Imgur Now Lets You Upload GIFs With Sound
Imgur is evolving. After almost 10 years of hosting still images and GIFs, Imgur is moving into video for the first time. However, if you’re not a fan of change, don’t worry too much, as Imgur’s take on video basically amounts to GIFs with sound.
In 2009, sharing images online wasn’t as easy as it is now. And that’s what prompted Alan Schaaf to create Imgur. It has since been used to host images and GIFs that can then be shared on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit.
And now Imgur is adding video…
Imgur Adds GIFs With Sound
On the Imgur Blog, the Imgur team explains how you can now upload videos (with sound) to Imgur. Unfortunately, this only applies to users of the iOS app, as while everyone can watch the videos, only iOS users can upload the new video format.
Imgur videos can only be a maximum of 30 seconds long, hence their billing as “GIFs with sound”. All videos are muted by default to prevent the Imgur homepage blurting out a cacophony of sound. But clicking on the sound option adds an aural element.
Imgur calls this “a monumental shift for our future, and it furthers our commitment to becoming the world’s greatest community powered entertainment destination.” Which may sound like hyperbole, until you realize how this could be used to make money.
Advertisers love video, which is why YouTube and Facebook are raking in so much cash at the moment. Imgur, with its focus on still images and silent GIFs, hasn’t been able to take advantage of that. Until now. Which explains the shift to video.
Imgur Helps Us Find the Sauce
While this is mostly about Imgur trying to pay the bills, it also feels like a natural evolution. It means users have another outlet for their creativity, and it also means we’ll no longer have to go looking for the source video to add context to a GIF.
If you’re as obsessed with GIFs as we are then you should read our guide to GIFs, which examines the history, culture, and future of the visual format which is definitely pronounced GIF (like “gift”) and not JIF (like “giant”).
