GoPro Labs gives users access to experimental features

Beginning today, GoPro “superusers” can tinker with new, experimental features through the official GoPro Labs. The sandbox gives users access to tricks GoPro is testing behind the scenes. Users will be able to, for instance, add ReelSteady’s stabili...

Facebook announces Cinema stabilization for Video on Instagram: iOS version only (update: more details)

If you somehow haven't heard, today's big Facebook announcement was Video on Instagram, and to accompany that news the team unveiled Cinema stabilization, meant to improve the quality (read: decrease the wobbliness) of your 15-second clips. Android users, take note: the feature is only available on the iPhone 5 and 4S, though we imagine it could it is slated to appear on Google's mobile OS later down the line. For now, it's iOS only due to the difficulties of dealing with Android device fragmentation

Instagram founder Kevin Systrom explained that the technology was created with input from "cinematic experts," and we definitely noticed the difference in the before-and-after demo on stage. In scenarios such as filming a kid riding a bike, the stabilization seemed to tamper the jerkiness that inevitably comes with moving shots. The feature is enabled by default, but pressing the camera icon (seen above) will turn it off. iOS users can try out the new functionality by clicking through to the App Store below.

Update: We just got done chatting with some of the Instagram engineers and got to learn a bit more about Cinema. Turns out, it took the work of four or five engineers to make the image stabilization feature a reality. According to CEO Kevin Systrom, Instagram already has one patent for the technology powering Cinema and there may be more IP to come out of the feature. Not surprisingly, that's why we couldn't get any more information about Cinema, but we were told that more will be revealed as the technology's legal protections are solidified. So, keep an eye out folks, as Cinema's secrets will eventually, some day, be revealed (we hope).

Comments

Source: Instagram, App Store