Hello.

I edit video on my phones. I edit A LOT of video on my phones.

We keep selling people on the idea of increasingly powerful pocket computers, but we also do a poor job of showcasing apps that will USE that extra power.

Developers like to make apps for the Apple ecosystem. It’s easier to support the smaller number of phones and processors. When we have an opportunity to support a developer bringing an iOS-only app to Android, we enthusiasts need to step up and act.

The smartphone landscape is looking a little bleak…

LumaFusion is a fantastic video editing app.

There are different “tiers” of video editing on mobile devices.

You can easily trim a single video. You can splice a couple videos together. Then, there’s a larger step to multi-track editing with desktop quality layers, text tools, color correction, and transitions.

There are only a handful of mobile editing apps that really attempt that third tier, where the quality of the editing might directly compete with more robust desktop level editing software. On Android, I’ve used and made videos about Power Director and KineMaster. On iOS, the most popular and robust app is LumaFusion.

Changing Landscapes

LumaFusion has been a highly recommended production app for years now, but I have to believe the developers are seeing some concerning trends in mobile content creation.

As Apple transitions to more powerful laptop-grade chips in their tablets, Luma might not be the top recommendation it used to be. Improved versions of Adobe and DaVinci video editing software will be supported on M2 iPads.

Luma faces significant pressure from these professional programs, and the entrenched user base of editors already using those programs on laptops and desktops.

Will someone want to cut on a different program out in the field on an iPad if that iPad can support the same project files their desktop can use? Probably not. It’s a HUGE perk being able to cut up a timeline out in the field, and then easily transfer that project to desktop later.

At the same time, the competition for Android editing programs has been getting uglier.

I cut mostly out of Power Director.

Years ago I paid a fee to unlock Power Director, get rid of a watermark, and render videos in 4K. Later, Power Director moved to a subscription model for new plugins and to support a library of music and sound effects. Unfortunately, I had a miserable time getting Power Director to recognize my original purchase, so I opted for the new subscription plan.

Power Director REGULARLY “loses” the verification of my subscription, and asks that I pay AGAIN for the subscription.

Often the only way to get it to “remember” my subscription is to completely scrub the app (and all your project files) from the device, and completely reinstall. That’s a major pain when you’re in an area with good data. That’s impossible to do when you’re trying to cut video in a remote area.

The other main solution would be moving to KineMaster, but that app recently increased their subscription pricing. The best deal you can get now is paying $120 a year. I want to support developers making good software, and KineMaster is very good software, but it’s not “$120 a year” good.

Various other video editing apps for Android have also moved to subscription models, and it’s a challenging time to add yet another subscription to a consumer’s wallet.

LumaFusion’s “Buy Once, Edit Forever” pricing would be a refreshing return to classic software licensing.

This could be a delightful moment of synergy. LumaFusion might be looking at editors straying to Adobe and DaVinci, and Android users NEED the competition. This could be peanut butter jelly time.

Losing the battle for more functionality…

I fear we’re losing the enthusiast fight for smartphones being “pocket computers”. A conversation which lopsidedly supports “avuraj cunzoomer” talking points, makes it increasingly difficult to highlight all the ways a premium POWERFUL smartphone can help someone replace a laptop or desktop for their compute power needs.

Increasingly we’re seeing where Android manufacturers are happy to make their products more like Apple devices.

A phone does “phone things”. If you want to do more, then buy a tablet to do the “tablet things”. If you still need more, a laptop will do “laptop things”.

Why make a phone that does a good job of displacing OTHER computer purchases?

Compute power is compute power.

Someone might be perfectly content with spending $800 to $1000 on a phone for that level of compute power, and use THAT to replace a tablet or a laptop.

Features like headphone jacks, memory card expansion, and USB3 ports (with video output) were ways we could expand our phone use, and tap that extra phone horsepower in ways that resembled laptop and tablet use.

I really enjoy the Pixel 7 Pro, and it has fantastic “avuraj cunzoomer” point and shoot cameras. If I want to use that phone for more creative projects, I can’t hook it up to a display for better camera control, or to use it like a tablet or laptop.

Using a phone with proper video output through the USB port means I could use an app like LumaFusion on a portable monitor or lapdock, and edit very similarly to how I might edit on a laptop.

People are grossly over-buying the compute power in their phones.

MANY consumers could easily replace most of the computer use in their lives with a premium smartphone purchase IF they could more easily interact with that compute power.

LumaFusion is currently available on Google Play and the Samsung Galaxy App store. It seems like an expensive app at the full $30 price, but it will be on sale for a SHORT time at $20, and it’s a STEAL when compared to the subscription models other apps are using.

As soon as LumaFusion is more broadly available on Google Play, I will be converting my video rendering benchmark tests, and deprecating Power Director and KineMaster tests in my reviews.

More info on LumaFusion’s Android and Chrome OS betas here.