Website: Magisto

What does it help with?

Magisto is a free, fun and easy way for students from the ages of approximately 12+ to edit automatically edit and create videos for class projects or presentations. Video clips or photographs can be imported into the software and be turned easily in edited movies with a wide selection of music and effects.

What grade and age range?  6-12+

Is this core/supplemental/special needs/extracurricular/professional development or what?

Magisto is a supplemental tool for middle and upper school.

What is the pricing model?

The app is free to download on iTunes, GooglePlay or Amazon. There is a premium version for $9.99 per month with a host of additional features which is marketed mostly in a business model.

What makes Magisto unique? How is it designed for user experience?

Magisto is a web application and mobile app that provides a free automatic video editing service for amateurs. Magisto aims to solve the problem of video editing being too complicated and time-consuming and helps a student rapidly create project videos with still pictures and video footage they’ve taken with a smart phone or camera.

Magisto engineers have been continually enhancing their product since its launch in 2011. It uses a patented algorithm to “magically” take your video and photos and analyze the content, facial recognition, emotional recognition and music to create your video. There are several built in “editing styles” to choose from that students can pick to create a the style of video best suited to the class or project. The promotion says it is a 1-2-3 step process and you can have a done video.

Instructions are intuitive but simple call-outs help students along to the final creation of the video that can be replayed on any device or shared.

Beyond the video creation tools, there is no curriculum or instruction in how to actually take photographs or make movies. In theory, kids could learn to take better photos or video by using the tool and seeing what is chosen by the algorithm.