Sony releases motiongraph animated .GIF creator app

Sony has many divisions, one of them being Sony Digital Network Applications (SDNA), that are always working on cool projects. Today Sony released one of these projects, an animated .GIF creator called motiongraph, into the Play Store. The basic premise of this app is to create animated pictures, but ones that may not have the entire image in motion. You can take a short video of a subject, then select a certain portion to be animated while the rest stays put.

Pricing will vary by location, but here in the U.S. we're looking at $0.99, and Sony has quoted the U.K. price at £0.83. Stick around after the break to see a demo video of the app in action as well as the full press release.

Motiongraph brings precision to partially animated .GIFs

App designed to take ‘creativity’ to the next level

12 December, 2012 – London – Sony Digital Network Applications (SDNA) today announced motiongraph, an app that capitalises on the growing interest in partially animated .GIFs, bringing precision and enhancing the creative process.

Motiongraph enables users to precisely select which areas of image to animate and which to remain still by rubbing the relevant areas (see demo video). Designed for the Android market, it is available now. Prices vary according to the market: $0.99, £0.83, €0.93-0.97 (depending on the VAT)*.

“Partially animated .GIFs have caught the attention of so many consumers in a short space of time. We want to ignite their creativity by giving them greater precision through the creative process. With Sony technology, consumers can rub the area they would like to move and select the smoothness and roughness of the animation,” said Masato Kuninori, senior application producer, Sony Digital Network Applications.

The app records a short video in the form of a series of still images. The images are instantly captured and subsequently the users can select which elements to move. The image is stored as an animated .GIF which makes it instantly viewable online unlike a movie (see examples on PC or on mobile). Compared to similar apps, consumers can select the exact area to move by rubbing the area and selecting whether to make it move or remain still. Consumers can trim the photo, and select the speed and roughness of playback.

*Equivalent price for other countries.

About Sony Digital Network Applications

Sony Digital Network applications (SDNA) is an group of innovative app developers with a Sony heritage that looks at app development in a different way by focusing on the needs of consumers. Utilising the benefits of Sony technologies, SDNA has introduced a portfolio of imaging apps. With a focus on app testing, SDNA’s apps are available to as many consumers as possible across Android and the app store. For full details, please visit www.sonydna.com.

Andrew Martonik

Andrew was an Executive Editor, U.S. at Android Central between 2012 and 2020.