Vhoto app for iOS users captures still images from video

New Delhi: Ever wonder that there are scores of amazing photos hidden in all of those videos you've taken from your smartphone? Maybe you don't know it, or don't have the medium to access them. Now, a new social photo sharing app for iOS users, called Vhoto, has been launched that allows users to extract still frames from iPhone video. Vhoto chooses a culled assortment of the "best" pictures using its proprietary technology. “Video gives you context, so the shift to video as the source for your camera is really a better way to take photos,” said Vhoto CEO Noah Heller, the 36-year-old former Microsoft Xbox and Activision vet who started the company two years ago in Boston with former Farecast CEO Hugh Crean.The unique aspect of Vhoto is that still images are always sourced from video and thus the app does not force users to choose how to capture an event. You can either chose to shoot directly from the app or import existing video from your camera roll.The app evaluates over 20 different metrics including blur, contrast, faces, smiles, novelty, and user intent, to quickly extract the best moments from a video. Vhoto dynamically shows you what it is seeing on-screen and adds text updates as you watch. When it's done, it offers up a series of frames that will make good stills.Users can also tap any of them for editing tools: Instagram-style filters, image adjustments like contrast and saturation, and flip/rotate. When you're done, you can download the photo to your Camera Roll or share it via the usual methods (Facebook, Instagram, email, etc.).According to Heller the heart of the app is its algorithm. The app combines computer vision, which automatically determines what looks good, with machine learning, which can anticipate what users will like, for its results.“The algorithm is programmed to look for special things; it recognizes when something different happens, measures what's unique and interesting in the video, and then marries them together to pick the perfect shot.”Vhoto is free, and it is also completely ad-free with no in-app purchases at this time. It's optimized for the iPhone 5 and runs on iOS 7. The Seattle-based company, which employs 13 people, has managed to attract $2.4 million in investment from Atlas Venture and Polaris Venture Partners.