Friday, September 26, 2014

Cinemagraphs: Classy Gifs

The smoke animating we did in class made me want to take a deeper look into Cinemagraphs. Cinemagraphs are still photos animated in select areas, very much like our cigarettes and chimneys from class. Cinemagraphs is actually a trademarked name from Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg, though the idea of animating a still photo has been present for much longer than the trademark.

Beck’s and Burg’s website, cinemagraphs.com, features a lot of their work from around New York City. Cinemagraphs are GIFs, but somehow much more emotive than what one might normally associate with a .gif. It is very much like watching a regular video, but the stillness of most of the scene adds an element that can be very soothing or haunting—like the whole world is frozen except for that one point. It’s an interesting glimpse into a moment.


The process of creating a Cinemagraph (or a gif in general) is relatively simple, considering how beautiful and impressive it can be. All it takes is a recording or some photos and you’ve got yourself the basis of a cinemagraph!


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