With billions of devices out in the world right now, wouldn’t you like to know how you could possibly improve your photography skills and a bunch of other tricks using just your smartphone camera? Well, Google has something lined up just for you and it is part of the company’s ‘appsperiments’ program. Google has released a total of three applications, out of which one is exclusive to Android while the last one is exclusive to iOS.
On Google’s official blog post, the company details the following attributes and features of the applications that you will be using on different mobile operating systems.
Today, we’re launching the first installment of a series of photography appsperiments: usable and useful mobile photography experiences built on experimental technology. Our “appsperimental” approach was inspired in part by Motion Stills, an app developed by researchers at Google that converts short videos into cinemagraphs and time lapses using experimental stabilization and rendering technologies. Our appsperiments replicate this approach by building on other technologies in development at Google. They rely on object recognition, person segmentation, stylization algorithms, efficient image encoding and decoding technologies, and perhaps most importantly, fun!
Storyboard (Android): transforms your videos into single-page comic layouts, entirely on device. Simply shoot a video and load it in Storyboard. The app automatically selects interesting video frames, lays them out, and applies one of six visual styles. Save the comic or pull down to refresh and instantly produce a new one. There are approximately 1.6 trillion different possibilities!
Selfissimo! (for iOS and Android): is an automated selfie photographer that snaps a stylish black and white photo each time you pose. Tap the screen to start a photo shoot. The app encourages you to pose and captures a photo whenever you stop moving. Tap the screen to end the session and review the resulting contact sheet, saving individual images or the entire shoot.
Scrubbies (iOS): lets you easily manipulate the speed and direction of video playback to produce delightful video loops that highlight actions, capture funny faces, and replay moments. Shoot a video in the app and then remix it by scratching it like a DJ. Scrubbing with one finger plays the video. Scrubbing with two fingers captures the playback so you can save or share it.
While these applications have been intended to be released solely for entertainment purposes, we have a feeling that Google is going to be publishing more blog posts highlighting additional experimental apps for Android and iOS in the future.
For now, check out these three camera apps and see what you can do with them on your respective devices.
