Today, I had the pleasure of playing with Echograph, a fantastically fun little app that lets you record animated GIFs in real time.

The idea is this: you capture a few seconds of video, trim it down to a portion you like, and freeze the video entirely except for a few bits that you animate by rubbing away at the screen.

The secret lies in using a tripod, an absolute necessity for still shots. Your goal is to focus attention on the one bit of movement that pops in the scene to build a stunning presentation.

My first attempts at "stunning" were a bit of a failure (I have the artistic skills of a dyspeptic lemming) and my attempt to steady my iPad against a wooden strut were not as successful as I would have wished.

Leaving my poor construction skills aside, the app is a real peach. It's tons of fun to use, has a nice interface and costs only US$2.99 in its introductory sale (regular price $4.99). Kids will love this as well as adults. If you pick up a copy and give it a go, leave a link to your composition in the comments.

This app is going to stay on my iPad for a while.