Hipstamatic, the digital app that leans into analog vibes, announced what it calls a “new homage” to classic image making that uses Apple’s Live Photos feature to generate lenticular images, similar to what the retro sequential multi-lens cameras of the 1990s made.
Hipstamatic, which relaunched last year, calls itself a digital photography application that takes classic look and feel of film photography and wraps it in modern clothing through support for mobile photography.
Called “Action Sampler Mode,” the new feature uses the short video clips captured by Live Photos to create GIF-like renditions of photo series that were captured with multi-lens cameras. Leaning into the vibes further, the sequences act like lenticular prints, and the motion between them is activated by tilting the iPhone screen side to side (which is made possible by leveraging the iPhone’s gyroscope).
“Hipstamatic has always been about taking the best of the past and warping it into the present with a touch of whimsy,” Ryan Dorshorst, Co-Founder of Hipstamatic, says. “With Action Sampler Mode, we’re not just reminiscing about the good old days of photo innovation; we’re redefining them. Think of it as lenticular printing meets 2020s tech wrapped up in your iPhone. It’s so authentically retro, you’ll need to remind yourself it’s not 1995.”
While they are technically moving images, Hipstamatic assures users that it doesn’t plan to go the route of Instagram — it has no intention of supporting video or Reels.
“We promise not to ambush our photographers with mandatory video content or reels. Hipstamatic is all about photography. If you wanted to shoot videos, you’d be elsewhere, right? This is a place for photo purists who like their nostalgia served with a side of modern technology,” Dorshorst adds.
To create the digital lenticulars, app users can tap and hold the shutter inside the Hipstamatic app which captures a sequence. Users can then view the four-up images as a still or animate them by tilting the iPhone side to side using the Lenticular Mode. The sequence can be shared on the Hipstamatic network, but GIF and movie file export are also available for those who want to send finished files outside of the app.
The new Action Sampler Mode supports all Hipstamatic lens and film combinations, too. While Hipstamatic is free to download, some features (including the new Action Sampler Mode and the digital skin it launched in December) are locked behind a subscription which costs $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year.
Image credits: Hipstamatic