Could This Be the Future of GIFs?

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Abhimanyu Ghoshal

Managing Editor

Abhimanyu is TNW's Managing Editor, and is all about personal devices, Asia's tech ecosystem, as well as the intersection of technology and (show all) Abhimanyu is TNW's Managing Editor, and is all about personal devices, Asia's tech ecosystem, as well as the intersection of technology and culture. Hit him up on Twitter, or write in: [email protected].

While the GIF format was originally created to reduce image file sizes, it’s become part of the fabric from which the modern Web is woven. Now, a team of developers believe they’ve create the next step in its evolution.

YOYO lets you control animated GIFs by moving your mouse back and forth across the image. It’s an easy way to rewind, fast-forward and freeze the action.

Here’s an example YOYO made from a GIF I found on Reddit:

There’s a growing community of users over at LikeYOYO, where you can find more animations to control and create your own.

The site currently allows you to make a YOYO out of a GIF hosted online somewhere, and you can embed your creation on any site or blog by pasting a snippet of code.