These 2 tools make it easy to create standout visuals
This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools , a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. I always fuss over how best to add visual variety. I do that so you, dear reader, aren’t bored by thick walls of text. (I halved the length of this post for the same reason). Distinct images grab attention. That’s why I’m sharing Whorl and Flux 3 , new tools that…
Two tools are making it simple to create eye-catching visuals: Whorl and Flux 3. These platforms are perfect for journalists, educators, and anyone looking to add some visual interest to their work.
Whorl is a web app that allows users to create moving 3D graphics for various purposes like posters, social media graphics, and websites. Founder and designer Remon Tijssen spent years perfecting this app, which now boasts features that his original iOS version didn’t have. Users can start with a template or a blank canvas, add text, adjust the aspect ratio, color palette, shapes, and 3D effects, and play with numerous customization options to create a unique design.
One of the best aspects of Whorl is its ability to make the design process fun and experimental. Instead of simply typing in a prompt like you would in ChatGPT, you're actively moving things around on the canvas, creating your own digital art. For example, you can create kinetic text graphics to spice up your teaching slides or experiment with different looks as a fun graphic resource.
Whorl offers a free 7-day trial with watermarks. The paid plan is $60/year ($5/month) for pro features, which include higher-resolution exports. To access Whorl, visit design.whorl.app and sign up using a Google account – no credit card required to start.
Flux 3 is an AI video generation tool that makes creating vivid video clips easy. It's the latest model from Black Forest Labs, an AI research lab based in Freiburg and San Francisco. Users can create short videos by entering a text prompt, uploading images, or starting with a magic puddle, dino, or horse as a base. Flux 3 also allows users to choose the video's length, aspect ratio, and whether or not they want audio.
Martin Scorsese endorsed Flux 3, stating that the tool helps him communicate his visual ideas more clearly to his creative team. However, there are some caveats to keep in mind. Flux 3 is temporarily free to try, but demand has been high, so there may be delays in video generation during the free period (through August 16). Once the free period ends, pricing starts at $0.17 per second of finished video.
Alternatives to Flux 3 include Google's Gemini Omni, which offers 33 templates to help you get started, and other AI-generated video tools like Adobe Firefly and Canva. While Omni enables the creation of avatar videos, which could potentially replace personal messages, its other capabilities are still useful for artistic experimentation.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
