Tis the season to reconnect with friends and family, whether it’s throwing a holiday party, or sending cards to loved ones across the globe. Whatever your tradition, I’m sure you’ve sent or recieved many holiday photos in your lifetime. Red and green sweaters, glistening tinsel and awkward smiles. What if I told you that your holiday photos didn’t have to be so ordinary?

By Jacqueline Amparo

Over the years, the way we connect with the world has shifted more and more towards digital. Instead of writiing a letter, we send a text message. Instead of printing a photo, we post it online or send by email. This year, why not send your loved ones a holiday cinemagraph. With auto-playing video on Facebook and Twitter, and auto-looping video on Instagram and Vine, cinemagraphs come to life in magical ways. It’s a beautiful thing.

Flixel Teams Up With Nutram 

Cute dogs and twinkling lights; it doesn’t get much better than that. This holiday season, Flixel and Nutram came together to create some of the world’s cutest cinemagraphs. Seriously. #BetterTogether was the theme, with owners posing with their dogs. Let’s just say the day was filled with lots of laughs and excited pups.

Cassandra King from Flixel sets the stage for a Flixel photo shoot. 

Want your holiday cinemagraph to look as fabuous as the ones above? We’ve got a few tips.

1. Frame it like a photo. A cinemagraph is a photo with small elements moving in a loop, it is key that the captured video is shot with clear artistic direction.

2. Use a tripod. You MUST record the video on a steady surface. No and, if’s or buts. Once you’ve set up your shot, press record, and the rest is simple.

3. Plan the movement ahead of time. What do you want to have moving? Maybe it’s a candle flame, or steam rising off of a mug of tea. Whatever the movement is, plan it ahead and make sure to take multiple takes.

4. Make a smooth loop in Cinemagraph Pro. Cinemagraphs are all about illusion. Think of it like a magic trick; if your loop is not smooth or seamless, then the illusion will be broken. To achieve this, think about movement that could repeat seamlessly, like a ball bouncing, a dog jumping, or snow falling.

5. Sharing your cinemagraph. After you’ve created your Flixel it will live as an MP4 video file. It’s easy to share on social networks, embed in a blog post, or send in an email.

• For email, export your cinemagraph as a GIF to embed it, or share a short 15 second video.
• For Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and alike, export a 15 second video and upload directly to the site. Watch as your friends and family marvel at your living photo.
• To post it in a blog, upload your cinemagraph to Flixel.com and take the custom iframe to embed on your site. For more on how to embed your cinemagraphs, read this.

Go forth and create your own festive cinemagraphs today! Holiday cards have never been so fun.