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Doug Twitter

Doug Sillars

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Product updates

Summer is a great time to be outside, enjoying the weather, and spending time on holidays.  This was the case here at api.video - we all got some much needed vacation and sunshine.

Of course, that does not mean we were resting on our laurels.  We’ve been very busy on our platform, making improvements and building for the future.  This week we have a few new features that are released and ready for you (and your customers) to use:

1. **Embedding videos on other platforms**:  All videos on our platform now support oembed, making sharing your videos on Facebook, Twitter, and other services easier. You can even natively play your videos on Twitter (and Facebook native playback is coming soon).


<iframe border=0 frameborder=0 height=550 width=550
 src="https://twitframe.com/show?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fdougsillars%2Fstatus%2F1242816491084566529"></iframe>
 

2. **Private video update**:  Private videos previously used cookies to store the token that allowed viewing.  Browsers are moving to block all 3rd party cookies (starting with Safari 13.1). We have rebuilt the private video token system to use headers, future proofing this feature. ([Read our updated Private Video Tutorial](https://api.video/blog/product-updates/video-access-management-how-to-create-deliver-and-manage-private-videos-and-what/) for more information.

3. **Chapters**: api.video allows you to mark [chapters](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/adding-chapters-to-your-videos/) in your video, allowing your users to easily jump to different sections. Chapter breaks now appear in the timeline of the video, making seeking faster for your users. Here, we can see that we are in the “Jupiter” section of the video:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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4. The player’s default colours are now orange, as seen in the timeline above, and the play button below:


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If you want to customise the colors of your video player, please look at the custom player tutorial we just published.

5. New [Player SDK](https://github.com/apivideo/player-sdk) with more features to control the player with Javascript. The sdk now gives access to all methods implemented in the player to support [playerjs.io](http://playerjs.io).  Note that the player object ```apiVideoSdk``` is now ```PlayerSdk```.  

We have a lot more in store for the coming months. If you’d like to help us build api.video, check out our [jobs](https://jobs.api.video/) page.  If you have suggestions for new features, please leave a note on our [community forum](https://community.api.video/).


New release and features: September 2020

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As developers, we all have grand designs for our projects.  *“If only I had more hours (days) to add that feature,”*  *“I wish I could afford to…”*  How many github repos of half started ideas do you have sitting idle, just waiting for that time/cash infusion to build your dream?  Startup life is no different, especially here at api.video. From the start, we have built a long list of all the features in our grand vision on what a video API could deliver. We’ve always been limited by the available hours, the team, and infrastructure that we had to build with.  New features keep coming out (just look at our new video player, website and dashboards released in the last few months!), but the pace has always been a frustrating one for us - we just want to build the best video delivery platform and api in the world.

Further frustrating matters, we keep coming up with great ideas.  Our vision and plans for api.video has continued to get larger and more ambitious even as features have been released.

## Now is the time!

Often, you dedicate evenings and weekends to build your pet project. You might even spend some of your holidays to make huge improvements in a longer period of time.

This is our time - with our new funding - we can now grow our team (aside: we’re hiring!), and as our team grows, we can start adding all the features we’ve been planning over the last 2 years.

## What we won’t do with our funding

We’re hiring, and it’s a great company, but we are remote first - so I can promise no ping-pong tables or beer fridges in the office (what you do at home, that’s your business!).

More importantly, we’re not going to rest on our laurels - we’ve had a vision for api.video, and how is our time to implement it!

## So, what’s on the horizon?

We have some really cool things in store for you.  We’re committed to making api.video easiest, fastest and best video service.  In the coming months, our live video will have reduced latency. we’ll be moving all our transcoding to the network edge, for faster availability and delivery.  We’ll add plugins to help you integrate api.video into the platforms you already know and love.  We’ll add additional customisation for the video player experience. And our API will have the best documentation and reference - so that if you do run into any questions, the answers are just a page away!  And these are the high level bullets for the first 5 things on our list.

If you’ve used api.video already - thanks! - you are one of the reasons that we were awarded with our seed funding.  As I’ve hinted, things are only going to get better in the next few months/years.

If you’ve just learned about us, please come check out our APIs. [Sign up](https://dashboard.api.video/register), upload a video, or stream a live video across the world! If you have any questions - feel free to reach out to me doug@api.video, or leave a comment in our [developer forum](https://community.api.video/).

api.video Funding Announcement

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Player

api.video makes the delivery of streaming video easy. Just use our API to upload a video, and we handle all of the transcoding, storage and video delivery for you.  All you need to do is add the url (or iframe) to your site or app, and we handle the rest - ensuring fast, easy video delivery to all of your users.

The url (or iframe) from api.video that you add to your site contains a customisable video player full of great features. Today, we are announcing the release of our new video player with more incredible features to wow your customers.

&nbsp;


**<iframe src="https://embed.api.video/vod/viTLpKB231ATWOWjkHgi9bf" width = "800" height ="600" allowfullscreen></iframe>**

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A video describing the new api.video player, inside the new [api.video player](https://api.video/product/player/)!

Our new player is completely rewritten from the ground up, built on top of the video.js architecture. So, what that does this mean for you? For existing api.video users - all your videos have been automatically upgraded to the new player, and all future videos will automatically use the player as well!
New Features
In addition to the new sleek look of the player, there are a lot of new features that we would like to share with you.

## Captions and chapters  

[Captions](https://docs.api.video/reference/api/Captions) and [Chapters](https://docs.api.video/reference/api/Chapters) were supported in the last player, and continue to be supported by the api.video player.

## Chromecast

If there is a Chromecast on the same network as the device playing the video, a “cast” button will appear, so you can send to the larger screen.

## Picture in picture
Pop the video out of your browser, and keep watching, even when you visit different pages - or even different screens!  The video follows along so you can keep tabs of what is going on!

## Responsiveness

One unique feature in Video.js is that the player automatically delivers the appropriate stream based on both the network bandwidth available AND based on the size of the video viewport.  If you are watching a video on a small screen, or small window in the page, api.video only sends the largest appropriate size video to the screen - ensuring the highest quality,  without sending extra data to your customers (that they cannot consume).

## Video playback speed
For longer videos, some viewers may wish to watch at a slightly faster rate. The speed button in the bottom right allows you to watch as much as 2x faster than the original recording.

## Video rewind and fast forward
Surrounding the video speed option are rewind and fast forward buttons.  The rewind backs up the video 10 seconds, and the fast forward moves the video ahead 20 seconds.  This is great when you miss a scene or critical bit of content, and want to quickly seek around in the video.

But, that is not the coolest part of the rewind and fast forward.  

## Live DVR
Yes! The rewind works on a live stream!  If you are watching a live stream on api.video and miss a word, or want to review a slide - you can rewind and pause the video.  Then press play, and increase the playback speed to zip back to the “live” coverage!

We are really excited to share these great new features with you, and can’t wait to see what cool videos and ways you might implement these features to better display your content.  Please let us know what you think about the new video player in our **developer forum**: [community.api.video](https://community.api.video)  

&nbsp;

_To start using api.video for your videos, [sign-up](https://dashboard.api.video/register) for a free sandbox account now._

Announcing our new video player

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iOS SDK

Swift

[api.video](https://api.video) removes the complexity from streaming video. Our simple to use APIs allow you to focus on creating your content, and leaving the video streaming details to us.

Since launching api.video, one of the most common questions we are asked is “do you have mobile SDKs?” Today, we can answer that with a “yes!”

Late last year, we announced our [Android SDK](https://github.com/apivideo/android-sdk), and today we are happy to announce the release of our [iOS SDK](https://github.com/apivideo/ios-sdk). If you have used api.video in the past, you’ll see that all of the features that are available in our APIs are now available as native iOS calls.

If you have never used api.video, imagine a simple API interface to upload, modify, and delete video streams, create custom players, add captions or chapters, and even live stream video — all from the native app. That is the power that api.video (and all of our [SDKs](https://docs.api.video/)) can give you. To get started, read the documentation on [GitHub](https://github.com/apivideo/ios-sdk), and check out the [demo application code](https://github.com/apivideo/ios-demo) (launching this week).

The quick start guide (pulled from GitHub):

## Installation

### Cocoapod

1.  Add the following entry to your Podfile:

2. Then run pod install

3. Don’t forget to import sdkApiVideo in every file you’d like to use api.video sdk

### Quick Start

### 1\. In the AppDelegate.swift instantiate a new Client


### 2\. In the didFinishLaunchingWithOptions func add the following code

*   If you want to use the production environment, use createProduction method
*   If you want to use the sandbox environment , use createSandbox method

### 3\. In your ViewController.swift file import the sdk

And that’s all there is to it!

Now you can use all your favourite api.video calls in your mobile app, simplifying the delivery of your videos with one API to apps, browsers and billions of devices around the world.

If you have questions, file an [issue](https://github.com/apivideo/ios-sdk/issues), or reach out to us on [chat](https://api.video/contact).

api.video launches iOS SDK fom video streaming

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api.video launches iOS SDK

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Twitter (Anne-Sophie)

Anne-Sophie Poupard

[Video encoding](https://api.video/what-is/video-encoding/) is the process of exporting digital video into a format and specification suitable for playback by a user. 

Each video file contains two elements: 
* Codecs, or “compression-decompression“ algorithms which compress the video
* Formats, the type of file the data is compressed to. 

Imagine a shipping container filled with packages of many types. In this analogy the shipping container is the format, and the codec is the tool that creates the packages and places them in the container.

## Video Codecs


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Video codecs used today include H.264, HEVC, VP9, and AV1. Common formats includes MKV, AVCHD, MP4, and WebM. 
There are pros and cons to each video codec and file format. There is no silver bullet when it comes to streaming content on the web. Certain video codecs and video formats are open source, meaning the source code is available to the user, who is given the rights to study, change, and distribute software to anyone for any purpose. VP9 and AV1 are both open source codecs types. MKV and WebM are also both open source, developed by nonprofit organizations and allowed to be used without a license.

## Video Formats

Video formats are often equated to a file’s extension, for example the .mp4 in Video. mp4. Video formats are much more than that and include a whole package of files, including a files video stream, the audio stream, and any metadata included with the file. All of the data put together, both of the streams and the metadata, is read by a video player to stream video content for playback. A file’s video stream includes the data necessary for motion video playback, while the audio stream includes any data related to sound. Metadata is any data outside of audio and sound, including bitrate, resolution, subtitles, device type, and date of creation.

## Bitrate
Bitrate or bit rate, is the rate at which bits are processed or computed over time. The higher the bitrate, the more data there is, which generally means a higher quality video file. When choosing a bitrate it is important to consider the device your videos will be played on. High bitrate file streams need lots of processing power to encode, and a fast internet connection to download for playback. If you’re having trouble choosing the right bitrate, file format, video codec, and video resolution, maybe it’s time to consider api.video.

With the api.video you can easily and quickly transcode video for your audience no matter the quality, format or bitrate. We wrote this article to help you sort through the hundreds of codecs and formats, and help you take the guesswork out of streaming video content on your site, application, or platform.

## The Most Popular Codec: H.264


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First let’s talk about H.264, also known as AVC. 

H.264 is the most widely used video codec. Sure, the H.264 codec may be a bit outdated by now, but this type of compression technology is present everywhere, with decoders available for pretty much every platform and mobile device. H.264 likely won’t be the standard for long. 
HEVC, short for High Efficiency Video Coding, or H.265 is slowly becoming ubiquitous thanks to the proliferation of 4K content. If AVC or H.264 was the codec of 1080p content, then HEVC and H.265 is the codec for the 4K era. H.265 compresseses videos far more efficiently (hence the “high efficiency”) when compared to H.264. This means H.265 4K content that is easier to stream and at a higher quality than 4K content compressed using H.264.

## New Codecs: H.265 and VP9


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H.265 is a licensed codec, meaning you have to pay to use it. Its main competitor, VP9 is a royalty free and open source codec developed by Google. This means that anyone can use the codec to compress their videos license free. Generally, VP9 produces more consistent or more reliable streams, whereas H.265 (HEVC) produces videos of higher quality. 

The differences between the two codecs are due to the strengths and weaknesses of their compression algorithms. VP9 was developed to produce videos with a smaller file size and therefore ones that are easier to stream. H.265 compresses videos using a large variety of processing techniques which ultimately create a compressed video that retains a very high level of detail.

In addition to VP9, there is another open source codec still under development called AV1. AOMedia Video 1 (AV1) is an open source, royalty-free video coding format specifically designed for streaming video content over the internet. AV1 was developed to succeed the VP9 codec and compete directly with HEVC codec on both video quality and file size. AV1 is still a highly experimental codec, but is supported by Firefox, Google Chrome, VLC media player, FFmpeg among others.

## The Most Popular Video Formats
We mentioned this before, but formats are the entire set of storage rules that package a video file’s container, codecs, and metadata. File formats are used so that a variety of devices, platforms, and players can process and playback any number of codecs. Formats are developed to improve image quality, decrease file sizes, allow for universal playback on a variety of devices, and provide special features such as subtitles. Since there are new formats getting developed every day it’s difficult to cover each and everyone. Instead, we’re going to focus on video formats used specifically for online distribution or content streaming.

The most popular video format is MP4, also known as MPEG 4. MP4 is a multimedia container for video, audio, and data, including things like subtitles and still images. Make sure you don’t confuse MPEG 4 and MPEG 4 Audio. MPEG 4 has the file extension .MP4, while MPEG 4 Audio has the file extension .M4A and can only contain audio files. So, why exactly is MP4 so popular? Well it mainly has to do with how ubiquitous it is across a range of devices. Both mobile and desktop devices can playback MP4 video files, so it makes sense that it would be used by most content producers.

## Playback Techniques for Video and Livestreaming
MP4 files are played at a constant bit rate (CBR), meaning the quality of your video stream will remain at the same bitrate no matter the variance in your internet bandwidth. There are other file formats that support adaptive bitrate (ABR), which will adapt the quality of your stream to match the internet speed of your player. One of the most popular formats that supports ABR is HLS..

HLS or HTTP [Live Streaming](https://api.video/product/live-stream/) use adaptive bitrate streaming techniques to enable high quality streaming with small HTTP-based file segments. The key to this format’s popularity is the use of HTTP. HTTP is the universal language protocol for the internet, and allows for reduced infrastructure costs, greater reach, and simple HTML5 player implementation. Another great feature for the HLS format is the M3U8 file descriptor. This file allows the client or device to automatically select the best quality stream at any time, to prevent playback buffering regardless of bandwidth or CPU power.

Now that you know how file formats and codecs work it’s time to get streaming. Visit [this page](https://dashboard.api.video/register) to create a free account, so that you can quickly and easily integrate streaming video content into your application, site, or workflow. Our API can accept pretty much any type of broadcast (even 4K native content), and can quickly transcode and adapt the stream for any type of network, including EDGE. No matter the screen, size, quality, or bitrate, api.video can manage it for you. Our web service is built to answer the most demanding video and streaming needs. If you want to learn more check out our website at [api.video](https://api.video/) or join our [community forum](https://community.api.video/). Good luck and happy streaming!

## You May Also Like...
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

* [Create a Live Stream](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/live-stream-tutorial/) - Create your first live stream!
* [Videostreaming with a Raspberry Pi](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/video-streaming-with-a-raspberry-pi/) - Now that you've got a live stream working, have some fun adding one using a Raspberry Pi. 
* [Video Upload](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/video-upload-tutorial/) - Upload your first video. 

Every video format, codec, and container explained

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Announcements

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Cédric Montet

Company News

AI, models, assistants, agents and prompts sound and look magical on social networks. But from the countless conversations we have had with startups and Enterprise customers over the last months, we have realized that the gap between existing video workflow and concrete use cases is real.

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Whether it’s getting transcripts in seconds, changing the language of your video or being able to search for items in your content – the benefits, value or potential savings you see and can get with AI are obvious.

&nbsp;

This is why we are thrilled to unveil how we are bringing AI into video, where we are heading and how you can get more value from it!

## What does the future of video streaming look like?

AI will completely upend video consumption as we know it today. We envision a world where video is not a content piece anymore which you can only start and stop – because AI will make videos discoverable and universally understandable. More than ever it resonates fully with our core mission – connecting people through their cameras.

&nbsp;

Since Day 1, we are building api.video to make your use cases, first, a reality and, then, a success.

&nbsp;

Back in the days, the fragmented video streaming market, the number of services you had to aggregate, the lack of innovation by the incumbents was preventing you from joining our video-first world, while your efforts and budgets were consumed by maintaining mashups instead of focusing on what matters. 

&nbsp;

This is why we have built the video backbone and seeing that, now, you host 2.5 millions videos on api.video and deliver dozens of millions videos every month demonstrate why simplicity, exceptional performances and an E2E approach were key.


&nbsp;

What’s happening today with AI, the efforts it requires to benchmark, setup and customize LLMs, to run and maintain them, the Infrastructure you have to build to execute them before getting any value, remind us of the state of the streaming market when we had launched api.video.

&nbsp;

Helping you to benefit from the AI revolution by abstracting all the underlying complexity became obvious and a natural next step in our evolution.

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To get there and to bring you there, here is what we are building, api.video’s very first – **Video Model Hub**.

&nbsp;

Let’s start with the root principles encompassing our work on this Hub:

&nbsp;

- **Open-source models over private ones.** We are long time believers and contributors of the open source community and we have chosen to run only models that are available publicly.

- **Your data is… your data.** You already trust us to host and deliver sensitive content,and this is exactly why we won’t train our own models or sell the data generated from your videos to anyone.

- **Privacy at the core.** We host and execute the models inside our own infrastructure. Your data remains inside the api.video infrastructure. Your videos or data is not sent to external partner, SaaS providers like OpenAI, or others.

- **We believe that every organization will eventually build their own models to leverage their unique data sets**. Next year, alongside the ability to run public and open source models on api.video, we will offer you the ability to host your own.

- **One API to rule them all.** As we have already replaced a dozen of services and vendors under GET/videos to make your videos available worldwide in seconds, we are abstracting all the complex work of executing LLMs behind clear and straightforward endpoints.

&nbsp;

At a glance, api.video brings to you today the power of AI by:

- Leveraging its years of experience in video management and building infrastructure, with GPUs.
- Combining with the most advanced LLMs available on the market.

so that you get more value from your videos in a few lines of code!

&nbsp;

## Here are the first three new features from the Video Model Hub

### 1. Summarization of long-form videos

Upload a video in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese or Chinese and get a text summary of 120 characters with the 3 key takeaways discussed in the video (within seconds!). Ideal to index or preview long form recorded meetings or courses!

&nbsp;

_The video below gives you a glimpse into AI summarization._


### 2. Transcription of your video in seconds

Get a transcript (in .VTTformat) from your uploaded video with the timecodes and offer the captions to your audiences. The best part? The api.video player supports VTT files so there’s nothing new that you need to build on your side!
This also makes your content more inclusive by making it accessible to people with hearing impairments. 


### 3. Translation of subtitles in 5 different languages (and more to come!)

Is your video in English? You can get Spanish and French subtitles. In Chinese? You will get English subtitles and three more languages. In short, this is the perfect solution to spread your message to your international audience!

&nbsp;

_Check out the video below for a glimpse into AI translation._ 


_Try it for yourself now by uploading a video in your [sandbox account](https://dashboard.api.video/overview)._ 

## What’s next

From video classification, alteration, generation, audio alteration, metadata generation, we have identified and plan to implement more than 200 additional use cases and features within the upcoming months!

&nbsp;

From next year, we will let you bring your own models on the infrastructure to get even better and more personalized outcomes.

&nbsp;

This is a long-journey and we’re only getting started. The whole team is thrilled to be at the forefront of this next chapter!


AI  >< Video: The Video Model Hub unveiled

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Arushi Gupta

Our mission at api.video has always been to turn your use cases into successful realities. We built the video backbone with this goal in mind, and today, you host 2.5 million videos and deliver tens of millions more!

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Helping you harness the power of AI, while simplifying the problems that come along with, was the next direction to take. 

&nbsp;

To achieve this and to support your journey, we bring to you –  **AI features for your videos.**



## What are the AI video features?

### 1. AI video transcription & captions

With AI transcription, you can convert spoken words in your videos into written text, providing an accurate, searchable record of your content. This means you can easily create subtitles, enhancing accessibility for the hearing impaired or getting a written record of your meetings or events. 






### 2. AI video translation

With AI translation, you can translate your videos into multiple languages, ensuring that viewers from different linguistic backgrounds can understand and engage with your content. This can be useful if you’re hosting an international virtual event, creating multilingual educational materials, or expanding your marketing reach.

&nbsp;

Translation will be available for 5 languages – French, English, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese.


### 3. AI video summarization

Using AI summarization, you can distill lengthy content into concise, digestible summaries, allowing viewers to quickly grasp the key points without watching the entire video with AI video summarization. This can prove invaluable for educational lectures, business presentations, and lengthy seminars where time is of the essence.

## Do you really need this?

Well, the potential [uses of our AI features](https://api.video/use-cases/generative-ai/) are limitless! From e-learning and e-commerce to online streaming, these [AI features](https://api.video/product/ai-features/) are going to be the difference between ordinary and excellent. What can you do really?

&nbsp;

- Summarize educational lectures for a quick review
- Translate virtual events into multiple languages for global reach
- Transcribe video interviews for easy reference
- And so much more!

## More than just encoding, hosting, and delivery

We’ve gone beyond the basics of video hosting and delivery to give you features that are a step up from the ordinary. Now, not only can you ensure that your customers get video delivery at minimal cost, but also that they get the flexibility to offer content  in their preferred language and in a crisp manner. 

&nbsp;

Additionally, when the features are in production, you may also get the option of adding them via your API. This means that you get complete power to add the features you like without having to go through the dashboard.

## Your videos stay private to you

Your data is yours, and we respect that. You already trust us to host and deliver your most sensitive content, which is why we will never train our own models or sell data generated from your videos. Privacy is at the core of everything we do, and that’s why we host and execute the models within our own infrastructure. Your data stays entirely within the api.video ecosystem and is never sent to external partners, SaaS providers like OpenAI or others.

&nbsp;

_Our CEO and founder, Cedric Montet, speaks more about privacy being our topmost concern in his latest [blog](https://api.video/blog/company/video-model-hub-ai/)._

## Give it a try!

See a glimpse how these AI features look like with a free sandbox account! [Upload a video now in your dashboard](https://dashboard.api.video/overview) and witness AI make a difference to your videos. As this is a Beta release, any feedback, questions, doubts on the features are welcome and much appreciated.

Create a sandbox account now 

Lights, Camera, AI Action! Discover our AI features

Introducing AI features to compliment your videos

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AI >< Video: The Video Model Hub unveiled

How to integrate AI facial expression detection to control your video – Javascript 

5 AI tools that will save you 10+ hours on video production

Lights, Camera, AI Action! 

Video trends

In a world where time is money and creativity reigns supreme, AI tools that convert text to video are game-changers! These AI-powered wonders are designed to save your day—and countless hours. Join us as we unveil the top 5 AI video tools that can dramatically cut down your video creation and editing time. From transforming text into captivating visuals to adding that perfect touch of magic to your edits, these tools are set to become your new best friends in the digital playground!

## **1. CapCut**

At number 1, we have Capcut. 

&nbsp;

[CapCut](https://www.capcut.com/) surged in popularity due to its user-friendly interface and powerful editing features, making it a favorite among video creators. Its integration with TikTok and social media platforms is also reason for its widespread adoption.

&nbsp;

The best part about using CapCut is that most of these important features are available for free, which kicks out budget-constraints out of the window. CapCut uses AI to empower users to create stunning videos without needing any fancy editing experience. With mobile and desktop apps, as well as a web version, CapCut can easily be used on the go. 

&nbsp;

CapCut offers a range of AI-driven features that are very, very impressive. With 'Smart Cuts & Trims', CapCut's AI automatically detects shaky parts, long pauses, or unnecessary bits, suggesting cuts to tighten up your video and eliminate boring footage. 'Effortless Audio Magic' helps isolate voices and enhance audio quality, making your message crystal clear even if there’s noisy background interference. 'Instant Captions' auto-generate captions, making your videos more accessible and saving you time and effort. Moreover, if your filming didn't capture the perfect lighting, 'Light Like a Pro' allows CapCut’s AI to adjust lighting in your videos post-production, creating the ideal mood.

What I most love about CapCut AI video generator is its AI-driven background removal feature which eliminates the need for a green screen, allowing me to replace any background with an image or color of my choice.

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Something to note about Capcut is that the free version includes watermarks on exported videos. which can be removed only with a paid subscription. This may potentially pose a barrier for you if you’re a budget-conscious user.

## **2. Runway**

[Runway](https://runwayml.com/) can be called a virtual sorcerer's wand for video editing! It has the potential to be an entire AI video production studio, so it can basically create an entire movie without filming a single frame — if you have the time, that is. Runway can generate videos and animations from simple text prompts, create animations from still images, generate lip-syncing avatars based on a recording of your voice, and even allow you to train your own AI models. 

&nbsp;

Runway might be a little intimidating in the beginning. That’s because it has an array of features that take time to understand, execute and implement, and that could be slightly time-taking and if I can say, complex.

Another aspect to note is that while Runway offers a range of pricing plans, the advanced features that truly set it apart are locked behind higher-tier subscriptions, making it less accessible for small businesses or individual creators on a tight budget.

## **3. Invideo AI**

[Invideo AI](https://invideo.io/ai/) is an excellent tool for generating a starting point for your videos. It helps you to quickly create a basic structure for your videos, which can then be further customized and polished. The  features allow you to input simple prompts, from which the tool generates an initial draft that includes relevant footage, transitions, and effects. 

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A few standout features of Invideo AI are an extensive stock media library that offers a range of options to choose from, AI-powered script generation which creates a complete script for your videos and, voiceover addition. Their AI voiceover generator is particularly good because it has an option to add your own voice which it then uses to narrate scripts in. The narration is also decent, with multiple accents and focussing well on the feeling, intent, and emotion behind each word.

Overall, the tool is great for YouTubers and people who want to start off their video making journey with minimal effort. 

&nbsp;

One of the shortcomings of Invideo AI is its dependency on a stable internet connection, as the tool is cloud-based. This can be a significant limitation for users in areas with unreliable internet access. I also noticed that rendering videos on Invideo AI can sometimes be slow, especially for longer or high-resolution projects, so keep enough time in hand before you expect a final video. 

## **4. Wondershare Filmora**

[Wondershare Filmora](https://filmora.wondershare.net/de/ad/videobearbeitungsprogramm-brand.html) has been a staple in the video editing world for over 15 years. Despite its long history, it's continuously evolving, with a suite of AI features that enhance video quality without requiring professional training or extensive time investments. 

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Filmora is a popular choice among full-time influencers and video editors for advanced-level video editing. It is also a preference because the tool keeps evolving based on new technological developments, and therefore is easily able to meet the demanding standards of modern digital media.

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Some of Filmora’s features include 'AI smart cutout', which allows you to cut objects out of scenes simply by painting their area on the screen, and 'AI audio denoise', which helps control background noise. 'AI audio stretch' lets you extend music to match scene transitions, while AI motion tracking enables face blurring for privacy or fun effects. They also have AI remove background which allows you to create imaginative scenes without hefty budgets. 

Wondershare also provides detailed explanations of these features on their website, so if you ever face a problem using any of them, be sure to check their dedicated pages. 


&nbsp;

However, do note that Filmora's performance can be sluggish when handling large files or high-resolution videos, leading to slower rendering times and potential crashes at times.

## **5. Canva Magic Studio**

Easy to use. Neat interface. Quick results. 

&nbsp;

Those were the three things I liked best about [Canva Magic Studio](https://www.canva.com/magic/). 

&nbsp;

Canva Magic Studio looks very promising as an AI video tool. Having been a fan of Canva for infographics, presentations and social posts since the past few years, their AI video tool has quite impressed me. What stands out is that their UI is very, very simple to understand. Plus, their features don't seem to be overwhelming when it comes to video editing, which I often feel is the case with other professional editing tools. 

&nbsp;
 
Canva Magic Studio gives you amazing results when it comes to video quality and is also very quick to generate the final video. The good video quality comes from its integration with Runway (our #2 in the list).

&nbsp;

To show you an example, I used the prompt: "A cute rabbit watching a video on a laptop”. And the [result](https://www.canva.com/design/DAGGCqwwf4A/GS7q42J5C9nx26gxJGR9lA/watch) was surprisingly very apt!

Canva Magic Studio is a great option if you want to bulk-create your social media posts – create a chunk of Instagram reels or Facebook ads in a go or create similar kinds of videos using a single template. The template options Canva offers have a wide range and are decent for beginners to start with.

## Sora – Open AI’s video generator

Open AI sparked a wave of excitement around AI with ChatGPT, demonstrating its incredible potential in natural language processing. Now, it's taking things a step further with [Sora, an innovative AI](https://openai.com/index/sora/) video creator.

Open AI recently shared a series of tweets showing the potential of Sora and I must say, I am amazed. Be it [several giant mammoths](https://x.com/OpenAI/status/1758192960116785459) rushing through a snowy meadow or a [fluffy monster](https://x.com/OpenAI/status/1758192964222988506) behind a melted candle, the kind of videos Sora will be able to create is astounding! It looks like it will be able to take detailed prompts into consideration, just like it did with ChatGPT, to create exactly what the user needs.

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As Sora continues to evolve and improve, it will undoubtedly shape the future of video production, showing way to new forms of storytelling and engagement in the years to come.

## AI is great – but it cannot replace you

While these AI video tools can ease the load for you and save some time, they cannot really take the place of your creativity, intuition, and emotional intelligence. In the end, it is your perspective, personal touch, and experiences that shape the videos you create. 

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_If you’re finding a place to store, host and deliver your [AI generated videos](https://api.video/use-cases/generative-ai/), api.video could be just what you’re looking for. With quick video upload options, flexible hosting capabilities, ability to add watermarks and keep videos private, you can choose api.video for all your video needs. If you would like to test out our features, [sign-up](https://dashboard.api.video/register) for a sandbox account now and you wound’t be disappointed._

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Yohann Martzolff

Tutorials

React

In today's tech-driven world, enhancing user interaction and creating immersive experiences is crucial. One exciting way to achieve this is by integrating AI facial expression detection into your video content.  In this blog, we'll guide you through the steps to <u>integrate AI facial expression detection to control your videos using React</u>. 

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Let's start.

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_*To learn how to do the integration with Javascript, head to this [blog](https://api.video/blog/tutorials/AI-facial-expression-detection-javascript/).*_

## 1. Create a minimal React app

As the first step, we need to create a new React app. Run the following command for the same. 

Now add the MediaPipe and the api.video React player packages

## 2. Add a video player

You’re going to use the official [api.video’s React player](https://github.com/apivideo/api.video-react-player) in this application, but feel free to use your favorite one and adapt the callbacks to it.

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Replace the code inside `App.tsx` with the following.
The `playerRef` allows us to control the [api.video player](https://api.video/product/player/).

Run your application with the npm run start command and go to `http://localhost:3000/`, you should see a video that you can play, pause or mute. 

## 3. Record your facial expressions

To control the player with your facial expressions, you need to stream your face through your webcam and pass this streamed data to the trained machine-learning model.

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Add a `<video />` HTML tag to `App.tsx`. 
Its `webcamRef` allows the video element to be targeted.
Apply a `display: "none"` inline style to hide the element, and an `autoPlay` attribute so the webcam stream time is updated. 

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**Note:** You can remove the `display: "none"` style and customize your CSS, it doesn’t matter.

## 4. Load the machine-learning model

Before we can use the machine-learning model, we must wait for it to finish loading. These models can be large and take a moment to get everything needed to run.

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Put this logic inside a `useEffect` and store the `faceLandmarker` class as a React stateful value.

## 5. Start detecting the webcam stream

Once the machine-learning model has been loaded and the `faceLandmarker` class has been instantiated, you can start detecting the stream.

&nbsp;

Create a new `useEffect`

Run your application with the `npm run start` command, go to `http://localhost:3000/`, and open your console. You should see a lot of console logs appearing each millisecond.

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Each one of them logs an array of objects of type:

## 6. Use the facial expression detection results

You now have access to a list of facial expression detection results. Use them to do whatever you want and in this case, to control your video player.

Let’s assume that you want to play the video when you smile, and pause it when you do a kiss.

Check the facial expression detection results on each frame and play or pause your video depending on the score of the wanted result by replacing your console.log with the following.

Once again, run your application with the `npm run start` command, go to `http://localhost:3000/`, and try to smile at your webcam. It should trigger the player’s `play` callback and play the video. Then, try to do a kiss ( 😗 ) in front of your webcam, and the video should pause.

## 7. Display the results

It can be helpful to have a visual representation of the detection results. Display these results as a list and highlight the detected facial expressions by adding a `<ul />` HTML tag to your JSX and creating a new ref to target it.

Add the code to update the HTML according to the results.

Now, you should see a list of results displayed in your application, with a green highlight on the ones with more than 60% confidence.

## 8. Code samples

Check the full `App.tsx` code below.

We hope this blog helped you understand the coding behind integrating AI facial expression detection to your videos.

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_For any questions or doubts you may have, chat with us on our [website](https://api.video/contact/). If you would like to try out api.video for your videos, [sign-up](https://dashboard.api.video/register) for a free sandbox account here._

How to build AI facial expression detection into your videos with React

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