I'd like to start with a simple public service announcement: Tumblr has its own GIF maker now, allowing you to create your own animated images from pictures and videos on your phone. That's right — never again will you suffer the inconvenience of not being able to find just the right hilarious cat GIF, when there is a perfectly good clip of your cat surfing squirrel Vimeos in your phone's camera roll. The only catch here is that the tool won't be a standalone app. Instead, it will be mobile-only through the main Tumblr iOS mobile app.
The launch of this new tool is the first of what Tumblr promises will be many updates allowing its users to better express their creativity. Just last week, they launched instant messaging capabilities. "The promise of Tumblr is that we would be the space where creators could really put their full range of expression there," Tumblr engineering lead Kevin Grant told TechCrunch, "and it was customizable ... you could design something and make it yours." And while it may seem like Tumblr is RSVP'ing late to the GIF-making party considering the abundance of GIF-making tools on the Interwebz, the company touts the fact that mobile devices are really only just now gaining the processing power needed to easily convert burst photos and videos to GIF form. Not to mention, their mobile-only app is simple enough to be accessible to virtually any user.
"So many of the photos you create on your iPhone today are ready to be GIF'ed," explained Tumblr founder David Karp to TechCrunch, pointing out that Tumblr's GIF Maker actually scans your device and labels compatible photos and videos. "It will just be a constant reminder for all those creators on Tumblr who are posting their photos every day through the app that this is something they can do." Other things the GIF Maker allows said users to do? Trim, loop, rebound, speed up, and slow down their clips before GIFFing. Which, c'mon, is pretty spiffy. For speedier searching, all GIFs created using this new tool will be tagged "GIF" and "Made with Tumblr."
And, given that 23 million+ GIFs are posted every day on Tumblr, it's no surprise that Tumblr users are already taking full advantage of this fun new feature to create shareable content. See for yourself — here are but a few of the classic genres GIF Maker has allowed users to fill thus far.
1. The Vaguely Unidentifiable Body Part GIF
Hey, at least it wasn't one of those boob-turns-out-to-be-butt GIFs. Although it is surely soon to follow.
2. The Futuristic Travel GIF
Expect to see many, many more versions of people riding those hoverboard-like things that seem to be all the rage these days — and falling off. If we're friends on social media, expect at least a few (dozen) to come from me.
3. The Comically Angry Baby GIF
Has anyone GIFFed the "Charlie Bit My Finger" kid yet? We need to get on that, stat.
4. The Cat On the Internet GIF
Ah, yes. My personal favorite. One can only imagine what sort of crazy cat shenanigans will be revealed in due course thanks to this new tool.
The GIF Maker can literally be found with the touch of a button. Just open the iOS app and tap "compose." Happy GIFFing!
