Moving Pictures

FREE DAILY TRENDS

21 MAY 2013

Park It

New apps help drivers locate parking spots

13 MAY 2013

Spot On

Free Wi-Fi hotspots are emerging in atypical venues

9 MAY 2013

Apps Against Extinction

New mobile campaigns protect and build awareness of endangered species

25 APR 2013

IPSo Facto

Indoor Positioning Systems are the next frontier in mobile navigation

24 APR 2013

Get Psyched

Virtual therapy is bringing emotional healing home

19 APR 2013

Tipping Point

New technologies advance the art of appreciation

17 APR 2013

Make Some Noise

Digital tools simulate aural environments to boost listeners’ productivity

12 APR 2013

Getting Cloudy

The cloud yields a new generation of online organizational tools

29 MAR 2013

Small Gestures

Forthcoming wireless devices control computers through physical movements

21 MAR 2013

Lighten Up

LED light bulbs are getting cheaper, subtler, and more efficient

20 MAR 2013

What’s the Password?

New gadgets help users keep their online passwords secure and organized

18 MAR 2013

Close Encounters of the 3D Kind

New technologies are poised to make 3D printing more accessible

14 MAR 2013

Full Alert

Sensory alert technologies keep users apprised of physical and social stimuli

8 MAR 2013

Whose Vine Is It Anyway?

Novel digital tools illuminate the emergence of Vine

6 MAR 2013

Ain’t No Dummy

High-tech mannequins enliven brick-and-mortar shopping

5 MAR 2013

Crowd Control

New apps help commuters avoid congestion

28 FEB 2013

(Sm)art Galleries

Museum are using apps to enhance the visitor experience

27 FEB 2013

Snap Decision

New digital tools facilitate crowdsourced decision-making

26 FEB 2013

On the Road

Automotive marketing shifts into high gear

22 FEB 2013

Summing Up

Apps use algorithms to distill content into key points

Invented by photographer Jamie Beck and graphic artists Kevin Burg, the cinemagraph has become the darling of the online marketing world, as evidenced by recent promotions for everything from films to fashion. More engaging than a static photo, yet more artful than the animated GIF, the cinemagraph is proving to be more than a passing fad. And, now, thanks to a number of apps, anyone can make one.

Cinemagram: Apps like Viddy and Socialcam are starting to find an audience, but video sharing has yet to attract the numbers of photo sharing. Might it be that people find videos a little too real to share? Cinemagram may be a happy medium between the two genres. The iOS app can convert a brief video clip into an even more fleeting, two-to-three-second cinemagraph, complete with flattering filters, which can be shared within a social stream. It has a long way to go before it catches up to The $1 Billion App, but with one million users after launching just six weeks ago, it seems to be on track.

Flixel: The Action Movie FX app has found fans in would-be Hollywood stuntmen, but for those who prefer art house films to box office blow-ups, Flixel may be more to their liking. Recognizing that the technical expertise that Beck and Burg pour into their category-defining works is not attainable by the everyman, Flixel co-founder Mark Homza wanted to introduce a systemized way for people to add discreet animations to their photos. The resulting “living photo” app, which hit the iTunes store in March, captures video frames from still images, after which users simply swipe their digits over the area to which they want to add movement.

Kinotopic: Kinotopic likens its output to “the moving images in newspapers from a certain wizard themed series of movies.” The app conjures Harry Potter-style magic in the form of cinemagraphs, or what its creators call kinos. Unlike animated GIF apps, which create motion throughout an entire image, Kinotopic allows users to apply movement to a specific area by essentially finger-painting onto the screen (similar to how Flixel works). A menu of 12 filters makes the moving pictures look as spectacular as if a lighting crew had been there to film them. And though Kinotopic has a community element, users can keep their work private if they so choose.