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Giphy will host a film festival for 18-second movies in NYC
Because there isn't already enough original content out there, a new player is entering the film festival scene. Giphy has announced The Giphy Film Fest, which will feature looped films that are just 18 seconds long.
Giphy's redesigned homepage puts GIF Stories in the spotlight
Giphy has been growing beyond its roots as a GIF warehouse, but you wouldn't know that if you've looked at the wave of largely unrelated animations on its home page in the past few years. The company is addressing that today by launching a redesigned home page that provides more of an editorial bent. You'll still see trending GIFs, but the front portal now focuses on curated, shareable Stories that revolve around common themes, whether it's awards shows or celebrity reactions. If you want a glimpse of the GIF zeitgeist, you won't have to go far.
Twitch is giving the people what they want: GIFs
Twitch's next way of letting viewers interact with streams is with GIFs. The latest customization tool for the popular broadcasting service arrives via a partnership with Giphy, and the way it works sounds pretty simple. A broadcaster sets a location on the screen for where users can drop GIFs, and once a stream starts viewers click the Giphy icon to start searching for the perfect reaction to the 'caster's on-screen antics. From there, it'll overlay on the stream. Cool! Before you get any crazy ideas for trolling, GIFs will be curated for appropriateness.
Google's Tenor slips GIFs into your command line interface
If you live in the command line, you probably like to give that otherwise plain interface your own distinctive touch, like ASCII art. But wouldn't it be nice if you could spice it up with a GIF? You can now. Google's Tenor team has released a GIFs for CLI tool that, as the name implies, turns short videos and GIFs (including those sourced from Tenor's search toolkit) into animated ASCII art you can use as a greeting when you open your terminal. The Deadpool 2 skydive you see above is in black and white, but you can include GIFs in glorious color.
Imgur's wonderful world of GIFs now includes full-length video
Imgur is getting a new way to waste your time. No, not more of its Snapchat-like Snacks feature. The image-hosting site is including a medium it's never allowed users to post on the site before: Video. Okay, technically they're 'GIFs with sound,' but it's the same thing -- and could rile up its userbase that's used to perusing the site's feed in monastic silence.
Gboard beta for Android lets you create your own GIFs
Google's third-party keyboard Gboard added a quick way to create reaction GIFs on iOS last January. Now the feature is starting to show up on some Android handsets, as first noted by Android Police. We've been able to confirm the Make a GIF button on a Pixel 2 handset that's downloaded the Gboard app beta.
LinkedIn Messenger gets GIFs for... job searching?
LinkedIn Messenger is the latest communication platform to decide it needs GIFs, too. It's adding a search function, which you'll recognize from casual chat services you don't use to network professionally. LinkedIn Messenger's new feature is powered by tech from a company Google bought weeks ago: Tenor. If that company sounds familiar, its engine runs the GIF searches in Gboard and Facebook Messenger.
A looping GIF could soon be your next Tinder profile pic
Tinder's latest addition is one cribbed from relationship-minded competitor Hinge. The dating app is testing out a feature called "Loops" in Canada and Sweden, which are essentially two-second repeating GIFs that you can add to your profile.
Instagram restores Giphy stickers now that racist GIFs are gone
Instagram and Snapchat completely removed Giphy stickers from their apps after finding racist GIFs, but the feature is now ready to come back... on Instagram, that is. The photo-centric social network has restored stickers after Giphy said it "made specific changes to our [moderation] process" to prevent a repeat incident. Snapchat hadn't made a similar move as of this writing (it reiterated its earlier position in a statement to TechCrunch), but it may be just a matter of time if the company is satisfied with Giphy's response.
Google acquires GIF search platform Tenor
Google is acquiring the platform Tenor, which runs GIF-searching functionality in keyboards for phones and messenger software, including on Samsung devices and Facebook Messenger. The company will keep operating as a separate brand under Google, improving its products as well as building out its tech and API.
Imgur's Snapchat-style GIF collections come to Android
Imgur's bid to bring Snapchat-like Stories to the GIF world is no longer confined to iOS. It's releasing an updated Android app that brings Snacks and the Feed to a wider array of devices. Snacks, as before, lives under the search tab and gives you a curated Story-style gallery of GIFs you can sit back and watch when you're looking to be entertained. The Feed, meanwhile, sits in your home section and lets you follow both Imgur users and tags to keep up with the latest GIF trends.
Snapchat and Instagram pull Giphy stickers over racist GIF
When Snapchat and Instagram introduced Giphy stickers for Stories, they expected to offer PG-rated GIFs that even their young patrons can use. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned: both platforms have disabled the feature after users discovered an extremely racist GIF that says "N---- Crime Death Counter -- Keep Cranking Bonzo, the Numbers Just Keep on Climbing!" among Giphy's offerings. Since the sticker was first discovered on Snapchat, the ephemeral messaging app yanked it first. A spokesperson told TechCrunch that it disabled the feature while it waits "for Giphy's team to take a look at it."
Snapchat adds Giphy's GIF stickers to liven up your Stories
Usually you see Instagram borrowing features from Snapchat, but the reverse is true this time around. Snapchat has added GIF stickers from Giphy's library to its Android and iOS apps, giving you a considerably wider selection to choose from when crafting your Stories -- just like Instagram did a few weeks ago. The stickers are singled out in the app when you search for them, so you don't have to wade through regular Snap-created stickers if you're looking for some variety. There are some interface tweaks coming along for the ride, too.
Tweet with #GIFhistory to learn your favorite GIF's origin
There's a good chance you've seen a classic GIF and wondered just where it came from. But where do you start looking if the answer isn't obvious, and you don't want to comb through a dedicated website? If you use Twitter, you just have to ask. Filmmaker Matthew Cherry has launched an informal #GifHistory project where he'll track down the source video for a GIF, whether it's by himself or with the help of others. The source of that blinking reaction GIF (spoiler: it's former Giant Bomb staffer Drew Scanlon) may be a quick tweet away.
Google adds AR objects to its GIF-making Android app
Google is the latest company to borrow Snapchat's augmented reality features, although this time it's not grafting them on to a social app. The company has released a new version of Motion Stills for Android that brings AR objects to your animated GIFs and videos. You can add chickens, dinosaurs and other objects to any horizontal surface in your shot, whether it's your hand, a plant or a table. And importantly, you don't have to be finicky when capturing your footage to make the result seem 'natural' -- it's using instant motion tracking tech that avoids the jarring visual anomalies you sometimes get in AR.
Instagram Stories harness the power of Giphy for animated stickers
You don't need to use another app to put GIF stickers all over your pictures before uploading them to Instagram Stories anymore. Next time you add a photo or a video to your story, you'll find a new GIF option within the usual sticker menu accessible via the icon on the top left portion of the screen. You can look through all the animated stickers available -- powered by Giphy, of course -- or you can search for specific categories.
Google's Gboard debuts a quick way to create reaction GIFs
Google's Gboard for iOS is lagging a bit behind its Android counterpart, but a new update for iPhone users comes with a game changer. As The Verge has noticed, its dedicated GIF-maker button is no longer hidden at the bottom and now has a more prominent position on the keyboard, right on top beside the word suggestion bar. So accessible, and so convenient. It's made even better by the fact that it can now also record short video snippets using the front-facing camera, making it a veritable reaction GIF machine.
Tinder adds Reactions to help you make a point in chats
Tinder has frequently tweaked its offerings. Over the past year or so, it's introduced a new user interface, more inclusive gender options, a feature that figures out which of your photos are more appealing as well as GIFs and emoji. If you're willing to pay a little, Tinder also offers the ability to move your profile to the front of everyone's queue and see who has already liked you. Today, the app launches another way for you to communicate with other users -- Tinder Reactions.
Giphy taps Google AI tech to help you find the right GIF
Giphy's collection is a good way to find the right GIF to express your feelings... up until you're tracking down that one elusive GIF that's improperly tagged. The company has a clever solution, though: make AI technology look through the GIFs itself. It's implementing Google machine learning that combs through the animated image files looking for caption text. If you're trying to find the "where are the turtles" quote from The Office, you'll actually see GIFs related to that quote -- not every vaguely turtle-related picture under the Sun.
Giphy will tell you what the most popular GIFs are
For the first time ever you'll be able to see how many times a GIF has been viewed, so long as it's hosted by Giphy. That sounds pretty useful for internet professionals and social media celebs. As for the rest of us, well, it'll at least be easy to figure out the best reaction GIFs -- and we'll have a pretty good indicator of which memes have jumped the shark.
