Google launches 3 new photography apps

Google has announced three new photography applications: Storyboard (Android only), Selfissimo! (iOS and Android), and Scrubbies (iOS only) focused on experimental tech along the lines of object recognition, person segmentation, algorithms for stylization and image encoding. The releases are part of a new “appsperiments” program that Google just launched.

"Appsperiments" initiative is basically aimed at seeing what users are interested in and then expand upon (or eliminate) the apps at a later date. According to Google, this project is partially inspired by Google's "Motion Stills" app, which "converts short videos into cinemagraphs and time lapses" through the use of experimental rendering technologies.

Starting with Storyboard that turns videos into single-page comic layouts on your device. You’ll be able to refresh the app to get new layouts and frames, with Google claiming that there are over 1.6 trillion combinations.

Next is Selfissimo!, an app that simulates your own personal photo shoot. The app encourages you to "strike a pose," automatically taking a black-and-white photo whenever you stand still. Selfissimo! is available on both iOS and Android users.

The last one on the list is Scrubbies, designed for video. This app lets you change the speed and direction of video playback to create looping videos. Instead of looping apps like Instagram’s Boomerang, Scrubbies has you go hands-on. You actually swipe on the video itself to “remix” it. Google describes this process as “scratching it like a D.J.” One finger plays the video, while two fingers captures the playback for you to save and share.

Google notes that these apps are using technologies that are under “active research,” with performance possibly varying as a result. They hope that public feedback “will help guide some of the technology we develop next.”