“Google’s new Motion Stills [app] improves upon Apple’s Live Photos by making them less shaky, resulting in some cool effects,” Gina Hall reports for Silicon Valley Business Journal. Google’s new technology can freeze the background into a still photo or create sweeping cinematic pans. The result is a unique looping GIF or video that can be shared via messaging or on social media. The app is now available in the Apple App Store.”
“Apple debuted its Live Photos in late 2015,” Hall reports. “The feature automatically records 1.5 seconds of audio and video before and after a shot, reminiscent of the living portraits in Harry Potter. The images initially appear static, but animate when viewed.”
“Google’s Motion Stills app removes blurry frames from Live Photos and determines the best start/end point for a loop,” Hall reports. “It also determines what’s in the background and what’s in the foreground and isolates them for stabilization.”
“This marks another recent Google app to debut first on iOS. Google launched its iOS keyboard, Gboard, on iOS in May,” Hall reports. “Gboard included features not yet available on the Android keyboard, such as GIF search and auto-emoji suggestions.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Google going hard on first-for-iOS apps really reinforces and highlights the fact that Android is a second thought backwater.
As with every Google app: Be careful! Read the fine print first.
SEE ALSO:
Beleaguered Samsung to attempt to knock off Apple iPhone’s Live Photos – January 14, 2016
Tips on using iPhone 6s/Plus new Live Photos feature – September 25, 2015
No thanks. I’ll keep away from Google junk.
I generally agree with avoiding apps that collect data (most Google products), but this actually makes Live Photos a lot more useful. And, they specifically point out that all the processing is being done ON your iPhone – it isn’t sending the photo up to some server.
Yes, not everything Google does is always bad. However, Apple better announce that the original Live Photos will receive similar upgrade on Monday; otherwise it would be slightly embarrassing that Google does better treatment of Apple’s idea that Apple itself.
At least, it isn’t when your iPhone is offline…