Magisto is refining the art of personal movie making with the ability to include photos and videos when creating and sharing video stories. The company, which provides the easiest way to create and share professional quality personal movies, introduced the new functionality on iOS today and promises an Android version in the coming weeks. Examples can be seen here. The new integration launches in tandem with a Magisto milestone of more than 5 million total users, with 1 million downloads in the last month alone.
Magisto is launching the smart photo feature at the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas with a social scrapbook called "Austin Chronicles." More than a dozen industry experts and personalities in technology, film and music – from Jim Lucchese, to Brian Zisk, to Carter Brokaw, to Stephanie Sharis, among others – will chronicle their personal perspective on the cross-industry festivities using Magisto.
Conference attendees will also be invited to capture their personal stories with Magisto during the event, and a few chosen videos may be spotlighted at The Austin Chronicle Film Bash – sponsored by Magisto – on March 11. For more information on Magisto's "Austin Chronicles," to share a story.
"We know that when it comes to capturing and sharing life experiences, people don't necessarily distinguish between photos and videos and in fact, often use one device to capture both," said Oren Boiman, CEO of Magisto. "More than half of the movies that our users make have photos that could complement their videos. We're giving people exponentially more raw material to tell their stories, which in turn offers greater ease in chronicling their lives."
Similar to Magisto videos, users can use pictures from their existing photo library when making a movie. Magisto will then apply its artificial intelligence to choose the most compelling moments within the pictures and videos, and automatically marry them in a narrative format. Its smart photo-editing technology actually looks inside the photo and matches the subject matter with that of the video.The service's mechanical understanding then adds graphical themes, music and transitions to infuse each personal movie with users' intended emotions.
Initially, Magisto users will be able to include up to five photos in their movies; those with the premium version can add up to 20. The movies will include smart photo-editing effects that allow Magisto to capture the subject of a story with a dimension and depth that's impossible to do with just a photo or a video. Effects include: filters; zooming into the subject; and simulating action via camera movements. Magisto will soon offer even more sophisticated effects like morphing between faces and creating a 3D effect by manipulating the background and foreground of integrated images.
"The thing that is so awe-inspiring about the integration of photos and video, along with our smart production capabilities, is the expanded possibility it offers for personal storytelling," said Roy Klieger, Magisto's Vice President of Product. "Rather than manually compiling photos in a static slideshow, users can now render a 360-degree recreation of an actual experience and curate the sum of their life experiences in video albums."
