The concept of “cinemagraph” was invented by U.S. photographers Kevin Burg and Jamie Beck. In the early 2011s, these two used the technique to animate their fashion photos. After this, dozens of photographers have found the technique very attractive, but not only photographers were impressed by this, everybody on social media too! Cinemagraphs became insanely popular on Tumblr and big brands have even started using them on Facebook too, in ads and different campaigns for promoting their products.
Cinemagraphs are sleek photos which have been described as amped-up versions of GIFs. Similar to most GIF animations, a cinemagraph is the result of a still photo with a few elements moving on. Basically, while part of the image moves in a subtle, seamless loop, the rest of the image remains still. It may not sound very spectacular, but what makes cinemagraph unique is that it brings back to life some part of the photo, thus making the entire photo more realistic and intriguing. The subtler the motion in a cinemagraph the more impactful the image is. Imagine the wind blowing through someone’s hair, or the grass / leaves moving. Looks pretty amazing and you can see some awesome examples in the list below!
Not only photographers and brands find cinemagraphs intriguing, we do too! That’s why, in this article, we’ve gathered some stunning cinemagraph examples. Moreover, we selected 3 amazing tutorials for your enjoyment and inspiration. These tutorials will teach you everything there is to know about creating cinemagraphs from scratch, from shooting the video, to editing it in Photoshop. Browse through our cool collection, get inspired and create your own mind-blowing cinemagraph!
Don’t forget to let us know what you think about our list. Enjoy!
Casio cinemagraph
Although it may seem obvious, an outstanding cinemagraph needs to be well thought out.
Bacon cinemagraph
If you really want to make a cinemagraph that captivates and fascinates your audience, you need to make sure you have a plan in place before you start.
Yuki cinemagraph
So, in order to create a cinemagraph, you need a high-quality picture that looks amazing as a still photo. For this, you must record a video in the highest resolution that your video camera supports.
Hot dog
A useful tip is to utilize a tripod to minimize camera shake. Once you did this, it’s time to make the cinemagraph with the help of professional tools like Photoshop (see the tutorials below the cinemagraphs to learn more).
Animated photo
Cinemagraphs have rapidly become omnipresent on social media. Nowadays, brands need to pay attention to cinemagraphs for visual storytelling, because every image has the visual hit and immediacy of a video, without the impediment of a play button.
Animated photo 2
The use of cinemagraphs by brands has grown as social media channels such as Facebook or Instagram and improved their reach and engagement.
Shoes
This has encouraged brands to use cinemagraphs in more natural and integrated ways that help them reach more and more consumers.
Max Mara
Moreover, researchers show that cinemagraph content is more likely to have boosted virality with 70% higher organic reach than photographs without movement.
Animated photo 3
However, cinemagraphs are not suited for all kinds of brands! So keep this in mind whenever you want to use cinemagraphs in social media.
Makeup
Makeup and beauty brands are just perfect for this! Cinemagraphs have been used in Facebook ads, boosted posts and more!
Fashion
But making cinemagraphs is not as difficult as it may seem. Because the popularity of cinemagraphs has risen, mobile apps such as Cinemagram emerged. These apps allows you to easily create amateur cinemagraphs using the device’s built-in camera.
Catwalk
Unlike GIFs, cinemagraphs are more like photos rather than videos, but in order to make a cinemagraph you need begin with an actual video footage.
Robot
A cinemagraph is made from a loop using a specific portion of the image, so the scene must feature both stationary and animated objects.
Subtle effects result in the best cinemagraphs as they create more impactful images.
Dance
What’s important is to make sure the video you want to turn into a cinemagraph was recorded with a steady hand, preferably using a tripod. This will make it easier for you to turn it into a cinemagraph.
Red hat
If you want to create a cinemagraph yourself, you’ll need a: Tripod, Video camera, Photoshop, Quicktime Player.
Taxi
Keep in mind that the goal is to keep most of the photograph/video still, while one or more subjects subtly move.
Brigitte Bardot
We hope these tips will help you create the best cinemagraphs on the web! Learn how to make them, step by step, in the three comprehensive cinemagraph tutorials below.
BONUS! Cinemagraph Tutorials
How To Make a Cool Cinemagraph Image in Photoshop
This is a very useful tutorial that shows how to create your own animated GIF cinemagraph by playing with Photoshop’s animation tools. Even if you are a beginner, you will love this tutorial! This is structured more as a cinemagraph guide, as it also gives some insight on what a cinemagraph is, how it was created originally, and some tips for shooting the best videos to be used in cinemagraphs.
Create Cinemagraphs Easily Using Cliplets
This tutorial goes through a few steps on how to make your own cinemagraph using Cliplets. It will teach you everything about how cliplets work, how to choose a still background frame, how to select the animated timeline, how to outline the animated area, and finally how to export the cinemagraph. Try it and have fun!
How To Make A Cinemagraph for Photoshop Newbies
This awesome tutorial is ideal for those using Photoshop with basic skills. All you will need is a tripod, a video camera, a Quicktime player and, of course, Photoshop. It will guide you through all the steps of creating a good cinemagraph, from shooting the video and trimming it to opening it in Photoshop, choosing the animated section and the still moment, creating the masks, making layers from frames and viceversa, and finally, saving the cinemagraph for web! Enjoy!