Gifture Review

Our Review by Jennifer Allen on May 1st, 2012
Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar :: LIMITED
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An animated gif version of Instagram that stays a little too close to the source material.

Developer: Toaast
Price: FREE
Version Reviewed: 1.0.1
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4

iPhone Integration Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
User Interface Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
Re-use Value Rating: starstarhalfstarblankstarblankstar

Overall Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar


To sum it up briefly, Gifture is Instagram with moving pictures. It sounds like a lazy comparison but every part of Gifture is reminiscent of the photo sharing app. Some screens such as the Account section look like near carbon copies. This isn't quite condemnation of Gifture. It's a decent idea and fills a niche that Instagram doesn't offer. If only it had its own identity to demonstrate that with.

Gifture loads straight into the Popular section of the app. Two types of animations seem most popular at the moment. Teenage girls staring at the camera and some more creative pieces which show what can be really done with the app. These artistic creations are fun to look at and give great inspiration of what can be done through the various settings on offer.

Switch to creating new animations and it's similar to using the stock video app. There are a few specialist options available such as adjusting the number of frames the app takes, as well as the option to import photos from the camera roll rather than take new ones. Then it's down to the filters section of Gifture which is where the parallels between it and Instagram become obvious. There are less filters, with only 8 available, but all will be very familiar to regular Instagram users. Presumably due to the differences between video and still images, it takes longer to apply each filter but a progress bar keeps impatience at bay. Finally, adjusting the frames per second can make a world of difference to creating a more interesting film.

Once the clip has been created, the image is shared to the Gifture stream, and options to share via Twitter, Facebook, Email or SMS message become available. It's typical stuff with each option working as expected. Users can choose to follow like minded individuals so they can always view other images via the Friends Feed, as well as checking out what's popular.

It's all very much like Instagram but without the huge userbase that now exists there. It's a nice idea and does fill a gap that Instagram is yet to offer but Gifture suffers for its lack of individuality.

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