Google's Motion Stills app gets augmented reality upgrade
Google's Motion Stills app, a video and GIF editing platform, is getting an augmented reality (AR) update. Google has upgraded the app to add support for AR stickers, which will allow users to insert AR stickers into their photos, videos, and GIFs. The feature is available in the latest v2.0 of the Motion Stills app. Here is more on it.
The app has limited AR sticker options like dinosaur, alien
Users can try the feature by tapping on the 'AR' option in the app and selecting the sticker they want to add in their photo. Currently, the choices of AR stickers include dinosaur, gingerbread, alien, robot, chicken, and globe. The app will then ask users to select a plain surface for the polygonal stickers and through its surface tracking technology pin them in location.
Users can share videos, GIFs featuring AR stickers
Once the stickers are at the desired position, users can tap on the record button in the app to capture and save a video. The footage can also later be edited to turn the background sound on or off and even change the playback speed. Finally, users will be able to share their clip as GIF or video with the AR sticker inside it.
Earlier, Google Pixel 2 smartphone exclusively had AR stickers
Motion Stills will work on all smartphones running the Android 5.1 OS or up and, having a gyroscope and accelerometer. With this, Google has effectively brought some simple AR fun to all smartphones. Until now, the feature was only available on the Google Pixel 2 smartphone, where users could insert Star Wars and Stranger Things-themed AR stickers directly into their pictures and videos.
Motion Stills uses gyroscope that gets AR to all devices
While the Pixel 2 made use of Google's ARCore platform for incorporating AR capabilities, the Motion Stills app achieves a similar effect of sticking a virtual object on a flat plane through a device's existing accelerometer and gyroscope. Like Apple's ARKit, ARCore senses surfaces (except walls) and allows users to drop objects onto them.
Google engineers who worked on the update speak
"AR mode is powered by instant motion tracking, a six degree of freedom tracking system, to accurately track static and moving objects. We refined this technology to enable AR experiences on any Android device with a gyroscope," Google engineers Jianing Wei and Tyler Mullen said.
