Have you ever wanted to add cinema quality effects to the videos you record on your Android phone? Of course you have, don’t pretend like you didn’t think about how cool it would be to add aliens to that clip you took of the Grand Canyon. Now, thanks to developer Picadelic, you can make those big screen dreams come true on your mobile phone with the FxGuru app.
When you open FxGuru you’re treated to a little intro video that gets you pretty excited for what you’re about to experience. It’s just the company logo swirling on-screen with some film border, but it’s cool nonetheless. From the main menu you can select the question mark for more information about the app, the gallery image to see your previously rendered videos, and a settings wrench which lets you adjust some minor settings. Tap the ‘Start’ button to get the ball rolling, and on the next screen you will get to choose the effect you want to add to your video. Keep in mind that you’re about to record the video you want to use, you’re not using a previously recorded video for this app.
There are only 4 effects available for the free version on FxGuru, but you can add any of the 17 total effects one at a time or through purchasing the MegaPack, which runs $8.99. The four included effects are Satellite Crash, Holiday Bot, UFO Shuttle, and TNT Barrel. They’re pretty amazing and definitely give you a good approximation of the quality that has went into this app. After you select an effect a screen will pop-up showing you some example shots of how it will look and some basic instructions on getting the best shot.
FxGuru gives you a red line overlay so you can see just exactly where the effects will show up in your video, which makes lining things up a snap. If you’re going to move with your video make sure they are smooth and steady, and you definitely want to make sure you have a well lit area such as the outdoors. Your video recording will last 12 seconds, just get the shot lined up the way you want it and hit the red record button. A countdown timer will start and after it hits zero you can hit finish at the bottom of the screen. The next screen lets you select MotionMatch effects, which is great if you have a slightly wobbly video, and you can choose if you want sound effects in your video. It’s a neat little addition that just puts this app over-the-top in terms of quality. Make your choices and hit ‘OK’ to start the rendering process. The whole rendering process usually takes less than 30 seconds, and FxGuru shows you other effects while you wait.
Finally you’re brought to your completed video, which has a little tag at the end showing how you made the clip. From this screen you can do the same minor edits you could from before rendering if you changed your mind, or you can share your video. Sharing options include YouTube, Facebook, Flickr, and more, so there’s plenty of social sharing available.
This is a fun and entertaining app that’s sure to impress your friends and lead to a ton of scenarios where it would be fun to include an alien invasion or a satellite crash. The process simply couldn’t be any simpler since the developers have completely removed any possibility of messing up your video. If you film everything you see, or if you want to see what your neighborhood would look like with an alien mothership hovering over it, then you need this app.
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FxGuru is available now in the Google Play Store. It is available for Android devices running 2.2 and up. The version reviewed was 1.0.1 and the download is 50MB. A small expedite fee was paid by the developer to speed up the publication of this Android app review.