Photographed by Erin Yamagata.Some of the best things come in pairs — gorgeous stilettos, your favorite earrings, and the Olsen twins, to name a few. Now, the recently launched app Pop is taking the concept of "pairs" to create a whole new genre of online communication. Basically, Pop allows you to layer either two images or two GIFs on top of one another, so that you see the first image/GIF and then touch your screen to reveal the one below. (The app is primarily designed for smartphones, though you can click and hold an image on your computer to get the same result.) By tapping your phone screen, you can switch back and forth between the two images or GIFs, and the effect is something like a quick camera-angle change in a sitcom. The resulting image is called a "pop."
Pop has a huge collection of GIFs available for you to “remix” (a.k.a., pair together for your own masterpiece), and you can also create your own GIFs through the app. Though it sounds pretty complicated, the idea is simple — jokes and stories are often told in two parts, which is what makes a pop so perfect. Just check out this Seinfield one: The images are both pretty basic, but the pop is brilliant.
Fast Company is comparing the app to Twitter, but we think it’s a little more along the lines of Instagram, given the focus on image and entertainment. For our part, we can’t wait to sign up and GIF away — we’ve got some grand pairings in mind.
(Fast Company)