I first learned about JayCut last summer and was actually excited about using it in my classroom as a lightweight web-based video editor, but then it went offline for a while as JayCut was retooled. Today, JayCut relaunched its free, online, video editing service. After my initial testing of JayCut I can say it was worth the wait.

To use JayCut online you will need to join the JayCut community. Once you’ve joined you can immediately start creating a video. The JayCut editor allows you to use two video editing tracks, an audio track, and a transitions track to create your video. JayCut provides some stock video and stock transitions that you can use, but the best option is to upload your own images, video clips, and sound tracks. By all appearances the limitation for video length is thirty minutes. The videos you create can be published online on the JayCut site, published directly to YouTube, or downloaded to your computer.

The user interface of JayCut’s video editor is one of the most intuitive I’ve seen on a video editor. Every element of your video can be added through simple drag and drop motions. The play length of each element in your video can be shortened or lengthened by simply dragging the ruler tools.

Applications for Education
JayCut’s new online video editor could be a great alternative to iMovie or Movie Maker. The clear advantage of JayCut over other online video tools like Animoto or Stupeflix is that you can add more media clips and make longer videos than you can with Animoto or Stupeflix.