April 10, 2014
Disney's Story app may be the easiest way to create stories
I’ve been exploring a number of iOS apps lately that allow you to put pictures, video, text and music together to create a story. These are aimed at consumers looking to tell stories about their vacations or their children’s birthdays, but there is nothing stopping an enterprising journalist from using them to tell a news story.
The latest to come to my attention is from Disney, and aptly named Story. Of all the apps I’ve tried, this one was the easiest and most intuitive. I had only a couple of false starts before I was able to create and share a story with all the elements, including a theme.
You gather up pictures and videos, as usual, and have the option of placing captions on them. You can also use text on separate pages to keep the narrative moving.
There is a choice of several tunes to play in the background. There are also several themes, but unfortunately for journalists most of them are based on Disney movies. Luckily, there are some plainer themes to choose from. Also, the music tends to be upbeat, which might not be appropriate if your story is about something serious.
You can share your stories in the usual social-media ways, but if you want to embed it on your website it’s best to use email. That way you get a link to it on the Story website. And if you sign in, there is an option to share by using an embed code.
There are pros and cons with Story: it’s really simple to use, but, well, it’s Disney.