Easy video editing service Magisto starts selling $2 editing themes for weddings, birthdays, & more

Anyone who’s attended a wedding knows there’s usually no shortage of boring personal videos of the event — but very few end up being any good. Magisto today is hoping to fix that with the launch of its new premium editing themes.

Magisto gives you the ability to make professional-looking one-minute videos using 10 minutes of rough video footage from your mobile device or desktop, 10 photos, and an audio track. You even have the option of helping guide that editing process for a more personal touch without having to spend a ton of time messing with it. The automatic editing can be done in about 7 minutes, according to the company, which is much quicker than using pro video-editing software. And the service is proving to be quite popular, with what the company calls “20 years’ worth” of video being uploaded by users and 30 million collective video views every month.

The company’s new line of premium editing themes seek to apply its technology for specific moments common to most people, allowing you to adjust the video speed, add special effects, and alter other elements that frame a video’s mood. Magisto is starting with three premium themes for use during weddings, adorable baby moments (like first steps), and birthdays. Each theme will set you back $2, which is a one-time fee that grants you unlimited use. Those with a premium Magisto account, however, can use the three new premium themes for free. The company also provides a handful of custom editing themes based on sporting events or holidays, too, but I’d imagine we’ll start seeing more premium versions going forward.

But while Magisto’s premium themes provide it with a new source of revenue, the company still has plenty of potential as an attractive platform for advertisers. The personal videos created with Magisto’s technology might not get hundreds of views, but it will get a handful of eyeballs that are paying very close attention to the video itself. This is because you’re essentially producing a higher-quality series of home movies that a large extended family of 20-30 will definitely all watch and save for later, as VentureBeat previously reported. Should Magisto decide to start doing sponsored editing themes, it could easily make the case that Magisto videos have a much higher rate of engagement than funny, not-quite-viral videos on YouTube. And Magisto has the data to back up that assessment, revealing to VentureBeat that 50 percent of all videos shared comes from SMS and email referrals.

Founded in 2011, Menlo Park, Calif.-based startup has raised $20.5 million in funding to date from Mail.ru, SanDisk, Qualcomm Ventures, and others. Check out the wedding video embedded below for a closer look at Magisto’s technology in action.