How to Make a Cinemagraph: The Complete Guide

Katch dn How to create an AWESOME CINEMAGRAPH But first. WHAT IS A CINEMAGRAPH? Cinemagraphs have been around since 2011, when the name was coined by U.S. photography duo, Kevin Burg and Jamie Beck - "A living moment in an otherwise still photograph" 66 A PHOTO COMBINED WITH SUBTLE MOTION ON A SEAMLESS LOOP 99 WHAT FILE FORMAT .GIF SHOULD I USE? Although they are often saved as GIF files, with the mass adoption of HTML5 across the internet, more cinemagraphs are being saved as MPEG4 - a less .MP4 resource intensive format for the web. .GIF .MPEG4 SPEED SLOW FAST IZE LARGE COMPRESSED COLOURS 256 MILLIONS QUALITY LOW HIGH Although similar to traditional GIFS in many ways, a stronger emphasis is placed on cinemagraphs as a piece of art. HOW TO MAKE A CINEMAGRAPH Although there are different ways to make your first cinemagraph, here's two great ways to get started. Flixel Cinemagraph Pro app Adobe Photoshop iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch & Mac OS X. Video guide on creating cinemagraphs in photoshop here: Full guide on how to use it, with a 10% discount code here: http://bit.ly/lVnqoi7 http://bit.ly/InvFyaM TIPS & TRICKS Simple tips, tricks and hints to make your cinemagraphs great 1. USE A TRIPOD TO STEADY YOUR CAMERA The background of your shot should remain perfectly still so you have full control over animated elements. RULE OF THIRDS 2. FRAME YOUR SCENE LIKE YOU WOULD A PHOTO TRIANGLES Focus on artistic direction and the LEADING LINES story you are trying to tell first, so that even without the moving portions you would have a well framed shot. 3. MAKE SURE YOUR LOOP IS SMOOTH The loop is key to portraying the illusion that your image is alive. Control the loop by trimming the animated area then adjusting speed, crossfade and the type of loop (bounce/repeat). of TRIM YOUR CLIP ADJUST SPEED CROSSFADE CHOOSE LOOP AND TIMING 4. EXPERIMENT! CHANGE PERSPECTIVE TELL A STORY Change the way you pick your shots. Always keep an eye out for elements that look natural in a perpetual state of motion. SHOOT SOMETHING CREATE NATURAL UNEXPECTED МOTION SET PURPOSE, GOAL, OR TARGET 5. ALIGN YOUR STORY WITH THE AUDIENCE'S INTEREST Consider purpose, target audience and delivery channels. If your audience are fashion designers then it makes sense to have the clothes tell the story. TAILOR TO YOUR CHOOSE DELIVERY DESIRED AUDIENCE CHANNELS 6. LESS IS MORE Often the best cinemagraphs highlight the subtle movements in the scene, with the largest section of the shot remaining static. Functionally. you want to try and trim your footage to under 100 frames, 100 In this cinemagraph, only the wine glass moves, ensuring the effect Isn't lost in the complex background! 7. K THE RIGHT FILE FORMAT In the age of mobile and with mass adoption of HTML5 as the language of the web, there really is no reason to still be using the GIF file format. .MP4 .OGG .WEBM Instead, modern browsers have the ability to play video files natively. HTML5 SUPPORTS THREE VIDEO FILE FORMATS: MP4, OGG AND WEBM. G+ HOW TO SHARE YOUR CINEMAGRAPH on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine or Google+ You can share your cinemagraphs across most social channels, and even better, Facebook have just introduced the ability to upload a seven second video as your profile photo. SOCIAL CHANNEL LENGTH FORMAT FACEBOOK 20-30 SECONDS VIDEO (e.g. MP4) TWITTER 20-30 SECONDS VIDEO (e.g. MP4), GIF INSTAGRAM 4-15 SECONDS VIDEO (e.g. MP4) VINE 6-7 SECONDS VIDEO (e.g. MP4) GOOGLE+ 20-30 SECONDS SHARE URL "Twitter automatically converts gifs to mp4 video SOURCES http://time.com/3388024/when-photos-come-to-life-the-art-of-the-cinemagraph/ http://mashable.com/2011/12/21/kevin-burg-cinemagraphs-tumblr/ http://cinemagraphs.com https://flixel.com/