APP STORE AWARDS 2021

iPad App of the Year

LumaFusion

Pro video editing and effects

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LumaFusion is our 2021 iPad App of the year because... this affordable pro-grade editor helps creators of all levels give their feature-length films and social media snippets a cinematic sheen.

‣ Number of simultaneous 4K HDR video tracks supported: 6
‣ Number of keyboard shortcuts:
68
‣ Percent increase in downloads over the past year:
283

Wherever you are on your filmmaking journey, LumaFusion meets you there. This multitrack video editor offers pros the features rarely found in an iPad app, all accessible through an intuitive touch interface that even beginners can get the hang of.

Choose from a full range of aspect ratios, from 9:16 vertical for a TikTok video to 1.90:1 IMAX for a groundbreaking nature documentary. After you import your video and audio, LumaFusion’s magnetic timeline makes cutting from one shot to another a snap. And we mean that literally: Each video clip you move snaps automatically to the one before it, so they’re easy to rearrange with your finger or Apple Pencil.

Fine-tune your audio with the 11-band graphic EQ in LumaFusion’s fully featured audio editor.

When it comes time to edit, LumaFusion really shines. A keyframe preview for each clip shows exactly what you’ve dropped where. Double-tap to access a suite of tools to stabilize shaky video, add light leaks and lens flares, apply gorgeous filters to punch up or tone down colors, go slow-mo or double-speed, make a time-lapse, as well as pan, zoom, distort, blur, and much more.

LumaFusion gives you that same control over your audio. Auto ducking adjusts the level of background tracks to ensure every line of dialogue or voiceover is audible. Or tap into LumaFusion’s audio editor, which offers compression and limiting, an 11-band graphic EQ, and full support for third-party AUv3 effects plugins.

Working on a complex project with multiple 4K HDR files? On iPad Pro, edit directly from a USB-C external hard drive. If down the line you want to move over to Final Cut Pro on your Mac, LumaFusion makes that easy: Tap the Share button and select FCPXML Export to get your project in a single zip file, ready to AirDrop.

If all this sounds complicated, don’t worry. The beauty of LumaFusion is how it keeps that complexity hidden by only showing you the buttons and sliders you need, when you need them.

Read more about the winners

We get feedback, from people making movies with their kids to people working on films, and we constantly hear how LumaFusion helps them stay creative, express themselves, and get their stories out into the world.

—Terri Morgan, LumaTouch cofounder

“For decades we made filmmaking apps so loaded with tools, you had to learn these deep menu systems to get to anything,” says Terri Morgan, cofounder of developer LumaTouch. “With LumaFusion, we wanted to flatten that learning curve and make everything one or two taps away.”

Morgan handles the design and user interface of LumaFusion, while cofounder Chris Demiris runs engineering. The two met over a decade ago, working at special effects houses known for making Hollywood movies and TV shows.

“With LumaFusion, we filtered everything down to what we think you need to do your best work—and that meant a lot of tough conversations about what should be included and what should be left out,” Demiris says. “Shifting toward making apps for iPadOS and iOS helped us simplify.”

In fact, one of the app’s most discerning customers may be Morgan’s 9-year-old son. “He hopped on an iPad a couple years ago and taught himself how to use LumaFusion,” she says. “Seeing what frustrates him and what he loves, it’s a good perspective for me, because we want it to be the sort of thing you can teach yourself and use for years and years.”

LumaFusion, in other words, is a video editor that grows with you, giving you the power you need to express your visual style as it evolves.

2021 App Store Award Winners