Google Debuts 'Motion Stills' App for Creating GIFs and Movies from Live Photos

Google today announced the launch of a new app called Motion Stills, which is designed to create unique GIFs from Live Photo images captured with the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE.

According to Google, the app was built by the Google Research Team and uses the company's video stabilization technology to freeze the background into a still photo or create cinematic panoramas. Multiple clips can also be combined into a montage.

GIFs created by Motion Stills can be shared via apps like Messages or on social media networks.

googlemotionstills

We pioneered this technology by stabilizing hundreds of millions of videos and creating GIF animations from photo bursts. Our algorithm uses linear programming to compute a virtual camera path that is optimized to recast videos and bursts as if they were filmed using stabilization equipment, yielding a still background or creating cinematic pans to remove shakiness. [...]

Short videos are perfect for creating loops, so we added loop optimization to bring out the best in your captures. Our approach identifies optimal start and end points, and also discards blurry frames. As an added benefit, this fixes "pocket shots" (footage of the phone being put back into the pocket).

There are several other apps designed to create GIFs for Live Photos, so Google's offering isn't unique, but it is notable that Google is offering an iOS-only app that works with an iOS-only feature. Google says the information it learns from Motion Stills will perhaps be used to introduce new capabilities into Google Photos in the future.

Aside from making Live Photos viewable on iOS and Mac devices running the latest operating systems and implementing an API for developers to incorporate Live Photos viewing into their apps, Apple has not designed any tools that allow users to manipulate and edit their Live Photos or convert them into videos or GIFs.

Google's new Motion Stills app is available now and can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

Sefstah Avatar
102 months ago
Dont worry Apple, just let Google do it for you. Wow, unreal.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JimmyHook Avatar
102 months ago
Apple makes the environment for 3rd Party apps to flourish. There is ZERO need for Apple to make an app like this. Ridiculous responses on here
[doublepost=1465327128][/doublepost]
I am a huge Apple fan but likely Apple is on the path to being just another company. OS's are extremely buggy, iPad line being fragmented, who knows what new fragmenting they'll add to the iPhone line, competitors have better Apps than stock... Feels like they're turning into Microsoft. The once popular company that turned into we'll do the bare minimum thinking fans and brand reputation will always remain. That battery pack Apple made for the 6/6s with like WTF... seriously zero design or care given.

I guess this is the new Apple.
Blah blah blah...
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nt5672 Avatar
102 months ago
My god can we have a thread with no apple bashing? Its pretty damn annoying at this point. Every damn thread is the same now.

So now apple should make every app themselves? :rolleyes:
Can we just have some Apple software releases that don't make the front page of MacRumors because of problems, and don't require weekly beta releases, and don't require pulled updates, and don't remove features, and are not targeted to people with IQs less than 90.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yaxomoxay Avatar
102 months ago
Apple makes the environment for 3rd Party apps to flourish. There is ZERO need for Apple to make an app like this. Ridiculous responses on here
[doublepost=1465327128][/doublepost]
Blah blah blah...
NO NO NO! and... NO!
Being able to share Live Photos with everyone else as GIFs or videos is a very basic function, so basic that it's badly needed. Are you kidding me? The fact that Live Photos (which is a neat feature) can't be shared with anyone that doesn't own an iPhone is simply crazy. This app should be part of Photos, not a 3rd party app.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
merkinmuffley Avatar
102 months ago
That's a no brainer app, surprised it took that long and not done by Apple already.
You can't expect Apple to do it's fancy colored watchbands at the same time they're doing something like this.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yaxomoxay Avatar
102 months ago
why this is not Apple's app is mind boggling
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...
M3 iPad Feature 3

New iPads Likely to Begin Shipping in April

Monday March 18, 2024 9:52 am PDT by
Apple's new iPad Pro models with OLED displays will likely begin shipping to customers in April, according to information shared today by Ross Young, CEO of display industry research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said the new iPad Pro models might not ship until "deeper" into April in his Power On newsletter on Sunday:I've repeatedly said that new...