Stock imagery doesn’t need to be boring. When working within budget constraints, there are still ways to make your design pop. One way to do that is through the use of cinemagraphic photos. A cinemagraph combines still photography with video elements to create something that is more that a photo, but not quite video.
Relaxing By The Sea
The above image is an animated GIF file. It was created by extracting individual frames from a high-definition stock video and then selecting a single frame to use as an image mask. Only a portion of the photograph is moving in an infinite loop while everything else is frozen in time. The effect is both subtle and impactful, and certain to grab the attention of your audience.
To learn how to make your own cinemagraph, check out this tutorial.
