If you’ve been waiting for Microsoft to resurrect Windows Movie Maker, Clipchamp might be the next best thing. After acquiring Clipchamp last year, Microsoft is now bundling the app into Windows 11. It’s a browser-based app that supports trimming, splitting, transitions, and even has a screen recorder feature.
Clipchamp includes a timeline, just like pro apps like Adobe Premiere Pro, and uses a combination of templates and a library of filters, transitions, stock media, and styles to let people create videos with multi-track audio support and user-friendly editing. Microsoft has integrated in an Azure-powered text-to-speech generator for creators to use voiceovers in 70 languages, and OneDrive is also integrated for cloud storage of files.
Clipchamp is now part of Windows 11.Image: Microsoft
Microsoft says Clipchamp is now an “inbox” app in Windows 11, which means it will be preinstalled on all new Windows 11 devices. The Microsoft Family app is also now an inbox app, with features like filters for Edge, screen time activity on Xbox, Windows, and Android, and family location tracking.
Alongside these app updates, Microsoft is now starting to test some changes to the search experience in Windows 11. “Starting early next week, we will begin rolling out an update for Search in Windows 11 that highlights interesting moments in time,” explains Amanda Langowski, head of Microsoft’s Windows Insider program. “The search box in Start and Search will periodically update with content, including fun illustrations, that help you discover more, be connected, and stay productive.”
The new search highlights feature.Image: Microsoft
Work users can sign in and get access to company files.Image: Microsoft
These search highlights will include moments like holidays, anniversaries, and other moments in time. Recent search results will be placed at the side, and if you sign in with a work account, then files and contacts through Microsoft Search will be displayed. You can always turn off the search highlights feature, and it’s also making its way to Windows 10 too.
Microsoft is also making further improvements to clear up some of the legacy of Windows. The Print Queue is getting updated to match the Windows 11 design, both Quick Assist and Windows Sandbox now have Fluent design icons, and Windows Media Player has been renamed to Windows Media Player Legacy. It’s clear that the new Media Player app for Windows 11 will eventually mean Windows Media Player will disappear from the OS.
As always, some of these changes won’t appear in Windows 11 for months. Microsoft rolls out features gradually, and the company is no longer waiting on big annual feature drops to update Windows 11.
Meta is launching its TikTok-clone Reels worldwide on Facebook, making the feature available through the service’s iOS and Android apps in more than 150 countries.
In addition to expanding access to Reels, the social media conglomerate is adding new editing features to the Facebook version of the platform and expanding advertising options. Most of these features are already available on Facebook Reels in the US and elsewhere and in Instagram Reels in the US and more than 50 countries.
Facebook Reels users will be able to “remix” others’ videos (duet them) and upload clips up to 60 seconds in length, just as with Instagram Reels. They’ll also be able to save drafts, and Meta will be adding new video clipping tools in the coming months “that will make it easier for creators who publish live or long-form, recorded videos to test different formats.”
Users will be able to share the short-form video reels to more places in Facebook, including the platform’s Stories and Watch features. Image: Meta
Meta is also adding more monetization adverts to Facebook Reels — aka, more ads. There’ll be two new formats: banner ads that appear “as a semi-transparent overlay at the bottom of a Facebook Reel” and static sticker ads “that can be placed by a creator anywhere within their reel.” The company will also be giving creators in “nearly all countries where in-stream ads are available” access to its automatic ad-placement program and rolling out paid Stars (a way for fans to directly donate to creators).
Meta says that “over the coming weeks,” users will be able to share Reels in more places on Facebook, including in Stories and the platform’s Watch tab.
Notably, the company did not share any new statistics for the success of its Reels platform. Although Meta has been extremely successful in cloning some rivals’ features (like copying Snapchat’s Stories function on Instagram), its ability to challenge TikTok in the short-form video world is still uncertain.
Bigg Boss 14 winner Rubina Dilaik has called out a social media user who badly edited one of her images. Taking to Instagram, Rubina shared the particular image and gave a befitting response to the netizen, writing, “I want to meet the genius who edited the ‘left’ picture…. And ask how badly beaten up was he/she with life.” Bheeshma Parvam: Anasuya Bharadwaj’s First Look From Her Malayalam Debut Alongside Mammotty Is Out!.
The fan-edited post features Rubina’s throwback picture, and it’s captioned as, “The struggle is real.” Rubina’s reply clearly indicated that she got irked by the edited image. Kajal Pisal Reveals She Wants to Do Reality TV Shows in the New Year 2022!.
Rubina Dilaik Gets Furious Over Internet User For Editing Her Pic
Rubina Dilaik Gets Furious Over Internet User (Photo Credits: Instagram)
Meanwhile, Rubina, on Wednesday, shared a glimpse of her ‘beach workout’. (ANI)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, Reporter Door Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Megan Thee Stallion was flooded with positive comments on Instagram after the “Savage” rapper shared unedited photos of her body from a fashion shoot.
“LOVE! #nofilter,” one person commented.
Another wrote, “It’s the realness and natural body for me. ??.”
The 26-year-old posted pictures Wednesday from her clothing collaboration with Fashion Nova, which featured the entertainer in a revealing black bodysuit.
Some of the photos were close-up shots of Megan’s booty, showing showed that her stretch marks had not been removed with Photoshop.
“Tiger stripes ?????,” one fan wrote in awe.
Another commented, “the stretch marks omg ???.”
A third also wrote, “girl you better show me them stretch marks?????.”
Megan has long been an advocate for body positivity and female empowerment.
, “I love my body. Every curve, every inch, every mark, every dimple is a decoration on my temple.”
“My body is mine,” the “WAP” rapper added. “And nobody owns it but me. And who I choose to let in is so lucky. You may not think my body is perfect, and it probably never will be. But when I look in the mirror, I love what I see.”
In June, Megan released “Thot S–t” as an anthem of lawless female fun and freedom.
A press release at the time said the song “celebrates women unapologetically enjoying themselves, doing whatever they want, whenever they want, regardless of what the critics have to say.”
The Grammy winner also shared in October that she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in health administration from Texas Southern University amid all her music industry success.
She wrote on Instagram earlier this month, “Showed my ass and still went to class????IMA ALWAYS STAND OUT WITH NO HANDOUTS ? doing everything they said I can’t/couldn’t!”
“I think when people are outwardly kind of vying for your job, it’s hard to be generous.”
Katie Couric is dealing with some of the backlash brought on by revelations in her new memoir “Going There.”
Speaking with eventual successor Savannah Guthrie on Tuesday’s “TODAY,” the former host denied sabotaging the careers of female rivals, and defended her controversial decision to edit her interview with the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
In her book, Couric admits she was “less welcoming when charismatic female correspondents entered my sphere,” because there were only a few coveted spots for women in news journalism at the time, adding: “I felt like I had to protect my turf.”
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Meghan McCain Slams Katie Couric Over Editing RBG’s Criticism of National Anthem Kneeling
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She pointed to an incident which she describes in the book, in which a CNN vice-president said to a room full of male executives, in front of the then-26-year-old, that Couric was successful because of her “hard work, determination, work ethic and breast size” — which she claims was a typical attitude at the time.
“There was a very male dominated industry, run by men, very few positions for women,” she said, which forced her to become territorial over her position — describing her own admission as “brutally honest.”
Pointing out that she has mentored “scores of women” still in the industry to this day, she said, “I think when there are very few jobs for women, and men making decisions not necessarily based on the right criteria, sometimes you do get insecure, and sometimes you do get territorial. I think it’s human nature.”
Asked if she ever tried to actively sabotage another female’s career, she replied: “Never, never, never, never.”
“I think I just wish that maybe I had extended myself more, and shown people the ropes a little bit more,” she added. “But I think when people are outwardly kind of vying for your job, it’s hard to be generous, I think.”
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Katie Couric Says She Was ‘Shocked’ By Matt Lauer Accusations: ‘I Never Felt He Was Pervy’
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With the publication of the book, Couric came under heavy fire for her admission she had omitted quotes given to her in a 2016 interview with Supreme Justice Ginsburg, which criticized the anthem kneeling protest led by NFL star Colin Kaepernick, in order to “protect her.”
On Tuesday, Couric defended her decision, but said she regretted the omission, saying she wished she’d let it run and let RBG herself clarify afterwards.
“I think what people don’t realize is, we make editorial decisions like that all the time, and I chose to talk about this and put it in the book for a discussion,” she said.
“I mentioned that it was a conundrum that I asked Justice Ginsburg about Colin Kaepernick and taking a knee and how she felt about that. And I did include the fact that she said it was dumb and disrespectful, it was stupid and arrogant and quite a bit of what she said. There was another line that I thought was — I wasn’t sure what she meant exactly, and I thought it was subject to interpretation.”
“What I wish I had done is asked a follow up to clarify, or just run it and let her clarify it later, but I think the most pertinent and direct response to the question about Colin Kaepernick I included, and that’s why I raised it because maybe I should have done the other sentence, as well.”
Pressed by Guthrie, she admitted the decision was wrong.
“Ultimately, I think I should have included it,” added. “But I also think it’s really important to look at what I did include. She had to make a statement afterwards saying her comments were harsh and dismissive.”
“I still believe I used the most critically important response, but I think you’re right, I think it would have illuminated it even more if I had included that other statement.”
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Katie Couric Reveals Alleged Texts Sent to Matt Lauer After His Sexual Misconduct Firing
Meghan McCain slammed Katie Couric after the veteran journalist admitted she left out comments from Ruth Bader Ginsberg in a 2016 interview to “protect” the late Supreme Court Justice.
“This is not the role of a journalist…. You can’t complain about distrust in the media when one of the most famous interviewers admits to rigging interviews to make liberals look good.” McCain tweeted on Wednesday. “I now have even more questions about her ethics in regards to interviewing conservatives.”
In her upcoming memoir “Going There,” according to excerpts from the DailyMail, Couric detailed how Ginsberg was critical of Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players for protesting racial inequality by kneeling during the national anthem. Couric said the comments caused a “conundrum” as she felt “protective” of Ginsberg, who was 83 at the time.
After she sought advice from journalism peers — with the New York Times’ David Brooks saying Ginsberg was “elderly and probably didn’t fully understand the question” — Couric would ultimately include Ginsberg calling the protesters “dumb and disrespectful” but left out her saying the protest was “contempt for a government that has made it possible for their parents and grandparents to live a decent life.”
The self-confessed “big RBG fan” also claimed that the Supreme Court’s head of public affairs reached out a day after the interview to request some of Ginsberg’s remarks be removed before publication.
McCain wasn’t the only news correspondent to criticize Couric’s move, as New York Times’ Maggie Haberman posted, “This is toxic on a lot of levels.”
Former Guardian contributor Ben Jacobs sarcastically tweeted, “I too always like to omit the most newsworthy and interesting parts from all my interviews with important and powerful people.”
“You can learn a lot about where the left has moved by looking at how they choose to edit or rewrite RBG,” former NYT Opinions Editor and “Honestly” podcast host Bari Weiss pointedly tweeted.
And Republican Senator Ted Cruz chimed in, tweeting, “Katie Couric deems RBG ‘unworthy’ because she wasn’t sufficiently woke. Ridiculous.”
Couric appears to be causing quite the controversy in her new memoir, as she also spoke about initially feeling “sympathetic” to Matt Lauer after he was fired over sexual misconduct allegations. She drags Prince Harry, Martha Stewart and Diane Sawyer as well.
VOCHI, a Belarus-based startup behind a clever computer vision-based video editing app used by online creators, has raised an additional $2.4 million in a “late-seed” round that follows the company’s initial $1.5 million round led by Ukraine-based Genesis Investments last year. The new funds follow a period of significant growth for the mobile tool, which is now used by over 500,000 people per month and has achieved a $4 million-plus annual run rate in a year’s time.
Investors in the most recent round include TA Ventures, Angelsdeck, A.Partners, Startup Wise Guys, Kolos VC, and angels from other Belarus-based companies like Verv and Bolt. Along with the fundraise, VOCHI is elevating the company’s first employee, Anna Bulgakova, who began as head of marketing, to the position of co-founder and Chief Product Officer.
According to VOCHI co-founder and CEO lya Lesun, the company’s idea was to provide an easy way for people to create professional edits that could help them produce unique and trendy content for social media that could help them stand out and become more popular. To do so, VOCHI leverages a proprietary computer-vision-based video segmentation algorithm that applies various effects to specific moving objects in a video or to images in static photos.
“To get this result, there are two trained [convolutional neural networks] to perform semi-supervised Video Object Segmentation and Instance Segmentation,” explains Lesun, of VOCHI’s technology. “Our team also developed a custom rendering engine for video effects that enables instant application in 4K on mobile devices. And it works perfectly without quality loss,” he adds. It works pretty fast, too — effects are applied in just seconds.
The company used the initial seed funding to invest in marketing and product development, growing its catalog to over 80 unique effects and more than 30 filters.
Today, the app offers a number of tools that let you give a video a particular aesthetic (like a dreamy vibe, artistic feel, or 8-bit look, for example). It can also highlight the moving content with glowing lines, add blurs or motion, apply different filters, insert 3D objects into the video, add glitter or sparkles, and much more.
In addition to editing their content directly, users can swipe through a vertical home feed in the app where they can view the video edits others have applied to their own content for inspiration. When they see something they like, they can then tap a button to use the same effect on their own video. The finished results can then be shared out to other platforms, like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok.
Though based in Belarus, most of VOCHI’s users are young adults from the U.S. Others hail from Russia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and parts of Europe, Lesun says.
Unlike some of its video editor rivals, VOCHI offers a robust free experience where around 60% of the effects and filters are available without having to pay, along with other basic editing tools and content. More advanced features, like effect settings, unique presents and various special effects require a subscription. This subscription, however, isn’t cheap — it’s either $7.99 per week or $39.99 for 12 weeks. This seemingly aims the subscription more at professional content creators rather than a casual user just looking to have fun with their videos from time to time. (A one-time purchase of $150 is also available, if you prefer.)
To date, around 20,000 of VOCHI’s 500,000 monthly active users have committed to a paid subscription, and that number is growing at a rate of 20% month-over-month, the company says.
Image Credits: VOCHI
The numbers VOCHI has delivered, however, aren’t as important as what the startup has been through to get there.
The company has been growing its business at a time when a dictatorial regime has been cracking down on opposition, leading to arrests and violence in the country. Last year, employees from U.S.-headquartered enterprise startup PandaDoc were arrested in Minsk by the Belarus police, in an act of state-led retaliation for their protests against President Alexander Lukashenko. In April, Imaguru, the country’s main startup hub, event and co-working space in Minsk — and birthplace of a number of startups, including MSQRD, which was acquired by Facebook — was also shut down by the Lukashenko regime.
Meanwhile, VOCHI was being featured as App of the Day in the App Store across 126 countries worldwide, and growing revenues to around $300,000 per month.
“Personal videos take an increasingly important place in our lives and for many has become a method of self-expression. VOCHI helps to follow the path of inspiration, education and provides tools for creativity through video,” said Andrei Avsievich, General Partner at Bulba Ventures, where VOCHI was incubated. “I am happy that users and investors love VOCHI, which is reflected both in the revenue and the oversubscribed round.”
The additional funds will put VOCHI on the path to a Series A as it continues to work to attract more creators, improve user engagement, and add more tools to the app, says Lesun.
This dangerous practice makes reality TV stranger than fiction.
While many fans take reality TV with a grain of salt, few realize just how heavily edited some of the material is, industry insiders say. Now, production staff and stars alike are coming forward to address the harmful effects of “Frankenbiting” audio clips to make cast members seem far more horrible than they really are.
“I’m fine with people making drama out of anything heightened that you’d do in your real life,” MTV’s “The Hills” star Spencer Pratt told Vanity Fair in a new exposé about the dirty trick. “That’s the kind of fake reality I’m cool with … But the worst of it isn’t what they showed me doing, but what they showed me saying. It’s the sort of editing I am not down with and feel is totally whack if you’re calling it reality.”
In one particularly harmful example of Frankenbiting, Pratt recalls an audio clip of him saying, “Let’s hit that back door.” He said it was in reference to taking the VIP entrance to a club, but claims it was edited to sound like he was going to “hit” his then-girlfriend, now wife, Heidi Montag, from the “back door.”
“It’s like, I don’t talk like that,” he told the publication.
Heidi Pratt, Spencer Pratt and their son Connor attend the party for the premiere of MTV’s “The Hills: New Beginnings” at Liaison in June 2019 in Los Angeles.Getty Images
Industry insiders claimed to the outlet that network higher-ups do pressure show producers to edit audio to enhance drama — truth be damned.
“No one ever says, ‘We need a villain,’ ” an anonymous producer, whose credits include a popular dating show, said of how the editing instructions are communicated. “It’s more mobster in the sense of like — you know how in movies when they’re sitting at the table and they’re like, ‘You know what needs to be done’? It’s like that.”
As more people come forward against the practice, though, there’s hope that it may soon become less acceptable.
After producer Toni-Ann Lagana penned a January article for the Hollywood Reporter about how underpaid producers are made to do extreme edits on audio clips for shows, she was met significantly with praise.
“I was so pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming response from co-workers and past bosses reaching out to congratulate and thank me for speaking up,” she told Vanity Fair of the reaction to her piece.
Instagram influencers who don’t clearly state if they’ve edited photos which are advertisements could be fined or imprisoned in Norway due to a new law.
The law also applies to ad posts on other social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Twitter and Snapchat.
In Norway, advertisers and influencers paid by advertisers will have to clearly label Instagram posts if they’ve been retouched.
A new label designed by the Norwegian Ministry of Children and Family Affairs will have to be added to advertisement posts that have altered someone’s shape, size or skin.
This would include an influencer advertising a protect but making their lips bigger, enhancing muscles or making themselves look slimmer or bigger in certain areas.
The Norwegian monarch King Harald V will decide when the law comes into effect.
Sasha Pallari started a #filterdrop campaign in the UK. She can be seen here using no filter on the left and a filter on the right.sashalouisepallari via Instagram
Influencers and celebrities are only subjected to the advertising rule if they “receive any payment or other benefit” for a social media post.
A violation of the law could result in a fine or even a prison sentence.
The move comes as social media platforms continue to face backlash for their potentially negative impacts on mental health.
In 2017, a report by the UK’s Royal Society for Public Health said Instagram was the social media platform with the worst effect on the mental health of young people.
Instagram has been working on ways to curb the anxiety of some users on its platform and has brought in a new tool which gives the option of hiding your likes count.
The app does display a label at the top of the screen if someone has posted a story using an augmented reality filter.
It has also banned effects that directly promote cosmetic surgery procedures.
Earlier this year, influencers were told not to add misleading filters to social media adverts by the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK.
Khloe Kardashian posts a photo on Instagram of herself in a bikini bottom and talks about accepting oneself as beautiful.Instagram
The ASA ruled that filters should not be used if they exaggerate the effect of a cosmetic or skincare item being sold.
This would mean makeup influencers couldn’t use a filter that changes the shade or texture of a product they were advertising.
UK influencers, brands and celebrities will be expected to follow the new rules.
The ruling came in response to the #filterdrop campaign, which aims to make it compulsory for influencers to say whether they’re using a filter when promoting beauty products.
Makeup artist and model Sasha Pallari started the campaign in July 2020 because she wanted to see more “real skin” being shown on Instagram.
