Instagram Enables Front-Facing Hyperlapses, Brace Yourself for the #Selfielapse

IMG_3107

Instagram’s Hyperlapse app has taken the App Store by storm and already inspired many thousands of people to try out the genre thanks to its super simple interface and incredibly smooth results. But Instagram’s not done shaking things up yet, because the next evolution in Hyperlapse videos just arrived thanks to a minor update to the app: they call it, the #selfielapse.

If you haven’t already guessed it (or read the title) the update now allows users of the Hyperlapse app to use their front-facing cameras, making way for a whole new style of sped up video.

And as you can see from the example below by engineer Thomas Dimson and designer Chris Connolly — the guys who created the Hyperlapse app in the first place — the results can be pretty fun, if a bit strange.

Of course, there are other ways to use the newly-acquired capability. Here are just a few suggestions the folks over at Instagram sent over to us:

  • Stand still and have a moving background (i.e. Times Square foot traffic, riding a roller coaster).
  • Capture yourself walking down the street as your surroundings whirl by.
  • Document transformations – getting a new haircut, applying makeup or tying a tie – by propping your phone up against a wall.
  • Hold up your phone as you spin around in a chair, or jump on a trampoline.

The possibilities aren’t quite endless, but they are vast, so download version 1.1 from the iOS app store or update the version you already have, give it a whirl, and drop some links to your selfielapses in the comments down below.

Discussion