Whether we like it or not, there is a demand for video content on social media sites like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Videos are an excellent way to enhance a brand and get a better sense of the creator’s personality, interests, and talents.
But the process of recording and editing videos can be quite time-intensive and even intimidating, especially when there are dozens of apps to choose from.
To help narrow your search, we interviewed 10 influencers from all walks of life to share their favorite tools and explain why. Once mastered, these are the apps that can help you churn out videos daily so that followers can engage and get a firsthand look into your life and/or creative potential.
CapCut
“CapCut has been a game changer for me for editing videos. I have never lost a draft in the middle of editing, the font options are great, and it has helped me create crisper, clearer videos with its output settings and color correction features. A lot of creators know about CapCut, but I don’t think those output settings are common knowledge. To make my videos sharper, I shoot in 4K and 60fps on my iPhone. After I edit my video in CapCut, I change the output settings to 2K/4K resolution and 60 frame rate. I also hit adjust, sharpen, and slide it to 20. It makes such a big difference.” – Brandi Laren, @destinationfab, Travel and Lifestyle Influencer
Canva & Adobe Premiere Rush
“Between work (being an editor) and a content creator, Canva are Adobe are two I can’t live without! Canva helps me prep everything visual, from social posts to editorial images, for articles. Adobe helps me create those images the easiest.” – Sidnee Michelle Douyon, @sidmich_, Lead Senior Digital Editor at Black Enterprise
“I use Canva for literally everything! And Canva Pro is the way to go if you’re a weekly user.” – Joanie Sprague, @joaniesprague, DIY Expert
iMovie & Screen Recording
“Mine are Screen Recording and iMovie, as much as it pains me to admit it. I could not create without them. Any clip or quote I need from either me or somebody else that I want to promote, I find on YouTube or somewhere online and just screen record and upload it into iMovie. I then throw some captioning and background music on it and it’s a Reel.” – Erin Washington, @iamerinwashington, Host of Squats & Margaritas Podcast
InShot
“InShot is my holy grail app. I use it for all of my video editing. And since video makes up about 90% of my content these days, I use it daily. I love that I can do everything in one app — cutting down and rearranging clips, manipulating the colors and lighting to make the food shine, and even adding voiceover and text.” – Justin Schuble, @justinmschuble, Food Influencer
“It’s one of my favorites! I use it to edit, record voiceovers and add in all effects. It’s my top app for editing and I cannot live without it. Plus, it keeps all your videos you’ve edited in a separate folder so they are organized and easy to find.” – Lindsay Stewart, @thelasvegasfoodie, Food Influencer
PicMonkey
“PicMonkey is a super user-friendly Photoshop for people who don’t really know how to use Photoshop. It has canvas sizes set to different social media post formats and has a million different fonts, templates, and backgrounds. It is really easy to create layers, import/edit photo and video files (as well as adding in your own font files) and remove backgrounds from photos. It also has a partnership with Shutterstock so you have access to basically any stock photo or video asset you could ever need. We create a lot of our story content on PicMonkey, as well as our media kits and design prints we end up ordering to carry in our shop.” – @iamthirtyaf, Millennial Influencer
Pic Stitch
“I use Pic Stitch a lot because it can size both video and photos to what I need, depending on where I’m posting. It may be more popular than I realize but it’s always been a go-to for me!” – Anna Roisman, @annaroisman, Comedienne
Tezza & Vixer
“I often use Tezza and Vixer for editing and videos. I think Vixer is pretty user-friendly and simplifies trimming videos quickly. And then Tezza I’ve had for years and I like adding tiny bits of a Polaroid-film/blur look or Fiji film grain to give the photos some interest. I don’t always have time to do either of these but I’ve liked the results, for the most part, when I have.” – Hanna Griffin Carajal, @hmgriff11, Fitness and Lifestyle Influencer
Videoshop
“Videoshop is a must for me. It provides a very clean user interface that’s direct and to the point. The app gives a ton of control over your video, including full volume control to avoid jump-scaring your audiences on socials.” – Angel Vivaldi, @angelvivaldiofficial, Musician
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