Tech

Windows Movie Maker Redux? Microsoft acquires web-based video editor Clipchamp

Windows Movie Maker Redux? Microsoft acquires web-based video editor Clipchamp

Enlarge (credit: Clipchamp)

Microsoft hasn’t updated its old Windows Movie Maker software since 2012, and it hasn’t even offered the old version for download since 2017, leaving Windows users to fend for themselves when it comes to beginner-friendly editing and sharing of video clips. That situation will hopefully change thanks to Microsoft’s acquisition of Clipchamp, a web-based video-editing tool. Clipchamp includes a variety of built-in templates for family-video editors, Twitch and YouTube streamers, and businesses putting together ads or other branded videos.

Microsoft hasn’t made specific announcements about where and how Clipchamp will be integrated into its products, but it hinted that the app “is a natural fit to extend the cloud-powered productivity experiences in Microsoft 365,” implying that the web version will be a part of Microsoft’s subscription service in the future. Clipchamp is “also a great fit for Microsoft Windows,” which currently only offers very basic video editing via the built-in Photos app. Microsoft’s current tools definitely aren’t up to the level of iMovie, which Apple offers for free to macOS, iOS, and iPadOS users.

Whatever comes of the Clipchamp acquisition, it won’t be included in the initial version of Windows 11 when it’s released on October 5. But Microsoft’s Panos Panay shared a brief teaser video of a revamped Windows 11 Photos app, which may at least improve upon the barebones version in Windows 10.

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