GIFs #IRL
If you’ve ever said, I wish I could hold that GIF in my hand, there are now several services that will help you do that. Actually, there’s been several similar options dating as far back as the 19th century.
Inventions like the zoetrope, the zoopraxiscope, the flip book, the praxinoscope, the thaumatrope, the phenakistoscope, and, more recently, the lenticular and streoscopic print, have all relied on the optical illusion known as the persistence of vision to simulate motion. In order for your GIFs to materialize in the same way you would need a modern-day vendor willing to take the parsed still images from your animated GIF and manufacture them the same way that these inventions of the past did. Voila,GIFs in real life.
I won’t say that this is a rapidly growing industry, but there are a few tinkerers exploring the idea. Here are a few:
- Gifpop! Kickstarter-funded project by Sha Hwang and Rachel Binx. I’ve can vouch for the quality of these lenticular prints.
- Giphoscope Premium analog “GIF players;” come in four models, $50+/each
- Circomatica place to buy GIFs turned into phenakistoscopes, thaumatropes, and more…
- Ubersnap iOS app for capturing; lenticular prints for purchase
- Gifprint Print-yourself flipbook and GIF splitter by Erick J Schmitt
Unavailable today
- Cineflips DIY or buy for $9.95…“coming soon”
- Gifbook (discontinued as of August 2015, but the creator, @levelsio, welcomes recommendations for “suppliers that can offer high-quality flipbooks”)
