Google releases two experimental photo apps for iOS

Google on Monday released a pair of "appsperiments" that provide new ways of capturing photographic images with smartphones like iPhone, while at the same time helping the search giant refine experimental software tools related to computer vision and artificial intelligence.

The first app, called Selfissimo, automatically snaps a black-and-white photo when its user stops moving, an action that is translated as striking a pose.

Users tap the screen to start a mock photoshoot. Text prompts tell users to strike poses, which are captured when the app determines user motion has stopped. Tapping the screen a second time stops the process and generates a contact sheet of all images taken during the shoot. Users can elect to save individual images or the entire collection to Photos.

Selfissimo is avaialable on both iOS and Android.

A second iOS-only app called Scrubbies lets users manipulate the speed and direction of captured video by "scratching" it like a DJ scratches records. After capturing video in the app, users can preview the footage by scrubbing back and forth with one finger. Performing the same scrubbing operation with two fingers captures playback for saving or sharing.

via GIPHY

Google also introduced an Android-exclusive app that uses computer vision, object recognition and other advanced technologies to pick out still images from a video and place them in a single-page comic layout. Aptly called Storyboard, the software chooses interesting video frames and applies them to one of six comic book-style layouts.

Google is asking users for feedback on its appsperiment releases so it can further refine its computer vision and AI technologies.

8 Comments

wood1208 2930 comments · 10 Years

About 6 years ago

Among others, one thing I hate about Google is it makes/develops some App and throws at users/community and see if it sticks. Apple on other hand thinks through, develops something and when it puts it out, people loves it. Stay away from Goolge Apps.

cpsro 3232 comments · 14 Years

Feed me, Seymour!

Know you're just helping Google intrude further into all our lives, even if you thought at first it's only about your content (similar to how getting DNA test results about yourself can have unintended consequences for your relatives who perhaps didn't want to know). Every photo/video you take will be retained by Google for as long as it sees potential benefit. Facial, object and place recognition are only going to get better.... and technological improvement generally occurs at an exponential rate that beings such as ourselves can not fathom.

wood1208 said:

Among others, one thing I hate about Google is it makes/develops some App and throws at users/community and see if it sticks. Apple on other hand thinks through, develops something and when it puts it out, people loves it. Stay away from Goolge Apps.

It isn't necessarily about whether this particular app "sticks". It's a guaranteed way, though, for Google to collect and mine more data without committing to doing anything long term to support the effort. By embedding data collection in its own app, Google can obtain even more information about the scene than would be available by merely accessing the contents of the "camera roll".