Alibaba Cloud ApsaraVideo VOD (VOD) provides the short video SDK to allow you to perform operations on videos. You can use the short video SDK to record, crop, edit, merge, and upload videos. This topic describes the benefits, usage scenarios, and licensed features of the short video SDK.

What is the short video SDK?

The short video SDK is a developer tool that allows you to record, crop, edit, merge, and upload videos. The short video SDK provides stable APIs in a unified format that are easy to use. Developers can use the features that are provided by the short video SDK based on business requirements. The short video SDK also provides an open-source user interface (UI). This way, the developers can customize the UI based on business requirements for secondary development.

Benefits

  • Quick and cost-effective integration

    To reduce development costs, you can integrate the short video SDK into your services in a minimum period of 2 hours. This helps you use features provided by the short video SDK in applications.

  • Easy-to-use APIs

    The short video SDK provides APIs that are easy to use. The short video SDK of Professional Edition allows you to customize your UI based on your business requirements.

  • Comprehensive features for various usage scenarios

    The short video SDK allows you to perform resumable recording, apply filters in real time, and add retouching effects. You can use the retouching effects provided by Alibaba Cloud Queen SDK and FaceUnity SDK. The short video SDK also provides an API operation to recognize faces and add face stickers. The short video SDK also allows you to import local videos, compress videos, and crop videos. You can add advanced effects such as, theme templates, animated stickers, subtitles, and music to videos.

  • High stability and reliability based on service iterations

    The short video SDK is stable and reliable, which has been tested by more than 1,000 applications.

  • Intelligent production for quick video creation

    High-quality video templates are provided based on Adobe After Effects. You can upload media materials and produce high-quality and creative videos based on the video templates with ease.

Scenarios

The short video SDK is suitable for recording and producing short videos, and various interactive scenarios related to entertainment, social interaction, family bonding, education, and news.

Features

This section only describes the major features provided by the short video SDK. For more information about categories and description of the features, see Features.

  • UI

    A default UI and source code of the UI are provided. You can customize the UI based on your business requirements.

  • Video recording

    The short video SDK provides various features such as duet recording, resumable recording, video clip deletion, tap to shoot, tap and hold to shoot, flash setting, camera switching, and resolution settings. When you record videos, you can apply effects such as common retouching effects, filters, watermarks, and face stickers from the built-in face sticker library in real time. You can also mix audio streams and use speed ramping effects. In addition, the Professional Edition can integrate with third-party facial augmented reality (AR) products to support advanced face and skin retouching.

  • Video editing

    The short video SDK supports basic editing features. You can crop videos, add music, and merge video streams. The short video SDK also allows you to configure effects on the editing UI. The effects include static and animated filters, transition effects, subtitles such as regular and bubble subtitles, and stickers such as static and animated stickers. You can also modify sound effects and draw doodles. The doodle feature supports custom line widths and colors and the undo operation.

  • Animated stickers

    You can add animated stickers at a point in time of a video on the editing UI. After you add an animated sticker, you can adjust the display duration of the animated sticker and the point in time when you want to display the animated sticker.

  • Templates

    You can create templates by using Adobe After Effects and use the templates to produce videos in specific styles. You can select videos and images from your local PC, edit text, and specify a template to create a video in a quick manner.

  • Subtitles

    You can add regular subtitles and bubble subtitles. You can also use word art for subtitles and flip subtitles on the editing UI.

  • Draft box

    You can generate a draft after you edit a new video or edit the video that is stored in the draft box. Multiple drafts are listed in the draft box. Editing changes to a draft video in the draft box are synchronized to the cloud.

Features

The following table describes the features of the short video SDK.

FeatureDescriptionRemarks
UIDefault UIProvides a default UI. You can modify the layout and UI for secondary development. You can use this feature free of charge.
Custom UIProvides the complete source code for UI interaction. You can customize the UI based on your business requirements. You can also replace icons and change the background color.
Video recordingResolution and aspect ratioSupports recording at different resolutions, including standard definition (SD), high definition (HD), and ultra-high definition (UHD), and provides multiple video aspect ratios, such as 16:9, 4:3, and 1:1. To use this feature, you must select the Recording feature when you purchase the short video SDK on the short video SDK buy page.
DefinitionAllows you to specify the frame rate and quality level, or configure custom Group of Picture (GOP) settings and bitrates to generate videos at different resolutions.
Multi-clip recordingSupports resumable recording and continuous recording.
Custom durationAllows you to specify the maximum and minimum recording duration.
Speed rampingSupports fast-forward and slow-motion effects.
Recording controlAllows you to switch frames, switch cameras, use flashlight, specify the exposure level, change the focal length, and configure the focus mode.
Photo captureCaptures the current image, and saves the image as a photo.
Background musicAllows you to add music to the video that is being recorded. Music resources are provided by a third party at an additional cost.
Real-time watermarksAllows you to add watermarks to the video that is being recorded.
Real-time filtersAllows you to switch filters in real time during video preview. You can also create a custom filter.
Real-time effectsAllows you to add common effects such as dithering and screen split during preview. You can also add a custom effect.
Face stickers Allows you to add effects such as face stickers by using the built-in facial recognition feature.
Facial recognition APIsIntegrates third-party facial recognition products to allow users to add face stickers during recording.
Custom renderingSupports custom rendering for the collected data that is returned in callbacks.
Basic retouchingAllows you to add retouching effects in real time and change the retouching level during recording.
Advanced retouchingIntegrates third-party retouching effects, including skin smoothing, rosy cheeks, skin whitening, eye widening, and face thinning. You are charged when you use Alibaba Cloud Queen SDK and FaceUnity SDK.
Duet recording Allows you to record a duet that consists of a video that is being captured by the camera and an existing video.
Mixed audio streamsSupports real-time mixing of multiple audio streams during recording.
Echo removalSupports echo removal from the recording source during recording.
Noise reductionSupports noise reduction during recording.
Screen recordingAllows you to record a screen and generate a video.
Multi-source recordingCombines videos that are recorded by cameras, videos that are recorded for a screen, and videos from local devices to generate a video.
Basic video editingVideo importAllows you to import and edit local videos. To use this feature, you must select the Import feature when you purchase the short video SDK on the short video SDK buy page.
Photo croppingAllows you to crop photos by size. The padding and cropping modes are supported.
Video croppingAllows you to crop videos by image size or video duration. The padding and cropping modes are supported.
Cropping based on the original aspect ratioAllows you to crop videos by duration based on the original aspect ratio. This reduces the time that is required for video cropping.
Video transcodingAllows you to configure the encoding format, bitrate, GOP settings, and frame rate to generate videos based on different compression ratios.
Preview by frameAllows you to view the frame image on which the reference cursor appears in the preview window when you move the timeline.
Video snapshotsAllows you to render the current video frame and save the snapshot as an image based on the current timeline.
Stream mergingAllows you to import and merge multiple images and video streams to generate a video file.
Layout for multiple videosAllows you to import multiple videos and specify the positions and sizes of the videos to generate a video that contains multiple images.
Picture-in-picture (PiP)Allows you to add videos that overlap on the main video track to generate a video file that has the PiP effect.
Background musicAllows you to add music that is not affected by time effects. Music resources are provided by a third party at an additional cost.
Dubbing by using local audio filesAllows you to add local audio files to a video. You can also add time effects such as fast-forward and slow-motion effects.
Video effectsTime effectsAllows you to add the fast-forward, slow-motion, rewind, and repeat effects to videos. You can use this feature free of charge.
Image editingAllows you to change the brightness, white balance, sharpness, vignette, and contrast of an image on the editing UI.
Static filtersAllows you to switch between a Lookup Table (LUT) filter and a shader script filter on the editing UI in real time.
Animated filtersAllows you to add animated filters, including filters related to effects, such as out of body and phantom, on the editing UI.
TransitionAllows you to add transition effects such as translation, fade-in, fade-out, and blinds to videos or images.
Frame animationAllows you to shift, zoom, and modify animations such as stickers and subtitles, on videos and images.
StickersAllows you to add static stickers to a video on the editing UI at a point in time. After you add a static sticker, you can change the display duration of the static sticker and the point in time when you want to display the static sticker.
DoodleAllows you to change the style, size, and color of the paint brush.
End watermarksAllows you to add end watermarks to videos. You can specify the display duration of the end watermarks.
Custom renderingSupports custom rendering for encoded frame data that is returned in callbacks.
Noise reductionSupports noise reduction for audio clips.
Audio fade-in and fade-outSupports audio fade-in and fade-out effects.
MuteAllows you to mute the original audio of the current video and music.
Sound effectsAllows you to use sound effects such as lively female voice and husky male voice to replace the original sound on the editing UI.
Animated stickersAnimated stickersAllows you to add a sequence of frames that contain animated stickers to a video at a point in time. After you add an animated sticker, you can adjust the display duration of the animated sticker and the point in time when you want to display the animated sticker. To use this feature, you must select the Sticker feature when you purchase the short video SDK on the short video SDK buy page.
TemplatesMVAllows you to add MVs and switch between different MVs on the editing UI. You can use this feature free of charge.
TemplatesAllows you to apply a template to the specified videos or images to create a personalized video.
Custom subtitlesRegular subtitlesAllows you to add multiple subtitles. You can configure the position, size, angle, color, and font of subtitles. You can also specify the display duration of the subtitles, and the point in time when you want to display the subtitles. To use this feature, you must select the Subtitle feature when you purchase the short video SDK on the short video SDK buy page.
Bubble subtitlesAllows you to add a background to subtitles. You can add animated backgrounds and configure subtitle borders.
Word artSupports the multi-colored text style that uses art effects.
Subtitle flippingAllows you to combine subtitle effects. You can manage the effects and specify the point in time based on your business requirements.
Draft boxThe online editing project is being edited.Allows you to save the videos that you record or edit as drafts. You can directly edit the drafts when you want to use them. You can use this feature free of charge.
Draft listAllows you to add edited videos to the draft list.
Synchronization of drafts to the cloudAllows you to upload and download video drafts.
Other featuresAlbum selectionAllows you to filter videos by album or by video duration. You can use this feature free of charge.
ThumbnailsAllows you to extract frames from a video at a specified time point and generate thumbnails by using the frames. You can quickly generate thumbnails when you use the fast mode.
Video informationAllows you to extract common information about a video, such as the resolution, frame rate, and encoding format.
Upload to ApsaraVideo VODSupports media asset management, cloud-based transcoding, and content moderation.

Customer service

Intelligent customer service is an intelligent chatbot that Alibaba Cloud provides for the short video SDK. The intelligent chatbot can answer your questions about the short video SDK and its usage.

References