Instagram has talked about how a move into video might be the future of the platform, which seems like a terrible idea. Know what doesn’t seem like a terrible idea? Animated GIFs, especially cinemagraphs. And with the arrival of Cinemagram to the iOS App Store, you can make them right now.
What does it do?
Cinemagram uses your iPhone camera to capture a short video clip, and then convert it into an cinemagraph, which is a highly stylised animated GIF where only one part of the image moves. You record a clip and cut it down to a length Cinemagram deems acceptable (generally a couple of seconds). Then you mask the area you want to move. If you want, slap on a filter to give it that look of misplaced nostalgia. Then the app will then render the GIF and drop it into a stream with all the other cinemagraphs people are making (there doesn’t appear to be a way to make a cinemagraph private, FWIW).
Cinemagram is rough around the edges, and it’s just as easy to make a really bad cinemagraph as it is to make a really good one. Even so, it’s awesome, and loaded with potential.
Why do we like it?
Cinemagraphs (and animated GIFs in general) are great, but making them takes time and a drop of skill. Being able to take advantage of the power and portability of the iPhone to allow people to create them on the fly is a godsend. (Click the photo and see.)
I don’t want to look at a bunch of shoddy, 30-second video clips, but I do want to look at two-second cinemagraphs. Instagram should be taking notes (or making offers). [TechCrunch]
The Best
Cinemagraphs made easy
The Worst
Half-baked social component. No privacy settings