A sunny Cinemagraph

As you can see, Rose really enjoyed the wonderful weather we had this weekend! A few hours later she (and me) looked more like a tomato… we didn't quite feel the power of the sun because there was a light breeze. The same breeze that is playing with her feather earrings :o)

I'm by far not a master of the cinemagraph, unlike Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg, but I really enjoy making these more sophisticated versions of the animated gif. It requires a few simple Photoshop skills, but you can also use an app like Echograph or Flixel (iphone) or Cinemagraph (nokia lumia).

If you want to make a cinemagraph using Photoshop, I have a few tips:
use a tripod to shoot the video (I didn't and it made positioning the motion images more difficult and less precise)
you'll need less video and layers than you'd think
think before you start filming: think about details: like the exact part you want to animate, the shadows, elements behind the moving part (like the necklace in my case) and light reflections
the motion can be more subtile than you'd think
open a cinemagraph by Jamie & Kevin or a gif by rrrrrrrroll in Photoshop and learn from watching the layers and their content
this is a great cinemagraph tutorial, or this one in video
and of course: have fun!

14 thoughts on “A sunny Cinemagraph

  1. Really nice – I like the one on your about page, too! I've also wanted to learn how to do them since I found out about cinemagraphs. But oh, there are so many things I want to learn…

    1. Awww thanks Tina! I don't officially own a tripod either (always borrow my husband's), but you definitely need one for this kind of stuff…

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