Google recently launched an augmented reality mode for the Android version of its video capture app Motion Stills, which brings the ability to insert AR objects into the world so you can record GIFs and video.
Much like Google’s AR stickers function for Pixel or Pixel 2, which lets you project 3D objects like Stranger Things characters onto the physical world using the stock camera app, Motion Stills’ new AR mode lets you insert virtual 3D objects on both static or moving horizontal surfaces like a hand, or moving platform and record your creations.
The company says in a recent blog post that the new AR mode is powered by “instant motion tracking,” Google’s 6DoF tracking system that was built using the same technology powering Motion Text in the iOS Motion Stills app and the privacy blur on YouTube.
Critically, Motion Stills doesn’t use ARCore, Google’s augmented reality SDK for high-end Android devices. Instead, the app is said to work on any Android device with a gyroscope, which is a pretty wide array of smartphones.
After opening the app and selecting ‘AR Mode’, you simply add in a 3D virtual object by touching the screen. You can pinch to change the size of the object (giant chickens incoming) and rotate the it before recording either a video or GIF.
You can download Motion Still for Android here.