Photography apps entertain me far more than any type of game. I love seeing developers push the iPhone’s crappy little camera by allowing us to use it in new and creative ways.
GIF SHOP, an app designed by Something Savage, is an excellent example of a simple concept that’s brilliantly executed; creating animated GIFs or stop-motion style videos with just a couple of taps.
I tested the app out at the dog park. Launch it and it opens like the camera app, but with a circle in the center of the screen that you tap to snap the picture. Each shot appears as a thumbnail lining the top of the screen; you can tap one to pull it up full screen, and tap the “X” to delete it. I’d love to see a reordering feature introduced here, perhaps in future versions.
Tapping the “Settings” button allows you to adjust the onion skin, which is the last image you took layered behind what you are currently seeing through the camera. As an example, on the right is what I saw before snapping my last shot at the dog park – notice how you can see the swimming pool, which I used to help line up the pictures.
After making your GIF, you can save, email or share it online. While it’s great for quick, funny animations, I think introducing a few editing options – especially adding text and color editing – could make GIF SHOP a seriously badass app for stop-motion work. 