Online communication, particularly via social media, is gradually becoming more visual. And with that comes an increasing number of ways to hit people in the eyes with something beautiful. 

Not literally, of course. You can get arrested for that sort of thing.

More interesting than a photo and less-annoying than an autoplay video, cinemagraphs are fast making a name for themselves in the world of digital marketing. 

If you’ve not come across them before, they’re essentially just photographs that contain moving elements. You may have seen a few of them popping up in my branded Instagram video round-ups recently.

But rather than trying to explain what they are, it seems more appropriate to show you in this case, so I’ve included 30 of my favourite cinemagraphs in this post in the hope of inspiring your own creations.

The first four are from brands...

Stuart Weitzman

Mr Porter

Chopard 

Christian Louboutin

But some of the most creative examples I’ve seen come from individuals, and I’ve included a few of my favourites below.

I’ve linked to all the sources within the images, so please show the creators some love if you like what you see. 

These skateboarders

This woman's reflection in a puddle

This person filming a light show on their phone

This barn owl in the snow

The flowers spinning in this woman's hands

This man applying makeup to a model

This hooded man watching a train go by

This canvas that looks like it's coming alive

These clouds above Hwaseong Fortress in South Korea

This tribute to victims of the Paris attacks

This dog's eyebrows

This deserted jetty

Somebody flicking the moon out of the New York night sky

 

This time lapse of a Chicago highway at night 

This strangely satisfying lava

The silhouettes of these trees in a lightning storm

This lighthouse behind a lake

These waterfalls in a forest

This epic Mordor depiction

This creative idea for an Inception movie poster

This endless stream of people and trains

The water cascading down this bank

This oddly tranquil tornado

This never-ending underground train

This water flowing away from some mountains

This woman standing on the shore watching the sunset