The focus of competition among short video platforms is moving towards the upstream direction of creation. By shifting from the field of content distribution, the threshold for creation can be lowered, and the party that controls the entrance to creation will be more likely to seize the opportunities of the next era.
Strategic considerations for Internet platforms
To build a complete and closed link from creation to distribution, it is extremely important to control the starting point of content. Major domestic Internet companies such as ByteDance, Tencent, Alibaba, etc. have increased investment in their own video editing tools in recent years. The direct goal of this action is to better retain the large number of UGC creators within their own ecological scope and prevent them from flowing to other platforms.
This kind of layout also stems from the discovery of the pain of the market. Although the previous professional-level software was very powerful, its high price, complicated operations and the cost of learning blocked the vast majority of daily users. The platform realizes that it is necessary to launch a tool that is truly "usable, easy to use, and convenient to use" in order to inspire a wider range of creative people and continue to provide the platform with new content for their use.
The dilemma of civilianization of professional tools
Just before the short video wave took off, software such as Adobe Premiere Pro and Apple Final Cut Pro had already established their position in the professional film and television field. Generally speaking, these software are not cheap. For example, for Premiere Pro, its subscription fee is an ongoing expense for individual users, and this software also has relatively high requirements for computer hardware configuration.
Apart from the economic cost, its complicated interface design and operation logic also make ordinary users who have not studied the system feel intimidated. From the beginning of the installation, to the completion of the configuration, to the actual editing and output, the entire process involves a lot of professional knowledge, which constitutes a huge contradiction with the fast and simple creation needs pursued by users in the short video era.
The rise of Jianying
After the successful editing, the first thing to attribute to it is its extremely low threshold for use. It provides intuitive drag-and-drop operations, has a large number of templates and sticker materials, and also has intelligent subtitle recognition and music matching functions. Users do not need any professional background to produce good-looking video content in a short time.
The more critical point is that the editing relies on Douyin, which is a huge traffic gathering area and an ecological environment for content creation and development. It can be seamlessly connected with Douyin's popular music, special effects, and topic challenges. The synergy effect produced by this ecological aspect is an advantage that other editing tools that operate alone are difficult to imitate and copy, and can quickly accumulate a huge user base.
From amateur to professional
Although it was initially positioned as a mass tool, the editing iteration direction has been moving closer to the professional field. In recent years, it has successively introduced functions such as multi-track editing functions, key frame animation functions, color adjustment functions, audio noise reduction functions, etc. for deeper users. It has even tried to be compatible with the import of project files from professional software.
The attention of some small studios and freelancers has been attracted by these initiatives. For some teams with limited budgets or tight project cycles, the convenience of editing and sufficient basic functions make this a feasible alternative, especially suitable for the rapid production of social media videos.
Reservations from professional users
Well, from the perspective of senior film and television editors and large production companies, there is still a fundamental gap between editing and tools such as Premiere Pro. An editor with ten years of experience said that professional software has significant advantages in complex project management and fine control, such as the agency process of a large number of materials, complex multi-camera synchronization, and precise color management.
High migration costs are caused by working habits and collaboration processes. The standard tool chain of the entire industry is built on professional software, as is the plug-in ecosystem. The team collaboration model is also based on professional software. Replacing core tools means retraining the team and taking potential compatibility risks, which is unrealistic in commercial projects.
AI-driven future competition
Nowadays, competition has entered a new stage, and AI capabilities have become a key variable. ByteDance has increased the priority of its AI creation platforms such as Jimeng, hoping to deeply integrate AI image generation, video generation and editing tools to further automate the creative process and reduce technical barriers to creative realization.
This is not just a functional upgrade, but an extension of the strategic level. With the help of artificial intelligence, the platform aims to have a deeper understanding of users' creative intentions and provide full-link assistance from creative stimulation to finished product output, thereby more firmly locking in creators and preparing for the competition in content forms with artificial intelligence as the core in the future.
In your opinion, will the in-depth involvement of AI lead to a more democratized trend in video creation, or will it further intensify the homogenization of content? Welcome to share your opinions in the comment area. If you feel that this article can bring inspiration, please like it to support it.
