GLMPS: Filling The Gap Between Pictures And Videos
GLMPS (Free) by GLMPS is a new kind of social photography app that’s not quite like anything else you’ve seen in the App Store.
If you’ve seen one of the Harry Potter movies, you’re probably familiar with those super neat photographs and newspaper pictures that feature photographs in motion. While GLMPS isn’t as amazing as that technology, it does manage to capture a little bit of magic.
When you take a photograph, GLMPS records five seconds of video before the actual picture is taken. It’s not exactly a photograph, but it isn’t a true video either. You end up with something in-between, which makes using this app a novel and fun experience.
Using this app requires a Facebook or Twitter account, which is disappointing. It excludes users who don’t participate in one of those social networks, and because it alienates users who don’t necessarily want to provide that kind of private information.
I am always wary of an app that wants to connect to Facebook or Twitter, and I usually decline using them unless it’s a specific and relevant app like Instagram or a Twitter client.
After signing in with my Twitter account, I was able to take my first photo. Tapping the (small and awkwardly placed) camera button on the right side opens the camera screen, which is a bit slow to load because it automatically starts capturing video when opened.
When taking a photograph, the app also records five seconds of video prior to when the photo was shot, giving a behind the scenes look at what’s happening in your pictures.
Photos I took included short videos of me picking up and positioning my iPhone in the right place, which wasn’t very exciting. I’d prefer a capture of five seconds after a photograph to allow for better positioning and content. Once I got the hang of it, I was able to compensate by aiming my camera five seconds in advance to get a suitable video.
Captured Glmpses can be titled and uploaded to your Glmps account, which is shared with other users. Currently, there are no privacy settings, so avoid those risqué photos for the time being unless you want the whole world to see them. Sharing a Glmps on my Twitter account provided a link to the website where my followers could view my short video.
Tapping the star button on the app will allow you to see popular Glmpses from other people. Since the app was debuted at the BlogHer conference in San Diego, most of the shared content is from the conference, which is not exactly super stimulating. Hopefully, as the app matures, the popular content available will improve.
This app is ultimately best suited towards social settings and photos of friends, as my videos of my breakfast and my cat were not really share worthy material. I may be able to make a photo of my oatmeal look artsy on Instagram, but that’s not the case with a video.
I should mention that finished photos are not the same quality as regular photographs taken with the camera, because it’s a still of the end shot of a video. While I wouldn’t use photographs taken this way for another purpose, it’s fine for sharing within the app.
If GLMPS catches on and some improvements are made in regards to privacy, speed, and interface, it could prove to be a fun new way to share content with friends. In the future, it may just make a niche spot for itself among other great photography apps like Instagram.
