Flixel Cinemagraph app review: create a moving, living photo on your iOS device
Introduction
Flixel Cinemagraph by Flixel Photos Inc. is an app that allows you to create living photos, also known as cinemagraphs. Unlike a still photo, a living photo contains a portion of seamless and infinitely looping motion. Creating one is easy, but more about that later. Some of these effects are really mesmerizing, like you’re watching a video, but other can be downright freaky. Don’t get these living photos confused with animated GIFs though, as these do have certain sense of art to them.
It’s Hard to Explain...
Man, I wish I could show you one of these living photos. It’s really strange how they look still and yet are moving. If you’re curious, you should definitely download this app and see what the professionals have created, with the help of supermodel Tyra Banks. Luckily, the app holds tons of great examples of how this works. Imagine a still photo with the flickering light of a candle in front of it, or a nightly still scene where the neon lights are still flickering. You can say I am very impressed with the whole artiness of it all. Not all of them come out as good though, as some of the results are downright freaky!
How It Works
It’s easy to use: just tap on the top right-hand corner shutter icon and you will go to a camera. Unlike other photos, you need to have a few second of “recording.” The trick is to have a still scene where only one object is moving. After capturing the scene (make sure your camera is on a stable surface) you can point out where the movement is and voila, you’ve got yourself a living photo! You can then share this on Facebook or Twitter without any problem.
For $9.99 you can buy a pro app as well (the app itself doesn’t push you to do this at all) where you can add an unmatched level of quality to your work using a full suite of capturing and editing tools. You can then also export your work in full high definition.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Amazing and mesmerizing living photos
- Incredibly easy to create one yourself
- Tons of different professional examples
Cons
- Some of the photos are downright freaky
- The pro app costs quite a bit
Conclusion
Yes, you should definitely check this out. I expected this to be some kind of hipster GIF-making application, but boy, was I wrong! The living photo idea is fantastic and really creates a new way of expressing your memories. I wish I had a photo camera that could do this! Aspiring photographers as well as people who would like to see something really cool should all check out this app. Flixel is available for free, is compatible with both iPhone and iPad, and only requires 10 MB of space.
