Flixel Gives Smartphone Users the Power of Cinemagraphs

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Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) images have always been a way of bridging the divide between a still shot image and an animation.  However, there has never been a way to have a still image that allows for a still image to have a section of it animated (such as the eyes of a person) - at least not until now.  Flixel, a free application available only for the iPhone, gives smartphone owners the ability to create their own beautiful cinemagraphs.  Pioneered by fashion photographers Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg, cinemagraphs take the concept of GIF images and add it to a unique canvas - freezing part of an image and letting the rest play through an endless loop.  This app gives both design fanatics and average iPhone users the opportunity to create and share like never before.

The creators and marketers behind the development of this application wanted to give users a creative photography platform.  In a world that has seen the widespread success of Instagram, nothing less than a creative platform could stand a chance.  The application had to search for a way to simplify a technical work of art into a user-friendly tool that also allowed sharing.  Beck and Burg's inspiring photography had to be understood by the laypeople to be successful.

"The process is simple: capture a two-second scene, then with a few finger swipes paint the area you'd like to animate," said Mark Homza, CMO and co-founder of Flixel.  "The rest of the image stays still, while the motion repeats."

Beck and Burg have given the world a way to legitimize GIF images, giving this work of art an aesthetic that sets it aside from video and still photography alike.  And with the work of Flixel, anybody can find an unlimited amount of ways to create stunningly beautiful works of art that can easily be shared on social media.  By encouraging participation and standing out with a unique take on art, Flixel could very well be the next great photo sharing application (after Instagram) that people are jumping on board for.

The following is a commercial that was made for the application.  I feel that it does a great job at sharing the qualities of this product (and form of art), as well as emphasizing its ease of use.


For more hardcore creators, the application gives many options for hipster-like filters.  There are also options to repeat or auto-reverse your loops.  Even more in depth is the ability to trim the start and ending of your shots - giving users the ability to control the final product and create a seamless animation.
The creators of the application are looking at eventually releasing a pro version of the application, making it a freemium product.  They are also eventually looking to expand into having an iPad and Android version of the product.  For now, they just want to take feedback from iPhone users and expand wherever necessary.
For more in-depth information about the creators, inspiration, and ingenuity behind Flixel, you can read the source article for this post here.  I personally think that Flixel will surpass many applications as being an engaging tool that inspires creativity for professionals and amateurs alike.  Who knows, this app may be the next one to get offered $1 billion by a social networking site.
Download this free application, and don't forget to leave a comment regarding your feelings for both Flixel and cinemagraphs as a whole.