Tumblr’s Newest “GIF Maker” Has Become The Next Hit On The Internet

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Tumblr is launching a new tool that will capitalize on its community’s love for both creating and sharing GIFs with the debut of a mobile-only. The new feature is called “GIF Maker.”

The tool will not be a standalone application, but will rather become a core feature of the main Tumblr mobile app. However, it may seem like Tumblr is somewhat late getting into the GIF creation space, given the rise of competing GIF-making apps like those from Giphy, DSCO from VSCO, or Giffiti, for example. However, according to the company, it’s only been recently that our mobile devices have gained the processing power to make the process of easily converting burst photos and videos to the GIF format possible, as well as simple enough for anyone to manage with just a few taps.

In reality, using the GIF Maker is as easy as Tumblr describes it to be. To access the new feature, you first tap the “Compose” button in the Tumblr application, and then choose to create a new “Photo” post. There, you’ll see an option to filter your Camera Roll images by “GIFs” at the bottom of the screen.

Tumblr’s app actually scans your phone for those burst photos and videos it’s able to convert and displays them on this screen with a “GIF” label attached. The GIF Maker also lets you trim your clips, or choose whether they loop or rebound, meaning to play the frame again in reverse. You can also speed up or slow down the speed of the clip itself as well, before posting. The fact that the GIF Maker taps into your Camera Roll for GIF-able content means we could be seeing a lot more “personal” or artistic GIFs rolling out on Tumblr, which is better known for more meme-heavy or media-focused GIF content, like GIFs from favorite cartoons, TV shows or movies.

However, GIF Maker doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to only those images or videos you shot yourself. There are a number of ways to download third-party video content to your Camera Roll, which could expand the types of video you could turn into GIFs with far less effort than having to turn to complicated desktop software. The GIFs you create using the new feature will also be automatically tagged with “GIF” and “Made With Tumblr,” to help them be accessible via Tumblr search or better discovered on users’ own blogs.

With Tumblr having set out to establish itself as the home to brand advertising on the web, GIF Maker can help the network’s advertisers create more viral, shareable content, as well. Already, the most popular Sponsored Posts are GIFs, we understand, and brands were among those Tumblr invited to test the tool ahead of today’s public launch. Tumblr plans to cater to both this crowd and its users with other creative expression tools for mobile, including those for longform content creation. The team is now thinking about tools that focus on what it means to compose longform content on mobile,