Forget filters. Efexio app puts dinosaurs and dragons in videos!

By Chris O’Brien

July 19, 2013 12 AM PT

Vine? Instagram video? Sure, lots of neat little features for short videos, such as filters and what not.

But here comes Efexio, a new app from a New York-based company that wants to create a special-effects marketplace for your phone and tablet videos.

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Of late, special-effects studios have been feeling the pinch, with many struggling to survive the changing economics of their business. The folks behind Efexio say they’re hoping the marketplace will create a new line of business for these folks.

To kick things off, they’ve partnered with Berkeley-based Tippett Studio, a visual effects studio that has won Academy Awards and has had a hand in movies such as “Hellboy” and “Starship Troopers.” The Efexio marketplace now has a “Tippett Creature Shop” that features dragons, zombies, dinosaurs and penguins.

And really, who cares about some filter when you can add dragons, zombies and dinosaurs to your videos?

Here are a few short videos I shot on my iPhone 5. You open the Efexio app and pick the effect you want to add. It comes with a couple free effects (a dinosaur and palm tree). And then there’s a store to buy others. The lower-resolution versions cost $1.99. The higher-quality ones cost $5.99 or more.

After opening Efexio, these each took about two minutes to edit. There are some basic controls that let you change the size, placement and direction of the creature.