Flickr users can now add video clips alongside their photos, a much requested and much anticipated feature that has been promised for over a year.
The puppet version of Shel Israel graciously kicked things off for us by announcing the new feature in the Flickr Video below.
The product is not a YouTube clone by any means. The Flickr team, led by Director of Product Management Kakul Srivastava, spent considerable time debating the feature set and user experience internally before launch.
The goal is not to have people upload long videos or clips of copyrighted material. To reinforce that, videos can be only 90 seconds in length and 150MB in size (however these limitations may be changed later, Srivastava says).
In a phone prebriefing, I was very critical of the length limitation. But the team then brought me in for a demo and I was sold. The short clips are a perfect compliment to event photos, in my opinion.
Videos are treated the same way as photos and are placed alongside those photos in albums and the main stream. Videos can also be tagged (and geotagged) in the same way as photos.
The video player itself is extremely clean, so videos look like photos on pages that include them. Videos can also be embedded, of course, as we’ve done above.
Another great feature is the ability to play the videos from the thumbnail screens as well as the permanent page for the video.
Flickr video also differentiates itself from YouTube by only allowing pro users upload videos (it costs $25/yr to be a pro user), although both free and pro users can view videos. As with photos, videos can be made public or private. They can also be shared/embedded individually or as part of sets. But like YouTube, Flickr is providing an API for programmers to create services that access videos hosted on Flickr.
Other standard Flickr features are also available for video, such as search by tags and descriptions, uploads directly from camera phones, and various licensing options.
With this launch, video sharing sites that have focused on privately shared videos should be worried. These include Motionbox, Viddyou, and Vimeo, among others.
Update: The Flickr blog blatantly rips off our puppet schtick:
Will be interesting to see adoption rate versus still photos…
When is this going to launch? (Or are we seconds away, and I just don’t realize it?)
This just makes it all the more sad if Microsoft is successful in acquiring Yahoo and gets their grubby little hands on Flickr.
Comes up when I click to comment in the flash player after the video finishes. Is it possible to write something in Flash 9 that doesn’t pop up ridiculous errors all the time? I’m half-serious here… I just don’t get why Flash 9 stuff pops up so many damn errors all the time, even on high quality sites.
Oops, it’s the “Flash Security Error” that I’m talking about:
SecurityError: Error #2137: Security sandbox violation: http://www.flic...ontrol.swf.v1.5 cannot navigate window _self within http://www.tech...comment-2152217 (allowScriptAccess is ). Attempted URL was http://www.flic...ton/2399589900/.
at global/flash.net::navigateToURL()
at com.flickr::Photo/commentButtonClickHandler()
Wow – I’m looking forward to playing with this. The 90 second limit on the videos seems like a problem at first, but it may actually force people to be creative. It makes me think of how the new iMovie software works – it encourages you to work with clips of video, and I find myself making short movie clips along with photos to tell a story that is much more interesting than the longer videos.
Also – I wonder if the new Flickr video will allow you to embed them in your blog easily like YouTube does?
Disclaimer: I run a “competitor” to Flickr, SmugMug. I’m clearly biased, but I’m also a Flickr fan.
Michael, I expected something really new and interesting from Flickr. Am I missing it? Or are you writing up a more detailed posting later and this is just the quick announcement?
(Don’t get me wrong – I think clean, inline video on Flickr is a great move. I’m just looking for earth-shattering, and I don’t see it).
@2 – good point – flickr is one of the primary reason yahoo matters – and yes this is super cool, can’t believe it took so long but very nicely executed addition to the flickr experience.
Well, I guess the evidence is right in this blog post
Didn’t realize this video was on Flickr already.
Wait – are those links to private photos or is that just me?
I like this a lot. I’m a flickr user and the biggest concern is the site being overwhelmed with bullshit. That won’t happen with 90 second clips, plus the look is clean and simple.
About time too. However, the cynical side of me thinks there will be some sort of ‘premium usage’ regarding the longer vids.
I agree with you Scott K… must keep MS monster away from my flickr. Out of all the different services I use on the internet, Flickr and Twitter are my main stays.
But being able to get videos up is very cool….
The links were to private photos. I was unable to access them.
Yup. Private photos.
Ya its live now, i think?
We can’t see the video on Mike’s page because its set to private.
The “See this, for example” link leads to a “Oops! You don’t have permission to view this photo.”….
Coolness! I just tried to upload a short 15 sec video clip from my mobile phone to my Flickr account via email and it didn’t work. Mike – how do we upload clips? I’ve tried through the web UI and via email to no avail…
So… why couldn’t they use Yahoo! Video for this? Or .. why wasn’t that question even asked? If they have some special insights on how to handle video in a great new way, then share those insights with Yahoo! Video and improve that product. Product duplication, lack of communication — More of the same from the big Y! I guess.
Is it me or does the video player look just like the one at vimeo.com? I am just saying- looks like Yahoo lost originality when the staff started to bail
Right on!… but I’m getting errors…
SecurityError: Error #2137: Security sandbox violation: http://www.flic...ontrol.swf.v1.5 cannot navigate window _self within http://www.tech...que-experience/ (allowScriptAccess is ). Attempted URL was http://www.flic...ton/2399589900/.
at global/flash.net::navigateToURL()
at MethodInfo-37()
(See my post above for more)
I guess I’m asking how this is a “Unique Experience” like the story title? Good, yes. Clean, yes. Well executed, yes. Expected, yes. Where’s the good stuff?
Seems like a way to keep together your pictures and the videos you take with your photo camera (or cell phone). I find this quite smart: with these kind of cameras nowadays there’s really no difference, from a user point of view, between your pictures and your short / low quality videos; you shoot one or the other depending on the moment.
Then pro photographers can still use the power of flickr, and “pro” film-makers will go to other providers with full video capabilities.
Again, it makes sense to me.
I can’t see anything about video on the Flickr site. Nothing in the blog, nothing on my pro account. Did I miss the joke?
Mick O-
90 sec time limit. That’s why they couldn’t use Yahoo Video for this. I see the two products as distinct enough in their target audience:
Yahoo Video = YouTube clone full of would-be viral videos
Flickr Video = a video photo album (small clips) for family, friends
I like the way the horizontal progress bar disappears and also the ease of switching to full screen whilst still embedded – Can’t do this with youtube. Nice – this is something new I suppose?
David Merwin:
It’s not publicly available as yet… but I presume it’s very close. Michael obviously was lucky enough to get a sneak preview.
90s/150mb doesn’t matter? what if i want to upload a clip from last weekend which is 20 minutes long? imo this makes flickr video totally useless.
esther: why would anyone want to watch 20 minutes of video on Flickr? Distinct product differences in my mind… I will use a video hosting site for video of a conference or something, i’ll use flickr video to share my sons first reaction to ice-cream with my family (no one likes watching a kid eat ice cream for 20 minutes).
But yeah, no sign of video on my account. Kind of misleading to say it has launched when its not publicly available yet.
Looks like Flickr has addressed the rumors:
http://blog.fli...ideo-on-flickr/
Is there a problem with loren making money off of shel’s name?
@Ester,
Then you would use Vimeo.
http://vimeo.com
i just read at cnet that they support avi, mpeg and mov. what abou 3gp?
I agree with “Dude” above.
This is nearly identical to Vimeo’s old player. Look, feel, functionality. Can we at least give credit where credit’s due?
Hmmmmmmm…..
http://caseypug...m/post/31183384
IMHO this really reinforces Flickr’s positioning by allowing users to upload only that which they can capture from their digital cameras and/or camera phones. YouTube, on the other hand, is really more about the video cam and stories that require more time to tell.
I’m glad Flickr chose to impose the time limit. In my experience, most of the video I capture with my digital point and shoot are small clips that rarely exceed 90 seconds and are really meant for me to capture a moment or experience that I don’t believe a still image accurately captures (e.g. Niagra Falls, sound from cars whizzing by in a Nascar event, etc.); an enhancement to the story that my still image couldn’t tell otherwise.
Great stuff!
To all the dudes and the vimeo stuff… your acting like they own the semi-transparent black bar on the bottom with un-beveled UI items.
Looks like Flickr hasn’t quite launched this yet.
I don’t get it… I guess TC REALLY wanted to scoop everyone by announcing something that isn’t live yet…? And WTF is with that annoying puppet?
Looks a lot like Vimeo. i dont know why Yahoo is trying to launch a service thats already there with no innovation at all.
This whole hairsplitting over “Use video.yahoo.com (VYC) for a 2 minute video of my kids at the lake, but if it’s under 90 seconds, then that’s a completely different use case, and appropriate for Flickr” is the exact same thinking that caused Yahoo! to develop the whole Yahoo! Photos redesign shortly before shuttering the whole Photos site. Short UGC video to share with friends is *most definitely* within the mission of VYC. If VYC wasnt delivering on that mission, then fix it. Building a new video platform instead of perfecting what they have is an example of why Y! will keep stumbling. It diverts expertise and builds competing factions.
Trying to upload one I get this “MVI_0561.AVI was not uploaded: File was not a recognised type or was unable to be decoded (we only support JPEG, PNG, non-animated GIF, BMP and TIFF)”
Sweet. Not really live yet.
Let me get this straight?
- 90 seconds
- lean player
- have to pay to upload
And tell me again why this is worth a crap (other than “it’s flickr”).
I don’t think the feature debate lasted long enough.
Posting videos… online? revolutionary!
wait, no, the other thing… tedious. Flickr’s late to the game, despite their attempt to spin it as unique (which Arrington fell for hook line & sinker).
if flickr gets overwhelmed by crap clips like youtube does, many users would leave, 90 seconds seems a way to prevent this to happen.
I don’t think people are getting it. Flickr is obviously trying to create a site where the video is going to appear next to photos, not where people can upload their latest video creations a la YouTube.
Here’s an example: you went on a ski trip with some friends. You took a ton of pictures, but you also record a small video (perhaps with your camera). Flickr now gives you the ability to keep the photos and video all in one place rather than spread across Flickr, Yahoo Video, or other sites.
If you wanted to upload a video of you lip-synching to Britney’s latest single, this wouldn’t be the place. That’s what Yahoo Video (or more likely YouTube) is for.
As for the “dudes” who keep claiming it rips off Vimeo’s interface, who cares? There’s only so many different ways you can design a web-based video player. I think the video player looks great and don’t mind at all if it copies Vimeo, YouTube, or anyone else.
Not to mention that everyone who is expecting a game-changing innovation is missing the point. The point is video on your photostream. My family visits my photostream, they have Flickr accounts or guest passes, they check it daily, weekly, whatever. Having clips right there for them to see is the beauty of it.
Of course if you want to upload longer clips, or embed exclusively on external sites this isn’t a viable option. Its a dream come true for avid Flickr users though who want to share short clips with the audience they already have on a site their audience is already accustomed to.
I wish it would launch already so I can form a valid opinion about it.
I tend to agree with @43. I use my mobile phone to post pics directly to Flickr pretty much every day. I also record a lot of .3g2 clips on my mobile that I’d also like to splice into my Flickr stream, so this seems pretty decent feature to add. Now if only Verizon would let me send more than 15 sec clips over their network…
PS – looks like the video site will live here: http://www.flic...com/apps/video/ (currently get a permissions denied message though)
@44-
Well said.
And as for the 90 sec limit, that might change. This is a launch. Imposing that limit now helps Flickr keep a reign on having tons of crap uploaded. They can always relax that limitation down the line.