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Google teases a true video editor for its Chromebooks

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Sundar Pichai stands in front of a Google logo at Google I/O 2021.
This story is part of our complete Google I/O coverage

Chromebooks might have better battery life, security, and performance when compared to MacBooks and Windows PCs, but video editing has always been their weakness. That might soon change, though, as Google recently teased a true video editor for Chrome OS during the annual I/O developer conference.

As mentioned at around the 18-minute mark in a “what’s new in Chrome OS” video, Google says it is planning to bring LumaFusion to Chromebooks. This video editor is already quite popular on iOS, yet Google says it has worked closely with the developer of the app to create a “powerful multi-track video editing experience on Android optimized for large screens” on Chrome OS.

Luma Fusion Running on Chrome OS
Google

“With LumaFusion, Chrome OS users will be able to process multiple 4K media tracks and access a range of audio and video effects such as scaling, rotation, scaling keys, transparency, and more,” said Google in the video.

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Google went on in this video to showcase LumaFusion in action. We can see that an individual is using an HP Chromebook, and drags stock media into a timeline in LumaFusion using their fingers. The person then goes on to add a background effect, a title, transitions, and other video effects, too. All of this happens with almost no lag throughout the short segment, though we can’t tell if it has been edited to cut out wait times.

As pointed out by Chrome Unboxed, this is one of the many featured apps that Google is highlighting for Chrome OS this year. However, Google did not provide a solid release date for LumaFusion on Chromebooks, just indicating that it is “coming soon.”

LumaFusion coming to Chromebooks helps bridge the gap that many might experience when jumping into the ecosystem for the first time. Google already partnered to bring Steam to Chrome OS, and by bringing a true video editor over to the platform, it can now dip into the creator market that is usually dominated by much higher-end Windows and Mac systems.

Google also announced some other software updates for Chrome OS later this year. Those updates aim to bring Android and Chromebooks closer together with the ability to share photos, stream communication apps, and fast pair accessories between devices.

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Arif Bacchus
Arif Bacchus
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…
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