be what makes or breaks GoPro at the end of the day, but the app - coupled with the smartphone connectivity the company has rolled out in recent years - is a key pillar of its strategy moving forward. “What happens when that business fixes that problem and now has a solution that’s very easy for the consumer to be successful with? We believe that can have a dramatic impact on our company because it’s going to have a dramatic impact on consumers.“Īs he speaks, it feels as if Woodman is betting a big piece of his company’s future on this simple video editing app - and honestly, that’s not all that far from the truth. “What happens to a business that has been successful in selling a solution that has been incomplete for the consumer?” Woodman asks rhetorically. “QuikStories is the uncorking of that bottleneck and the opening of the floodgates and making it easier for customers to easily take advantage of the GoPro in the form of a story that’s easily generated on their phone.” Uncorking the bottleneck “Our customers a bottleneck to actually transforming clips into an exciting video that they could enjoy themselves and share with others,” Woodman tells TechCrunch. It is, Woodman believes, the missing link standing between the company’s cameras and meaningful mainstream adoption. The app automatically edits clips and photos into a short video, complete with music and transitions. It’s the shortest path from a GoPro camera to social media. On the face of it, QuikStories is Instagram Stories or Apple Clips for the action camera. Unfortunately, however, it’s not that great. ![]() Investors haven’t always agreed with the decisions made under his leadership, but his unbridled enthusiasm has never been in question - and the new app is no exception. Woodman has always been GoPro’s biggest cheerleader, from its founding in 2004, to the major financial struggles over the past several years that have led many analysts to declare the hardware maker dead in the water. “You can say this is the biggest thing we’ve done to simplify the experience of sharing video since the invention of the GoPro itself,” he says matter of factly. The company’s founder/CEO doesn’t hold back. Nick Woodman thinks QuikStories represents the path forward for GoPro. ![]()
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