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Comment by majormajor | Hacker News Reader

They can be fun, you get a photo plus a short video "for free." Much easier than filming constantly and editing things down later. You can pick a different key frame to display as well, so it can be a good way to fix an awkwardly-timed yawn or such.

I don't use them personally, though, but I'm a curmudgeon about my camera controls ;)

I think Google added something similar in their Pixel camera app.

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Eh, I think this is just one of those things I don't "get". A 2 second video seems without value to me.

From the POV of the user it's much more "a photo" than a video. It just gives you a bit of extra context and ability to pick your key frame.

A two-second video is pretty pointless. But a photo that incidentally moves a little bit is often charming.

It’s the animated photos from Harry Potter.

It’s a fun gimmick especially with kids as 2 seconds goes from not seeing you to noticing and lighting up with a smile.

I agree, they capture a moment in some ways better compared to a static photo. Not replacement but a nice feature on their own.

> It’s the animated photos from Harry Potter.

That's what I was picturing. I'm glad my impression isn't far off. Perhaps it's a "you have to use it to understand" sort of thing, but I truly struggle to see the value.

It doesn't matter, though. I don't use iPhones and even if I did, that I don't understand it is meaningless.

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