I downloaded the free version of Pixaloop (Apple iOS | Android) to my phone a few weeks ago, but never got around to taking it for a test drive until this morning. I loaded a recent photo of a sunset in the Poconos and started to run with it.
Pixaloop’s interface is pretty straight forward, once loaded up simply use the animate tools to direct the movement, anchor areas of the image and ‘freeze’ areas of the image entirely. I added some overlays for giggles and exported the mp4 file directly to Google Photos.
It really was simple, much more so that Plotagraph which I tested a few years ago, and the output is on par with other animation tools I’ve tried. If I had any complaint it would be around the pricing model. I hate subscription based software an apps.
Pixaloop – Buy or Rent? Meh!
As you can see in the screenshot below, Pixaloop’s licensing works out to just over $20USD per year subscription, or $60USD for a perpetual license. Neither is really ideal, as I feel the perpetual license is quite dire for the functionality. The chance that any tool is going to be around and on top for more than a year or two is rare. Add to the mix – I am morally opposed to ‘renting’ software. Not sure what I will end up doing, but as I’ve discussed previously, I moved form Adobe‘s products to On1 Photo RAW initially due to the subscription model, so unless I find a damn good reason to upgrade Pixaloop, I will simply use the free version.
There are a few “Pro-Only” extras I may check out, via a one month subscription and cancel, if they end up being game-changers that blow my mind I could revisit that decision, but it really would need to blow my mind not just be cool. But hey! If the Pixaloop Folks want to send me a free month to test it out and review the Pro Version, I wont say no. Just keep in mind, I will post what I think … good – bad – indifferent regardless.
In the mean time, I’ll kick the tires a bit more and see what else I can do with it 🙂
