VN (or VlogNow to use its full name) is a brilliant little app for both iOS and Android. In fact, there’s also a desktop version for Mac and Windows. Not only that, but it’s free and adds no watermark.
Dwebguys says, For a free editing app available on 4 platforms, it really does pack an awful lot of features. Both desktop and app versions will even allow export up to 4K resolution.
VlogNow: Setting Up
After opening VN editor, you find yourself in the Home window. There’s a few buttons at the very top, right corner. If you tap the settings cog you can set some basic export parameters.
If you know you will mostly want to export in 4K, you can set it here, so it will do so by default. You can also set export frame rate and bitrate too. So 4K and high bitrate will give you the highest quality but will also take up much more memory on your device.
If you toggle on Export Original, VN will export the same settings as the video you used when editing. If you are editing a TikTok video, for example, that app can only show 1080p video so you may as well leave it at 1080p here.
About a third of the way down the screen is a row of buttons. These are for importing various resources like templates, filters for colour, music for adding to your edits, sound fx and fonts.
This big blank section here is where your edits will be saved, under various headings, depending how you decided to create your edit.
At the bottom, there is another row of buttons. The one we want for starting a new project is the square button with a plus sign inside.
VlogNow: Starting a Project
Start a new project by tapping that plus button.
We’re taken to a new screen where we need to choose 1 of the following 3 options: New project, Story or Template.
New project just launches the editor interface directly. Story gives you prompts to follow and then assembles the footage in the main editor for you to work on. Template uses a specific format so that you don’t have to do much editing work yourself.
If this is your first time with this software, just go with the basic New Project.
Main Editing Screen Overview
Main Editing Window: Tracks
Splitting & Trimming
The first and most important thing to know is how to trim a clip
Trim Window
There’s actually another option for trimming clips. You can see next to the split button is a trim button. If you tap this it opens up a new trim window.
Reordering clips
If you want to change the order of your clips, it’s very easy. Just select and hold on a clip, all the clips now resize into square thumbnails. Then drag and drop the clip into a new position.
Add Transitions
It’s very easy to add transitions between clips in VN editor. Just tap the box between the clips where you want to add a transition. It’s a white box with a plus sign in the middle.
Keyframes
Keyframes allow you to animate aspects of the clip. For example, you can create a zoom.
Adjust Colour with VN Editor
Let’s go through each of these hue and luma settings. Just swipe through and then use the slider control below to adjust the amount. Basically, within the range of plus or minus 100.
Slow Motion & Speed Ramping
To access VN’s slow motion or speed ramping features, tap the speed button.
Adding Music & Audio in VN Editor
To add music just tap the plus sign by the music note. Or just simply tap in the music track, which is the top track in the main edit window.
Now you get 3 choices: Music, Effect or Record.
VlogNow: Effect
If you choose Effect, you get a series of sound effects to add. The first one says cartoon, but honestly they mostly all sound like cartoon effects. You can also add your own from folders on your device.
VlogNow: Record
If you choose Record, you get the voice over record window. Just hit record, wait for the countdown and start talking.
Adding Text with VN Editor
Tap the Text track or the T button by the track to open the text window. Choose standard or one of the preset animated text templates.
