Hands On With Twitter’s Social Video App, Vine

Twitter launched Vine on Thursday — an app that lets you share 6-second video clips.

Currently iOS-only, the stop-motion videos can include as many scenes as you can fit in. Video stops and starts when you press on your device's screen. Your finished product can then be shared just on Vine, or with friends on Twitter or — in theory — Facebook.

Still in its infancy, the service isn't without drawbacks. Sharing for instance can only be done with the video is initially uploaded/. So if you forget to select that Twitter button when you upload your followers will be out of luck forever.

Thursday at least, uploading those videos to social networks also takes a bit of time. Some of our videos went up immediately, while others took close to an hour.

SEE ALSO: Vine Mania! 10 Creative Vines on Twitter

Sound is also recorded along with each video clip. While that's not a huge deal if you're recording in a quiet location, video recorded where there's a lot of noise can sound choppy and be jarring for viewers. (Videos play automatically in Twitter, but the default setting appears to be on mute.)

And then there's Twitter's relationship with Facebook. A few hours after the app's launch Thursday Facebook blocked the service from being able to access your friends lists.

Knowing which of your Facebook friends are using Vine isn't essential to the service, but it does tend to make finding those friends – who you might not be connected to on Twitter – that much harder.

Have you tried Vine out yet? Let us know what you think about the app in the comments.

1. Sign In

   You can sign into Vine using your Twitter account or email address.

   

2. Allow Access

   If you choose to sign in via Twitter, you'll be prompted to give the app access to your Twitter account.

   

3. Sign Up

   Vine will pull in your name, profile picture, and bio from Twitter to create your profile. You can edit that information if you'd like your Vine profile to be a little different than your profile on Twitter.

   

4. Mirroring Twitter

   When linked, your profile on Vine includes the same information as your profile on Twitter.

   

5. Get a Walk-Through

   On screen prompts will walk you through the process of creating your first Vine.

   

6. Pick and Choose

   The green bar at the top of the screen shows you how much of the 6-second time allotment you've already used up.

   

7. Share the Experience

   Once you're done shooting a video you're prompted to add a caption or location information to the video, as well as specify where you'd like to share it.

   

8. View Your Timeline

   Finished Vines show up on a timeline, similar to Instagram's interface.

   

9. Check it Out

   You can browse through Editor's Picks, Vines that are popular now, and all Vines on the service.

   

10. Explore

    Vines can be explored by topic. So you can check out Vines from NYC, Sports, or even Pet videos.

    

11. Autoplay

    Videos on the timeline autoplay when they're displayed on your screen.

    

12. Add Your Friends

    Just because you're following someone on Twitter doesn't mean you'll automatically be following them on Vine. The service works independently of Twitter, so you'll have to follow (and be followed by) everyone again. The service will, however, pull in a list of your Twitter or Facebook friends on Vine to make that process a little easier.

    

Mashable Thumbnail, Emily Price