1. Experimental visual storytelling
Maya Sugarman
Photo/Video Journalist, KPCC
@mayasugarman

2. Gifs and cinemagraphs
Great for emphasizing repetition and endlessness, like a factory
What could be a boring still or video can make for an interesting GIF
Remember: always start with the story, then pick the best medium
Getting technical:
Twitter supports GIF uploads up to 5MB from mobile
Facebook supports GIF links, no uploads.

3. Twitter gif specifications
Adhere to these constraints to improve GIF upload success rate.
Resolution ≤ 1280 x 1080 pixels
Number of frames ≤ 350
Number of pixels (width * height * num_frames) ≤ 300 million

4. Gif inspiration

5. sriracha factory

6. Life in a North dakota oil town

7. Recipe cinemagraphs

8. Free (iPhone and Android)
Apps to download
GIFBrewery 3
$4.99 (Mac App Store)
5SecondsApp
Free (iPhone and Android)
GIFBrewery:
Desktop app
Higher resolution
More customizable

9. Time-lapses Compresses time
Shows changes that in real-time are slow, subtle
3 minutes at 12X playback = 15-second Instagram video
Native iOS time-lapse vs. Instagram’s Hyperlapse
Native iOS: no recording length limit. No choice in playback speed, (about 10-12X).
Hyperlapse: 45-minute limit. Choose 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12X playback.
No sound

10. What makes a good time-lapsE?
Ask yourself, does this call for faster playback?
Lots of action
Plan ahead
Steady your camera
Let’s look at examples!

11. Slow motion Opposite of time-lapse: “expands” time
Shows changes that are too fast to notice in real-time
About 3 seconds in real-time = 15-second Instagram video (120 FPS)
iPhone 6: HD video at either 120 FPS or 240 FPS in 720p
Twitter and Instagram now support slow-motion video upload

12. What makes good slow-mo’s?
Ask yourself, will this be compelling in slow-motion?
Plan ahead
Don’t end up with too much footage!
Predict action, let action come into your frame
Frame rate: 240 fps or 120 fps?
Let’s look at examples!

13. 360 Panorama $2.99 (iphone only)
Shoot embeddable 360 images using your iPhone.
Low-cost alternative to getting a 360 camera.
Both of these are iPhone only, but there are similar apps available for Android.

14. Image blender ($3.99, Iphone only)
Create double exposures – layering two images on top of each other.
Use masks and select different blend modes.
Both of these are iPhone only, but there are similar apps available for Android.

15. Place images side-by-side
Instagram’s layout
Place images side-by-side
But also use in experimental ways: play with mirroring, flipping and repitition.

16. Photo/Video Journalist, KPCC
Questions?
Maya Sugarman
Photo/Video Journalist, KPCC
@mayasugarman