Viddy doubles length of clips, adds video enhancement tools

Social video startup video has released an updated iOS app with a bevy of new features to help people enhance their videos and to stave off Twitter's upstart video-sharing app, Vine.

Debuting this evening in Apple's App Store, the updated app doubles the length of videos that people can upload from 15 seconds to 30 seconds, as well as adding the Vine-like ability to pause recording to splice together segments into a single clip. The app also adds 15 new video filters, licensed music tracks from popular artists that can be added to videos, and stop-motion functionality that adjusts video frame rates.

Viddy, which is sometimes referred to as the Instagram of video, also offers social discovery tools to help users find and share videos that are important to them. The update adds a section with curated video categories and trending topics. A geocentric feed spotlights videos from specific regions, while another feed focuses on user interests and preferences.

In another Twitter-like feature, Viddy will add a verified user program for celebrities, public figures, and company brands.

The update comes in the wake of corporate upheaval at the Venice, Calif.-based startup. The company, which claims 40 million users, revealed earlier this week that it had laid off a dozen employees, or about a third of its work force. The cuts came less than a month after the firing of co-founder and CEO Brett O'Brien, who was rumored to have turned down a buyout offer from Twitter, which ended up buying Vine and launching its app last month.