APP Review : DUBSMASH Review : Much more than lip-syncing

Breaking for the monotony of messaging apps. Dubsmash adds a special dose of comic relief to everyday video messages by allowing users to lip-sync to popular songs, movie scenes, sound effects, catch lines or any other audio and send these “dubs” to other users via Social media, other messenger apps or better still using the Dubsmash app itself.

The novelty of this app is more in its video creation feature rather than its actual messaging capabilities. With over 10 million downloads and a whole host of celebrity users Dubsmash is currently among the top trending apps worldwide. Its simplicity and quirkiness makes it attractive to the youth as well as adults.

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Dubsmash boasts of one of the most comprehensive sound clip libraries with thousands of clips, including scenes from popular movies and TV shows like, Game of thrones, South Park, Austin Powers etc, Animal noises, excerpts of popular songs, operas and much more. Add to this users can easily upload their own sounds to the library for use by others.

Videos once created can easily be saved to gallery or shared to social media directly. Dubsmash supports many popular messaging apps and platforms. Moreover, one mustn’t forget Dubmash itself has messaging capabilities which allows users to easily share their dubs with other existing Dubsmash App users.

Pros & Cons:

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PROS

CONS

[arrow_list] Unique and innovative concept Extensive library of sounds and songs, that’s constantly being updated Simple to use interface Shoot, Edit and Re-take videos easily Supports sharing videos over social media and messenger apps like Whatsapp, Facebook etc Registering for an account optional Users can add their own sounds to the library Dubsmash files are small enough to store and share [/arrow_list]

[arrow_list] Clips restricted to maximum length of 10 seconds or lower Poor video quality despite using high end camera phones Sound library so vast it might be confusing for some Objectionable material can make their way into the sound library Lack of options in choosing video quality [/arrow_list]

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User Experience / Features :

Once downloaded and Installed, the app opens up with a homepage that provides a few quick guidelines to navigate the interface. What we liked about the app in particular was that users are not compelled to create their accounts on Dubsmash in order to use the video creation features. Although later on if they wish to upload sounds or create their sound-boards and communicate with other Dubsmash users creating an account becomes a necessity.

Opening the sound library we see that the audio files are neatly arranged into categories like Humor, Love, Movies, Popular / Trending sounds etc. Finding your desired audio is a breeze, considering there is a search option as well. Before using a sound, you can audition the same, or STAR it for use later on. Uploading new sounds was fairly easy as well. However, keep in mind clips can be of a maximum length of 10 seconds which might be a let-down for some.

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Now we come to the crux of the issue, recording the videos. Point the camera towards yourself and start dubbing, its as simple as that. The app even provides a cowntdown timer to help you get ready. Once the dub has been recorded, users can review and same and if they require easily re-do them with a single touch. While recording videos was simple enough, the striking issue was the overall quality of the videos created. The makers claim that by ensuring small size they make sharing easier, which might be true to some extent, but given the fact that almost everyone today has access to high speed internet. Having the option to choose video quality would have been a welcome feature.

Dubsmash videos though fun, quirky and entertaining, may be considered illegal according to legal experts. Copyright infringement is a very real possibility. Thus users must refrain from sharing dubs featuring popular songs on social media platforms like Facebook or broadcasting them on Twitter for all to see, especially if they have significantly high number of friends and followers. Thus, its recommended that users share their dubs only among a close group of friends in private messages or email. Although, no such restrictions exist on animal sounds or sounds created by users themselves.

Verdict :

Dubsmash scores high on entertainment factor and provides a fun new way to communicate with friends and cater to the aspiring Actor in you. An extensive library of sounds, easy to use interface and popularity among celebrities makes it a hot platform to be a part of. But users must be careful as to what they are sharing and where, to avoid violating copyrights.

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