They are a great tool for entertainment and social sharing. Most social media platforms allow uploading of animated GIFs. This has made them popular because they help express ourselves with animations.
Animated GIFs are also used in advertising today by many top companies. I'm sure you've seen these ads on websites, blogs and social media platforms.
Off late, cinemagraphs are becoming more mainstream. If you've not seen or don't know what cinemagraphs are, they are moving or living photographs. Used effectively, they provide stunning visuals that grab the viewers' attention. Further down this article, you will see an example of a cinemagraph I created.
There are many online and offline resources for creating animated GIFs. I've personally used several of these apps over the past couple of years. However, creating cinemagraphs is not very easy, especially if you don't have the right tools and know-how.
This is where Gifzign comes into the picture. As I mentioned at the start of this article, Gifzign is a desktop application that has several apps into one. Down below I will highlight some of the main features and functionality of this versatile app.
GIFZIGN FEATURES
The Gifzign app is packed with several animation features as listed below:
- GIF Creator: convert videos to animated GIFs;
- GIF Editor: add text, images and effects to GIFs;
- Cinemagraphs: create moving photos using videos;
- Mockups: add a variety device mockups to your GIFs;
- GIF Player: embed your animated GIFs in beautiful players;
- Screen Recorder: record your screen and convert them into GIFs.
GIFZIGN VIDEO REVIEW
I've been using Gifzign since it launched in March 2017. I've had a chance to test out most of its features and functionality. I've created a variety of animated GIFs, cinemagraphs, and animated device mockups. I've created a Gifzign video review and several tutorials on my YouTube channel. You can check my brief Gifzign Video Review below:
Based on my experience using Gifzign so far, I find it very easy to use and I like the simplistic user-interface. Converting videos to animated GIFs takes literally a few minutes and the file size is relatively small. Creating cinemagraphs takes a little longer compared to creating animated GIFs, but the process is still quite simple. I cover this in more detail in the sections below.
You can even overlay text and images over animated GIFs and cinemagraphs to create funny animated memes to share on social media. An additional feature is the ability to add a variety of filters to GIFs and cinemagraphs. There are a few things that I would like to see improved in the app which I've listed further down in this article.
WHAT ARE ANIMATED GIFS?
GIF or Graphics Interchange Format is a lossless image file format which supports both, animated and static images. Animated GIFs have become popular and you see them all over social media.
Here is an example of an animated GIF image which was created using the Gifzign app.
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| Animated GIF Created in Gifzign |
Creating animated GIFs in Gifzign is easy: (1) you upload you video; (2) choose the GIF quality; (3) control the start and end time, including the duration, using the timeline; (4) preview the animated GIF; (5) and save the GIF.
Once saved, your GIF is available in your dashboard, where you can download it and create a mockup as well. You can learn more about animated device mockups in the section below.
WHAT ARE CINEMAGRAPHS?
Cinemagraphs are essentially still photos that have an element of constant movement in them. They are created from video clips by overlaying a still image over a video clip and then masking certain parts of the image to reveal the video underneath.
Cinemagraphs are published as animated GIFs, thereby giving an illusion of an animation. As you can see from the cinemagraph below, part of the waterfalls is frozen, and part of the waterfalls is flowing. This is a basic example of a cinemagraph, but hopefully it gives you an idea of the possibilities.
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| Cinemagraph Created in Gifzign |
Creating cinemagraphs in Gifzign is fairly simple: (1) you upload a video; (2) choose a frame and take a still image; (3) use the masking and brush tools to mask portions of the still image; (4) preview your cinemagraph; (5) and convert it into an animated GIF.
You can then download the cinemagraph and post it on your blog or website, and share it on social media. You can even use cinemagraphs to create professional-looking animated ad banners.
For step-by-step instructions, you can check my video tutorial on How To Create Stunning Cinemagraphs.
WHAT ARE ANIMATED MOCKUPS?
Once you create animated GIFs and cinemagraphs in Gifzign, you can embed them in device mockups. When you buy the Gifzign app, it comes with a bunch of device mockup templates. You can use these templates to showcase your animated GIFs.
Creating Mockups is simple. Once you've created your animated GIF, you go to your dashboard and click on the Mockups button, choose a mockup template and download it as an animated GIF. Below you will find examples of animated mockups I created in Gifzign:
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| Animated GIF Mockups Created in Gifzign |
GIFZIGN IMPROVEMENTS
Having highlighted many of the key features and functionality of Gifzign, you can see that this is a very useful app, especially if you are an internet marketer, graphic designer, or even a small business owner.
Having said so, I would like to see a few improvements and new features added to this useful app: (1) I would prefer to have the default for Quality set to “HD” instead of “Vintage”; (2) an option to be able to move text elements around the canvas and remove/change outline color; (3) labels for icons and buttons displaying their function; (4) ability to edit GIFs that are already created and saved on the dashboard; (5) and finally, the option to change the dimensions for resolution and size of GIFs and cinemagraphs.
I've already made them aware of the above suggestions and feedback, and they've acknowledged saying that they will look at the possibility of implementing the changes in the coming updates.
Having previous experience using another app called Youzign, a graphic design application, I'm positive that the creators of Gifzign will focus on improving and making this app even better.
GIFZIGN PRICING
Recently, I've seen a couple of apps that were launched that specifically focus on cinemagraph creation. They launched at a discounted price of $67 and then increased in price, post launch.
Gifzign launched in March 2017 at a discounted price of $27 and will soon increase to $47 at the end of the launch period. This is a one-time, lifetime price. But post launch, the price will likely increase to a monthly and/or yearly subscription. So if you find this useful, take advantage of the discount.
GIFZIGN VIDEO TUTORIALS
Like I mentioned earlier, I've had a chance to play around and test most of the Gifzign features and functionality. I've created a brief review video as well as several tutorials to help you see Gifzign in action and start using it to create cool animated GIFs and stunning cinemagraphs. These video tutorials are on my YouTube channel and you can access them by clicking the banner below:
Hope you found this Gifzign review useful. Based on my experience using it so far, I would definitely recommend this Animated GIF and Cinemagraph Maker. It can be used in your business or if you have clients, you can offer this as a service and create animated GIFs and cinemagraphs. Should you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER:
If you use the link(s) above to purchase the product. I may earn a commission as a JVZoo affiliate. This recommendation and review is based on my firsthand experience using this product myself.
CREDITS:
Gifzign logo and screenshots are copyright protected and used with permission | Images, graphics, icons, video footage used with permission or licensed for commercial purposes | Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows logo are trademarks, or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries | Other company names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
