Skip to main content

Plotagraph’s still photo animator can now create sweet morph effects

PlotaMorph - Yuri Hahhalev
The software that turns a single still photo into an animated GIF is morphing into an even more advanced tool — On Friday, November 24, Plotagraph launched two new features and a website launch for Plotagraph Pro. The new tools allow photographers to create a morphing effect as well as adding more special effects tools.

PlotaMorph is a new tool inside the pro desktop version of the software. After layering up to 10 different images in the program, Plotagraph will morph the changes together. The tool allows photographers to create an effect that makes people or object appear to morph into a different person or object.

The PlotaMorph tool includes options to put that morph on an endless loop or to reverse the change at the end. Plotagraph says that users can also control the effect using custom line and spiral movements between those images.

While Plotagraph’s big perk is creating GIFs from stills rather than video clips, the PlotaMorph requires multiple photographs. The unusual effect, however, could be a good tool for grabbing viewer’s attention inside an oversaturated social media feed, or creating an artistic statement on change.

Along with the new morph tool, the software also now includes PlotaFX, a special effects suite for editing still photos. The tool allows users to add a variety of different effects to their photos for quick improvements. The instant effects can also be added using layers and then custom animated by bringing that shot into Plotagraph’s animation tools.

The company also launched the Plotaverse website. Along with access to pro account features, it allows creatives to apply to be featured as the artist of the day or to the ambassador program. Selected photographers as part of the Influencer Experience will be flown out to Maui to shoot with fashion photographer and Plotagraph creator Troy Christopher Plota.

For Black Friday, the company is offering a three-month subscription to Plotagraph Pro for half off — the deal is available until November 28. Plotagraph also has a scaled-down mobile version of the desktop software, Plotagraph+. Now through the end of the year, Apple is offering a free app code for downloading Plotagraph+ for users who download the app using the Apple Store app (not to be confused with the App Store).

Header Plotagraph by Yuri Hahhalev.

Editors' Recommendations

Hillary K. Grigonis
Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…
Now you can add classic works of art to your Animal Crossing island
Getty art in Animal Crossing

Here’s one way to bring a bit of culture to your Animal Crossing: New Horizons island.
The Getty Museum has released an online tool that lets you turn classic works of art by the likes of Rembrandt and  Van Gogh into QR codes you can upload into your game.
The new Art Generator allows you to search through any of the Getty’s open-access images to find the right image for your house -- including Van Gogh’s Irises and Paul Cézanne’s Still Life with Blue Pot -- and crop it to your liking.
Once you’ve selected an image, the generator will pixelate the art down to fit in Animal Crossing's custom design space and spit out a QR code you can download using the NookLink app.
The Art Generator isn’t limited to just Getty’s collection either thanks to an option that lets you plug in IIIF data -- an image framework used by many art institutions to organize their archives. Open-access works provided by other museums can be transformed and uploaded into the game using the same tool.
Getty warned that you should check with a museum or gallery’s terms of use before using their data and uploading it.
David Newbury, a software architect at the arts organization, told Digital Trends the generator was the brainchild of Getty software engineer -- and Animal Crossing fan -- Selina Chang-Yi Zawacki.
"It was one of those ideas that was good enough that we dropped everything and put together a team to make it happen," Newbury said.
A five-person crew used the open-source Animal Crossing Pattern Tool to build the feature, which Newbury hopes will “bring a little joy” to people stuck at home.
“What we want to do with our art is let people get to it from where they are, not necessarily from where we are," he told Digital Trends.
If you're looking for more Animal Crossing: New Horizons things to do, follow along with a tour of the in-game museum with the help of a real aquarium or check out our guides to catch the latest fish or make bells fast.

Read more
Animal Crossing is the game we need right now — and the one people are buying
Switch Animal Crossing

Impressive sales for Animal Crossing: New Horizons prove it's a gentle giant, as the game appears to be just what players need during the current global health crisis.

Since its launch on March 20, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has managed to put up the best first-week U.K. numbers in the series' history, according to GamesIndustry. The sales figures are higher than all previous entries combined, and more than three times higher than the 3DS-exclusive Animal Crossing: New Leaf. If we treat Pokémon Sword and Shield as two separate games, New Horizons had the biggest launch of any Switch game in the U.K. to date.

Read more
Now that you can easily transfer photos out of Facebook, will you stay?
mark zuckerberg speaking in front of giant digital lock

Facebook on Monday announced a new feature that will begin rolling out in Ireland before spreading elsewhere: The ability to transfer your Facebook photos directly to other platforms without having to download them first. The feature will initially only port your pics over to Google Photos, though it's likely more platforms are on the way.

This is a step forward from Facebook's already-existing data portability tool, “Download Your Information,” which allows a user to keep a copy of everything they’ve ever put on Facebook on their private computer. In a statement, Facebook told Digital Trends that “the feedback we’ve received over the years tells us that although this tool is helpful, it isn’t seamless enough for users to take information directly from one service to another.”

Read more