Cinefy - Special FX Studio Review

When I first saw the video trailer for Cinefy, I was rather impressed by all the features that it offered for such a low price point. Designed for the iPhone, this mobile video FX studio provides users with over 100 special effects and animations to create impressive short videos. While I thought it was going to be the next best thing since sliced bread, I was rather disappointed by its execution.

Cinefy is ideal for anyone looking for a way to add special effects to their video clips, but I wouldn’t exactly call them professional. They look awesome in the screenshots, but they have more of a cartoon-like appeal. Some users may enjoy these effects, but others will have a sour taste in their mouths as the app states that the animations are “as real as many of Hollywood’s biggest productions.”

The app works best for video clips that are under a minute and half so don’t expect to add effects to home movie productions, unless you plan on waiting due to the long export times. Speaking of waiting, it should be noted that this app comes in at a whopping 972 MB. On top of the huge file size, users must wait for the special effects to download separately after the app installs. I had to wait hours to see any effects, which ended up putting the app close to 2 GB in the end.

There are a couple of other faults that need addressed. One is that users must hold the iPhone a specific way or the video will either appear upside down or sideways. The other is that this is not a full editor. Don’t expect to be able to splice, cut or add text.

Despite all these setbacks, Cinefy isn’t a complete bust. It provides users with a way to add neat effects to videos like dinosaurs, explosions and robots for less than one dollar. It has great potential to be a better app, but for now its execution makes it hard to recommend. If you have the extra space and need a way to add special effects, this may be suitable to download. However, I feel like there are better alternatives available in the App Store.