Parents' Guide to

Magisto - Magical Video Editor

By Leslie Crenna, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Automated video maker is fast and fun but has limits.

App iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android Free Photo & Video
Magisto - Magical Video Editor Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • Magisto - Magical Video Editor App: Screenshot #1
  • Magisto - Magical Video Editor App: Screenshot #2
  • Magisto - Magical Video Editor App: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 12 parent reviews

DennisGarner
DennisGarner Parent of 16-year-old
May 21, 2022
age 2+

Edit video

I'm editing videos on the app https://techzapk.com/efectum-ocean-of.htm , it's really cool and completely free for users.
Lanochka11111
Lanochka11111 Adult
August 23, 2018
age 15+

Magisto

The worst customer service ever. My kid accidentally deleted my account and all my subscriptions and I can’t recover it. Wrote to customer service several times and no answer. Very disappointing. Enjoyed using the app though
See all 12 parent reviews

What’s It About?

From the main Create page, users choose from the device gallery for raw footage or Shoot a Video. Advancing through a wizard-like process, kids choose theme, music, and duration. MAGISTO then automatically edits the footage and assembles the final product. The My Movies page allows users to view their work any number of times. Depending on the package they choose, teens can download their own as well as other videos via the Magisto website.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (12):
Kids say (1):

Magisto is not a powerful video editing tool, but it does allow teens to make short, fun, and entertaining videos quickly. In four steps, kids can shoot real-time or pull footage from the device gallery or Google Drive, select front or back camera, then choose decorative themes like Mother's Day, a little popular music for the audio, and final product duration. Magisto's built-in video editor selects the best clips and puts it all together in a matter of minutes -- depending on how long the raw footage is -- with very cool results. Mostly clear instructions lead kids along with callouts to explain stuff like waiting for results. Guests or registered users can create and watch any number of videos on their device for free, but to download mp4 files (to play on some other device) a paid account is necessary. Videos can also be created from the Magisto.com website or by using YouTube Create, though packages vary from those presented in the app.

Confusing and lengthy in-app FAQs (avoid these) and differences between the iOS, web, and Android versions (no share albums with the Android version) are compounded by instructions to download additional apps that do not actually exist on the app store. Downloading mp4s is easy but also easy to miss: On the My Movies page, select anywhere outside the arrow/play icon in the middle of the movie panel to bring up a particular movie's page with the Save to Gallery button (select to download your mp4).

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Offer constructive critique or simply encouragement depending on your teen's needs.

  • Research age-appropriate video competitions online.

  • Consider buying an advanced video editing tool if teens max out simpler tools.

App Details

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