GoPix ($1.99) is a just-released iOS slide show app for users on Instagram. It's a good illustration of the trade-offs between making something easy to use or having more creative control.

GoPix is very, very easy to use. You begin by selecting up to nine photos. The app crops them for Instagram size requirements. Pick a mood pre-set, and the app chooses the music, renders your animated transitions, and you are done. You get a 15-second movie ready to upload to Instagram, or share via other social media or email.

For someone who wants to trade control for ease, this is a perfect app, and there are a lot of people who will find this clever app appealing. To my mind, it should have gone further. There is no ability to add text, and while there are a lot of music and a few theme choices (Cheerful, Energetic, Scrapbook, Heartstrings, Cutesy and Upbeat), you can't use your own music. The app also uses filters on your photos, turning some to mono, others to a kind of parched effect. It seems like those choices should be made by the users, not the app creators. You can re-order the photos before you render the animation, but you can't re-edit after it is done. Again, that choice saves some work on the part of the user, but there is a creative price to pay.

The transition effects are very sophisticated and tasteful, but you just lose an awful lot of control. That's going to be positive for those who don't want to get into the weeds of creating a great slideshow, but it will definitely frustrate more seasoned photographers who want to express themselves more fully.

I'd like to see this developer create a version of the app that ditches the Instagram restrictions, and gives users more creative options. Or perhaps give us a single app that does both -- then we'd have the best of both worlds.

If you want to stay with Instagram-compatible apps, then have a look at Fliptastic Pro ($0.99) which I reviewed last year and really liked. It has a lot more canned choices, yet lets you use your own music if you want, and it's also possible to add captions. If you don't want to use it for Instagram, you don't have to, but pushing the "Instagram' button formats everything for that service.

GoPix requires iOS 6 or greater, it's optimized for the iPhone 5, but not yet for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

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GoPix is a clever, but limited slide movie maker for Instagram