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VISUAL CREATORS
For your artistic side.

📸 Apple Brings Spatial Media to Safari!

The Story: Apple is set to enhance Safari with support for spatial photos and videos, allowing users of the Vision Pro headset to experience immersive content directly from the browser. This new capability is expected later this year and is aimed at streamlining how spatial media is shared and viewed online.

The Details:

• Apple announced Safari's forthcoming integration of spatial photo and video support, enhancing the user experience for Vision Pro owners and making it easier to share these immersive moments.

• Users will be able to embed spatial media within their web pages, triggering an immersive viewing experience for Vision Pro users while still being accessible in 2D for everyone else using standard devices.

• Spatial content can be created using the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and the entire iPhone 16 lineup, providing a seamless transition from capturing to sharing.

• Currently, spatial media can only be viewed in limited capacities, such as through Messages and AirDrop, making Safari's new feature a significant step towards broader accessibility.

• As the ability to create and share spatial content expands, Apple emphasizes authentic experiences anchored in reality rather than artificial or altered imagery.

Why It Matters: This development signifies a noteworthy shift in how we can experience photography in the digital realm, especially for creative professionals looking to stand out. By integrating spatial media into Safari, Apple is not just enhancing user interaction but also reinforcing the importance of authenticity in visual storytelling. It opens up new avenues for photographers, filmmakers, and content creators to engage their audiences with immersive experiences while maintaining the integrity of their original captures. As the world moves towards more interactive content, early adopters will likely distinguish themselves in the competitive landscape.

PRODUCTION MASTERY
The commercial aspects of creativity.

🎥 Meet Loops: The New TikTok for the Fediverse!

The Story: Just launched, Loops is a new open-source alternative to TikTok, allowing users to create and share short, looping videos. Developed by Daniel Supernault, who previously created Pixelfed, Loops is tailored for user privacy, ensuring data isn't sold or used for AI training. Signups have opened, inviting users to explore this federated platform.

The Details:

• Loops allows users to share videos up to 60 seconds long, with plans for more features such as sound usage and remix capabilities on the horizon.

• A trust score system will moderate content submissions, requiring approvals for users with lower scores while trusted users can post immediately.

• The platform prioritizes user privacy, pledging not to sell data to advertisers or use uploads for AI training. Users maintain full ownership of their content.

• Funded primarily by user donations, the platform sidesteps venture capital, reflecting a growing preference for user-support models in the fediverse.

• Loops will eventually integrate with other federated platforms, enabling broader connectivity for shared content between networks like Mastodon and Pixelfed.

Why It Matters: As the social media landscape shifts towards decentralization, Loops steps up as an innovative solution for users seeking alternatives to mainstream platforms. By emphasizing privacy and user ownership, it resonates with the growing demand for ethical online spaces. Its success could signal a pivotal moment for creators, as they may gain a viable channel free from corporate control and data exploitation, potentially reshaping how we engage with short-form content.

CREATOR ECONOMY
Navigating the digital creative world.

😲 YouTube Thumbnails: What Gets Clicks?

The Story: YouTube’s thumbnail images significantly impact viewership, with facial expressions playing a crucial role in enticing clicks. A recent analysis of popular YouTubers’ thumbnails revealed that surprised and happy expressions dominate the landscape, while other emotions take a backseat. Insights from this study suggest that positive emotions not only resonate with viewers but also foster deeper engagement with content.

The Details:

• A study used AI facial recognition to analyze thumbnails from top YouTubers, uncovering that surprised (26.95%) and happy (26.65%) expressions attract the most views.

• SSSniperWolf leads with a surprised expression present in 70% of her thumbnails, while MrBeast shows happiness 36.36% of the time.

• Thumbnails with sad (1.50%) and disgusted (0.90%) expressions are the least common, often used to evoke specific responses in selected contexts.

• The study highlights the importance of a strong emotional connection for digital marketing and suggests a trend towards positivity in YouTube content creation.

• Thumbnail design tips emphasize consistency in styling, boldness, and clarity in messaging to capture potential viewers' attention effectively.

Why It Matters: This analysis holds significant importance for content creators, as it underscores the impact of emotional expression in thumbnails on viewer engagement. As YouTube's algorithm favors videos with high engagement, understanding the emotional triggers that lead to clicks can help creators develop more effective marketing strategies. Ultimately, harnessing positive facial expressions and an effective thumbnail design can set creators apart in a competitive space, driving both views and subscriber growth.

🔥 Press Worthy

📽️ VISUAL CREATORS

Apple Intelligence is here, transforming the iPhone, iPad, and Mac experience with a revitalized Siri and cutting-edge photo tools. Now you can effortlessly refine your writing, while the 'Clean Up' feature smartly eliminates distractions in images, keeping it real!

The Montclair Film Festival has wrapped up, awarding its top honor to “All We Imagine as Light,” directed by Payal Kapadia. The film explores the lives of two nurses and previously won at Cannes, despite missing out on an Oscar nod from India.

📈 PRODUCTION MASTERY

Netflix’s new “Moments” feature lets users clip, save, and share favorite scenes directly from their phones or tablets. Initially rolling out to ad-free members, it supports sharing on social media. Just tap to save, and you can revisit or share anytime—perfect for the film buff!

Pods.media is reshaping podcast monetization by enabling fans to mint NFTs of episodes, raising over $1M across 120k collectors. Adam Levy of Mint Podcast leveraged this to analyze listener data, crafting targeted content that boosted downloads by 40-50%.

🎭 CREATOR ECONOMY

Instagram's Adam Mosseri revealed that video quality for Stories and Reels adjusts based on engagement. Less viewed clips see reduced quality, potentially harming future views. While aiming to enhance overall user experience, this shift raises questions for smaller creators trying to gain traction on the platform.

Meta has inked its first major AI deal, partnering with Reuters to enhance its AI chatbot's news responses. Users will soon see Reuters content linked within AI answers across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, ensuring a more informative experience on current events.

📚 Learn & Grow

📽️ VISUAL CREATORS

• Social Media Marketing Makeover for Professional Photographers: 20 Ways to Get Attention

• The Future of Photography According to Apple, Maker of the World’s Most Popular Camera

📈 PRODUCTION MASTERY

• DJI claims that U.S. customs is stopping drone imports

• Ex-OpenAI staffer claims the ChatGPT maker leverages "the fair use doctrine" to violate copyright law and destroy the internet

🎭 CREATOR ECONOMY

• 3 Gimbal Upgrades I Wish I Made Months Ago

• Apple Intelligence is here, but it still has a lot to learn