How to Create & Upload a Cinemagraph

Moving Images, Gifs & Cinemographs are one of the newest features available to be utilised on all crave platforms. Any image space can now hold a gif. file which can add an extra level of detail, fun and excitement to your solution.

Creating a Cinemagraph

1. Sourcing a Relevant Video

Arguably the hardest part of this process is sourcing a suitable video to use as a base to then create your cinemagraph from. It is most important to check the usage rights on the video you're using, if you are using a video you have found online, you need to check whether it can be used on your solution and doesn't infringe on any copywrites.

Usually your cinemagraph will take one scene from a larger video and hence it is important to have a keen eye to spot which part of the video is relevant to the information you are trying to display but will also loop around easily.

2. What to Look Out for

There are a few vital points which are necessary when finding/recording your video to ensure they work as seamlessly and smoothly as possible. The most important of which is camera movement, a perfect cinemagraph will require a video taken on a tripod or by someone with incredibly stable hands. Video shake, panning or zooming all stand in the way of creating a smooth cinemagraph as the moving part will end up drifting or stretching across the screen and hence ruin the illusion, resulting in a far less than ideal outcome.

3.  Pixel Sizes & File Sizes

As you may know, the larger the file size of your cinemagraph, the slower it will load on the tablet. This is important to consider especially in instances where you may have multiple cinemagraphs on the tablet at one time. This will seriously affect user experience as the image space will appear white and empty during the loading time it takes for the cinemagraph to appear.

That being said, there are some pixel sizes to follow at the usual 72 PPI resolution. These sizes listed below are specific for different areas of the solution (Tablet & Mobile) and hence should be followed to avoid overly large files, cropping or stretching.

Tablet:

Homescreen Images - 928x626 px

Category Images - 928x626 px

Wide Product Images - 636x644 px

Narrow Product Images - 356x524 px

Full Screen Messages - 928x422 px

Mobile:

Hero Image (Large) - 1242x528 px

4. Looping & Reversing

Ideally your cinemagraph or gif will loop back to the start seamlessly however in certain instances reversing the video back again can still be acceptable at creating a good quality gif. 

The overall goal of creating this gifs is to create a smooth image with moving elements that doesn't have harsh cuts back to the start and catches the eye of the user.

5. Adding Text & Branding Elements

Once you have your base Gif/Cinemagraph made and ready in the correct size, you can overlay text and graphic elements to help verbally promote your goal and add your brands feel and character to the animation.

However, it is important of course to ensure the main subject of your cinemagraph is not covered in a way that ruins the effect of the cinemagraph. Blocking out the main subject with shapes or chunky typography spoils the hard work you put into making the Cinemagraph so smooth and eye catching so that is always something to be aware off.