German multimedia company algoriddim today released its latest product, a video editing and remixing suite for the iPad called vjay ($9.99). It’s a spiritual successor to the company’s djay music-mixing software, which appears on Mac, iPhone and iPad devices. Like djay, vjay aims to put heavyweight media mixing powers in the hands of ordinary folks, this time leveraging the iPad’s ample screen real estate and touch interface to deal specifically with video.
Just like with djay, users can load their own on-device video to one of two decks in vjay, and then combine the two streams, switch between them, and apply effects to both. By default, vjay’s wizardry applies simultaneously to both audio and video tracks for either deck, but advanced users can uncouple audio and video, as well as access a whole host of other advanced features. vjay hides sophisticated features in a conveniently placed menu, however, staying true to its aim of empowering even basic users to come up with their own creations.
“It’s not this geeky visual tool that some random VJ uses. Just like we brought DJing to everyone, we wanted to bring this whole new artform for anyone,” said algoriddim CEO Karim Morsy in an interview. “Anyone should be able to use it in whichever way they find the most fun or the most suitable for them. Our company’s about letting people get creative with their media.”
And vjay definitely provides access to a wide range of media sources to help fuel that creativity. Users can use video from their on-device library, including music videos purchased through iTunes, video from their iPad’s camera roll (or video shot from their iPad directly from the app), and selections from a built-in clip library provided by algoriddim. Vjay also provides direct access to the iTunes store to purchase music videos on their device, which should help it win big points with music publishers and artists looking for ways to profit from a part of the business that traditionally hasn’t exactly been easy to directly monetize.
In addition to providing everyday users with an easy way to remix their own videos and share them (there’s a built-in record feature, as well as a way to save to the on-device Camera Roll, which connects to YouTube, etc.), vjay also offers video out support for the mixed videos, both tethered and over AirPlay. That means it can be used at events, parties and more by professional and hobbyist VJs to add a new dimension to their performances.
What’s maybe most impressive about vjay is how much it shows off the raw creative power of the iPad. The underlying software is advanced, and builds from algoriddim’s years of experience with djay, but it runs smoothly on both the iPad 2 and the newest iPad (first gen need not apply, unfortunately). It also makes actually making something on the iPad an intuitive process, and one that promises also to be a lot of fun. In most cases, creative apps on the iPad can be less user-friendly than their desktop counterparts, and often feel more like a necessary stand-in when there aren’t any other options than an experience people are going to seek out specifically.
In terms of building a brand and a reputation on the backs of Apple products and its software marketplace, algoriddim is definitely in rare company. Still, it’ll be interesting to see if users respond as eagerly to the availability of an iPad-based video tool as they have to the brand’s audio remixing apps.