By taking a series of consecutive photos this free app skips boring static shots and creates moving pictures.

Phhhoto is a fun iOS app I recently discovered. It's not your run-of-the-mill photo or video app that slaps a filter on content and calls itself an "innovative" approach to social media.

There is a filter and lo-fi grainy feel to the end product, but as Phhhoto's co-founder Champ Bennett told me via email, "that's just our thing." I can respect that, and thankfully the special effects end there.



Where the real magic happens with PHHHOTO is during the process of taking a photo. Instead of taking one image, the app takes a series of images and stitches them together to create an animated image that loops. Kind of like a GIF, only using a new webP format "which contains more color information than GIFs" according to Bennett. However, the images are saved to your iPhone as a GIF after being posted.

Naturally, PHHHOTO has all the staples of a modern-day social network. You can find friends, share across platforms, search for hashtags and all that jazz. Browsing through the app's "WOW" tab makes for an entreating way to spend a few minutes where you can find mesmerizing photos such as this one.

When you take a photo for the app, it's also saved to your Camera Roll. It appears to be a normal image, but rest assured it's a GIF. Share it with a friend on iMessage and you'll see it begin to move.

An Android app is in the works, but no word on timing of its eventual release.