Cinelab - Bing 2024

Cinelab is an application that turns our PC or tablet, running Windows 8 or Windows RT, into a moviola, with which we can edit and assemble videos in the traditional style of cine made on photochemical film. It is important to understand this spirit so as not to fall into the temptation of belittling this software for its simplicity.

In celluloid cinema, works are created based on selecting and organizing scenes, physically cutting sections of film, and then mounting them, joining the pieces with a special glue. This is the mission of Cinelab, with the advantage that it does not destroy the original content, nor does our editing room smell of glue.

Working with Cinelab

When running the application our desktop becomes a fitting room. We will have a graphite gray screen, with the product logo in the upper left corner and a control to add video sequences immediately below.

In the upper right corner the title of our work (initially without a title), and in the lower part a group of controls: rewind (Rewind), display (Play) and show to full screen the selected video sequence.

By clicking on the “add” control, the Modern UI-style file manager is displayed, to locate the sequences, which we can import in bulk, with a maximum of sevenvideo clis. The paid version removes this restriction.

This is a limitation that does not prevent us from working comfortably, thinking that we can manufacture sections with simple blocks, export these, and retrieve them again to join other complex sections.

Once we have the video clips on the desktop, we can order them by drag and drop (with the mouse or finger ). In each individual clip you can adjust the entry point and the exit point, by means of sliders that are activated by clicking on its representative icon with the right mouse button.

Sorting clips by drag and drop

We can move within the sequence with the square control on the slider, and as we do so we can see the timecode.Sequences can be cloned, removed, and clear a previous selection. We also have the option to undo the last step, and the possibility of multiple selection for certain actions.

We will proceed like this, sequence after sequence, or group by group, and when we have everything adjusted we can export the work using the Make Movie control. Projects can be saved at any time, to be retrieved later and continue working.

Cinelab is compatible with the most common codecs (DV, H264, MJPEG, MPEG 4, WMV) in the most widespread formats ( .ASF, .WMA, .WMV, .MP4, .WMV, .M4V, .MOV, .WAV, .AVI).

The manufacturer recommends working with a resolution of 720 pixels, although the program supports higher resolutions.

Cinelab, conclusions

Cinelab is a digital moviola designed with the help of professionals from the world of cinema, framed in what I usually call “the beauty of the simplicity”. There are no effects, transitions or functions of other products to edit video, because it is not its mission. It allows editing and editing in the old style, from the comfort of the sofa if we do it with a tablet, and it does it very well.

The great masterpieces of cinema have been edited and assembled in this way when electronic media did not exist. The important thing about tools is the use we make of them and not their sophistication. Let's not forget that, with the same hammer that Michelangelo sculpted La Piedad, you can also drive a nail into it.