The Story Behind TransMov: From APNG Experiments to a MacOS Video & Animation Tool

Hi Product Hunt! 👋

I’d love to share the story behind TransMov, my macOS app for video and animation processing.

When I started developing apps, I often needed animation assets. I realized that APNGs were a simple and effective format, and I also experimented with Lottie animations. Many designers might use After Effects for this kind of work, but I didn’t have the time to learn all the tools — plus, some of them are hard to access in China.

Later, I noticed that AIGC tools could generate videos, but to use them in my apps, I needed to remove backgrounds and convert them into GIF/APNG/WebP. Existing tools like CapCut or Lovart either restricted output formats or consumed AI credits, and After Effects had a steep learning curve.

So I decided to experiment: using Cursor, I first made a simple HTML web version to create the animated cat in my Purrrrrfocus Pomodoro app. When updating to v2.0, I wondered if this could become a full macOS app. With Cursor, I completed the first version in just one week.

After several weeks of testing and incorporating feedback during the review process, the app was ready for the App Store in about a month.

Along the way, I learned a lot about macOS development, Xcode, and leveraging Apple Vision and Neural Engine to process video locally while keeping privacy intact.

I’d love to hear from the community:

• How do you currently handle video-to-animation workflows?

• What are your biggest challenges when converting or editing animations?

• Have you experimented with AIGC tools for video/animation content?

Thanks for reading — looking forward to your thoughts and feedback!