How to make "live" photos: a step-by-step description, an overview of programs and recommendations. How to take Live Photos on Instagram? Cinemagrams Live illustration

Not so long ago, Instagram and other social networks were flooded with a new fashion trend - "live" photos. How to take a Live Photo? At the moment, many different programs have been developed, thanks to which you can achieve the desired effect. For iPhones with iOS 9 and above given function turned on in camera mode. Now we are not talking about pictures that convey real emotions, or about random photos, but about animated pictures, where only one particular episode "comes to life". Despite the similarities with gifs, they are still different.

What are "live" photos?

"Live" photos are images in which the main subject remains static, while the background is animated, or vice versa. In fact, any detail can move: eyes open / close, leaves flutter, water flows, hair flutters, etc. Everything else remains strictly motionless, which creates a feeling of real magic.

What is the difference between "live" photos and GIFs?

GIF we used to call an animated image, consisting of several static frames. All GIFs, respectively, are in GIF format.

"Live" photos are a combination of JPG and MOV format. This hybrid is only supported by iOS 9 and above. All other gadgets, if you transfer this file, will see only the JPG image. To show the world the original appearance of such a Live Photo, it is most often converted to GIF format.

And, of course, the very style of live photos implies that part of the image will be static, and part will be animated, thus creating the effect of magic.

How did the fashion for "live" photos appear?

When it went on sale 2 years ago New Product Apple, many users were interested in how to take a "live" photo on the iPhone 6. Not only did the quality of the gadget's camera become much higher, it also added a mini-video function, which was saved in the "live" photo format by combining JPG and MOV. Despite the mega-popularity, this novelty still had a number of drawbacks:

• the photo was played only on iOS 9, in order to convey the motion effect on other devices, it was necessary to convert the file to GIF format;
• accompanying sound was recorded, which differed little new format from the video and was not always convenient;
• the iPhone recorded 45 frames and played the image at 15 fps, which was very similar to a GIF, but the file itself was much heavier;
• there was no function and erasing the audio sequence;
• the slightest shudder of the hands was fraught with a spoiled frame;
• the Live Photo format was very specific, because it combined MOV and JPG. If this "live" photo was tried to be sent by mail, then only the JPG component remained, the most important effect of movement disappeared.

How to take "live" photos?

Fortunately, there are now a lot of interested users not only operating system iOS, but also Android, scouring the Internet, can find many alternative ways to create a live photo.

If you are the owner of the famous "apple" smartphone, then you must know how to take a "live" photo on the iPhone. For this you need:

• Open the Camera app.
• Activate the "live" photo mode (life off).
• Press the shutter button.

If you have an Android smartphone, then one of the most suitable ways for you is to use the free Loopsie app. We will talk about it a little lower.

How to edit a photo

The updated version of iOS 11 introduced several new effects for live photos. If earlier they could only be viewed, now it is possible to turn off the sound, loop "live" photos or play them back and forth. A long exposure function has also been added. The developers took care not only of how to take a "live" photo on an iPhone, but also of its editing.

Live photo conversion

We learned how to take "live" photos on the iPhone 7. But how can this format be adapted to other operating systems? To do this, Live Photo needs to be converted. If you are interested in the question of how to make a video from live photos, then the answer is simple: just download the Live Gif application. It costs a little over 100 rubles and, as you might have guessed from the name, it can format live photos into GIF or video files. After certain manipulations in this application, the material will become suitable for publication in in social networks. You can also use Google's Motion Stills app, which works in a similar way.

How to "animate" a JPG photo?

Let's say you have a favorite photo that you want to bring to life. This can be done in "Photoshop" or in a special Plotagraph application. This program has a toolbar and, importantly, reference information that will help you figure out how to take "live" photos on an iPhone. This application is paid, it costs about 400 rubles. How does it work?

Open the application, select the desired picture, press the "animation" button. On the screen you will see arrows, they need to be placed on those parts of the photo that you plan to revive. Next, press the "Mask" button and overwrite the entire area that you want to leave static. The next step is to select the animation speed and save.

mask art

This application is free and without It is easy to use, but it can create spectacular live photos from videos. How to work with him?

• We open the program.
• Choose the right video.
• Find the best freeze frame and click Done in the upper right corner.
• Trim the video if necessary.
• With a brush, paint over the area that should move.
• Errors can be corrected with an eraser.
• We go into the video editor and adjust the color. Ready!

This application works only on Apple gadgets.

Loopsie for Android

Many are now wondering how to take "live" photos on "Android". Very simply, a number of applications have also been developed for this operating system. There are cheap and very expensive ones ($200), there are also free ones.

The app "Lupsi" is shareware. After a few days of using the demo, a watermark appears.

The first stage is programs. We open Loopsy and shoot a video in it, keeping our hands as static as possible. You can use a tripod or other way to fix the phone. So the "live" photo will be the most beautiful.

Before you start recording video, you can choose the size of the sides, switch the desired camera and use the grid - in this situation it helps out a lot.

After shooting the video, the program starts the stabilization process, it hides trembling in the hands and other technical irregularities.

Live Photo in Photoshop

At this stage, many are interested in whether it is possible to create a fashionable image in the Photoshop program. Yes, it's not difficult, but the work is more painstaking than in special applications for smartphones.

It is very important that your version of the program has a video creation function. How to check it? Open "Window", then - "Timeline". Look for the "Create Timeline" button. If it is not there, then, unfortunately, there is no video creation function either.

Now let's figure out how to make a "live" photo in Photoshop.

First of all, open the photo, for example, in JPG format. You can create an animated effect from one or more photos. Anyway main object and the background should be on different layers.

If you have one photo that you plan to "animate", then you can do it like this:

• Create a copy of the layer in image editing mode.
• Separate the main object from the background. It doesn't matter which selection tool you use, as long as the effect is as accurate as possible.
• After you have separated the background from the foreground, check if there is extra details. If necessary, they must also be removed.
• Refine the edges of the mask and make the selection more even.
• Recall that all manipulations must be carried out with a copy of the layer.
• Create a duplicate of the bottom layer. For convenience, we sign the layer with the main object with the number 1, and the background with the number ". We do not touch the background.
• Grab the stamp tool, set the opacity to 100% and choose a medium softness value.
• Go to the middle layer (background) and start using the stamp tool to hide the main object.

The next step will be the process of "revitalization", before which it is recommended to reduce the size of the picture so that in the future it will be easier to play and not slow down.

• Go to the Window menu and select Timeline.
• Click on the "Create Video Timeline" button.
• On the left are the buttons: "Stop", "Play", "Rewind / Forward", "Scissors", etc. The duration of a video image can be changed with a special slider, as in any other editor.
• Layers are automatically transferred to the timeline, which makes it possible to work with each of them separately.
• We select, for example, the zoom effect for the background by clicking the right mouse button. Let's play the video and see what happens.
• To create an aerial perspective, you need to work with the layer on which the main object is depicted. It can also be zoomed in or out, as well as determine the direction of movement.
• Converting an image to a GIF animation or video file. Ready!

As you can see, many programs and conditions have been created to express oneself creatively. Feel free to discover something new, perhaps it is your creative brainchild that will become the next fashion trend!

I love how photography captures the moment before it disappears.

© Susie Salmon, The Lovely Bones.

I continue the section of non-standard content for Instagram. I hate articles like "55 types of content that will blow your profile with likes." Usually they are a simple collection of the first ideas that came across, with half stuffed in just for the sake of quantity. Therefore, 1 idea = 1 article. Today I will develop the topic of the video started in the article about.

So, the topic of today's post is cinematography. The first cinematographs were presented by New York photographer Jamie Beck and web designer Kevin Burg. Of course, the first reaction may be something like “Yes, this is just a simple gif”. True and not true at the same time. You can’t upload a GIF to Instagram, and yes, this is not a kind of Boomerang, it looks much more interesting real live photo. Interesting? Go.

To begin with, I will answer the question HOW and only then WHY. This is such a strange logic, yes.

A more complex, but still simple option is to use traditional Photoshop. To find the source video for the article, I killed 30 minutes, my ideas with a bottle of wine, a dog and a mug of coffee, embodied in “so-so posts”, too little light around me. But we will aim at copyrighted videos shot on a phone / camera. The key point in the original video is that the camera must be absolutely still. Ideally, you will need a tripod, but I managed to get by with improvised means.

All work when creating a cinematography takes place in your licensed Photoshop. Video can be trimmed with a separate software or when importing.

1. Import a video file into Photoshop - File - Import - Video Frames to Layers- select the required file. Now each frame opens as a new layer.

2. Select a static layer and merge all the remaining ones through ctrl+g. Further Layers - Layer Mask - Hide All

3. On the first fixed layer, through any tool convenient for you, select the area in which we will have movement and paint over with white. This will be our "Window" through all the layers.

4. Now we need to enable the animation section if you don't already have it. Window - workspace - animation. Now there is an area with frames of our future cinematograph. Look at your frame sequence. Almost all of them have transparent backgrounds. To get rid of it, select the first layer in the layers panel and click on the icon " Unify Layer Visibility". In the dialog that appears, select " Synchronize».

That's it, our video is almost ready. To loop the final video, we copy all the frames we have obtained using the drop-down menu. From the same menu, select " Insert frames". In the dialog box that appears, select " Paste after selected area". Without removing the selection of frames, select the menu item" Reverse frame order».

Ready! Congratulations, you are amazing! Almost.

For example, I chose the most simple video without people and other complex objects. But for a fashion designer or manicurist, this option will be too limited.

While working on the article, I turned for comments to

Cinemagraphs are high-impact, live photographs created in 2011 by New York-based duo photographer Jamie Beck and designer Kevin Burg. The idea was simple - to show not a static picture, but an animated one. We can say that this is a new era in photography - the creation of an image that is not yet a video, but no longer a photograph. We want to show you the cinemagraphs created by graphic designer from France - Julien Duvier. In his works you will see simple scenes from everyday life, looking at which you will feel like you are watching a movie.

10 PHOTOS

1. Cinemagraphy combines traditional photography with elements of local animation, which creates the effect of a living picture. (Photo: Julien Douvier).
2. Selected moving parts of the picture are isolated from the static image. This dichotomy makes the images quiet and somewhat contemplative. (Photo: Julien Douvier).
3. These are not just gifs, they are much more complex animated images raised to a whole new level. (Photo: Julien Douvier).
4. Cinemagraphs create a convincing illusion that you are watching a movie. (Photo: Julien Douvier).
5. Julien Duvier's cinemagraphs radiate calmness, revealing the beauty of ordinary, everyday life. (Photo: Julien Douvier).
6. According to the first creators of live images - Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg - they wanted to connect the world of photography and the world of cinema. And they really did it. (Photo: Julien Douvier).
7. It usually takes two days to create one live image, but if the moving element in the picture is a person, then it may take a week. (Photo: Julien Douvier).
8. The author of these unusual live photos is inspired by everything that can be seen. And in his work, music is important for him, which, according to him, very often affects the choice of plot for filming. (Photo: Julien Douvier).