While parents have phones and computers filled with family video these days, I admit that I don’t always have the most cinematic eye when it comes to taking videos of my own kids. I take after my dad in that I like to narrate way too much –– Today is Oct. 18, it is a beautiful day outside…we’re at a soccer game…

In other words, we have lots of video of the kids awkwardly waving at the camera and yelling at me to turn it off.

So basically, anything that can help make my videos better is something I’m interested in seeing and I’ve come across an app called the Splice app that can help with just that. Recently we featured a round-up of great video apps and I would definitely add Splice to the list as another favorite.

Right in time too, considering all the new videos I’ll be shooting with the holidays coming up.

Related: 6 easy video editing apps that let you send something more sentimental than a card

What I like about Splice is that it doesn’t aim to transform your video into something entirely new, but simply make what you have a little better.

It’s a hands-on app which means you have full control over the editing process instead of just letting an algorithm do the work. That said, it’s very intuitive and the icons are self-explanatory (e.g. scissors = trim). There are fun effects you can apply, like fading, musical overlays, lens filters, text boxes and even narration.

Which yes, I’m still working on improving.

 

Splice app makes editing your home videos easy and fun. And free!

One of my favorite features on the app is the speed dashboard. You can seriously speed up or slow down a video, making all participants either sound like the Chipmunks or the teacher from Charlie Brown. My kids love that. They’ll also love all the pre-loaded music to choose that let you create various moods, from whimsical children’s music to rock, as well as fun sound effects like applause, crashes, and even bodily noises.

But even with those features, this really isn’t a kids’ app. It’s perfect for parents, with so many possibilities that if you don’t watch out, you could spend hours editing a simple 10-second video because it’s so fun. And best of all, it’s totally free with no limits on length, or number of videos you can edit each month. Pretty awesome.

Once you’re done, of course the Splice app lets you can share your creations, save them to your camera roll or just watch them over and over again. Which is what my kids do; epecially the ones with the burp sounds.

Splice app is available for free on iTunes.